Zydeco's

Zydeco's is located in downtown Mooresville. A little hole in the wall restaurant, it's easy to miss. The place is small but long, and incredibly popular. Myself and my usual food buddy went along. I had been craving some good Cajun food all month and needed a fix. If it wasn't for my GPS, I would of missed the place. I had heard of the restaurant via google maps, I had typed in my address and used the 'search near by' button for 'Cajun' and this place popped up.

Zydecos', the green neon sign proudly declares. It practically screams Louisiana, all the way down to the screen doors.

Apparently the place is pretty popular. There were two huge parties there, the kitchen and waiting staff were short one and so it was a while before we were seated. BUT they did the one crucial thing that prevented a bad situation from getting worse-they explained to me (the customer) that they were busy and short people, keeping me informed of the situation. This prevents the customer  from getting angry at being seemingly ignored. It was extremely appreciated!

Lights and jazz music, I feel like I'm really in the sweet south.

 The place is overly decorated with mementos of the south without being overly tacky. Instead the crowded and decorated building just adds to the atmosphere of Louisiana and gives patrons something to look at and discuss while waiting for their meal.

A dressed harlequin, perched on a street light and brightly colored...and too far for my crappy camera to get a good quality photo

The waiting staff is nice and friendly, making you feel more like an old friend that's been gone a while then a business opportunity. They were genuine, knowledgeable and had good timing. Even as packed and rushed as they were, no party was forgotten or neglected, a rare talent indeed!

Trivia cards are available on each table, allowing you to quiz the rest of your party on their knowledge. A novel and genius idea!

 Fresh bread and what I suspect is home made butter is on the house and wets the appetite. It also serves as a good pallet cleanser, dipper or something to take the bite out of the spiciness that Cajun food is known for. I could easily of filled up on the stuff! The bread was moist and warm on the inside, cool and crunchy outside and the butter was soft, melts-in-your-mouth-not-on-the-bread-knife wonderful!

Gumbo: chicken, sausage, rice, vegetables and liquid awesome.

 What Cajun meal would be complete without a bowl of gumbo? Of course I ordered a bowl! It was wonderful, flavorful and blended nicely. I usually go for the seafood gumbos, and I'm not a fan of sausage, at all. But this? This made me rethink my hate of sausage. I could like sausage if it all came tasting like this gumbo did.
The portion looks small, and it is. The bowl is deep, but all together it's a small serving. In my opinion, this is preferred. I don't want to fill up on the sides or appetizers, I just want something to warm my taste-buds up for the main play!

My friend's salad

 Salad. There's nothing much I can say about salad. It's leaves...with dressing. I rarely order salads because of this...they're boring.

My friend's dish, Ya Ya Chicken

 Ya Ya Chicken was my friend's order. He chose well. Seasoned with rosemary and garlic, the chicken breast is laid atop white rice and jambalaya, garnished with chives and what I think is paprika seasoning. The chicken practically melts in your mouth and he was able to just pull parts off, no need for a knife or even fork cutting!

Jolie Blond Pasta

 Jolie Blond Pasta: rotinin pasta (curly noodles of various colors) , tasso alphreadeaux (kind of like a fettuccine sauce) and crawfish tails, garnished with chives and what I still think is paprika powder which gives it a nice kick! At first I thought the pasta was baked and it appeared dry but when I mixed it...

Jolie Blond Pasta after stirred

Defiantly not dry! A nice, creamy cheese-like sauce hides beneath that pasta, and oh if it isn't good! The crawfish tails were excellent, and they certainty didn't hold back on them either! I actually had to take home leftovers! The serving size of the main dishes dwarfs the size of the side dishes, understandably. It was cheesy, well blended, fresh and just enough of that spicy kick. I liked that the powder on the size let me experiment with the level of spiciness.

The food is great, you get to keep the mardi gras necklace that binds your silverware, a fully stocked bar and nice staff, what's more to want? Apparently this place has it's own mini-store which I briefly passed on my way to the ladies room. They sell seasonings, Zapps (a special kind of potato chip) and fun variety of other misc. items.

The place is apparently always crowded though, so if you have a party more then 2, I'd call ahead for reservations. This isn't a place I'd take the kids either, not only is there too  much temptation to 'touch' stuff, but the menu doesn't cater to kids-there isn't a mac-n-cheese menu and spicy stuff usually doesn't mix well with kids.

The only negative thing I have to really say about this place is that it is a little on the expensive side, even for me. Cup-o-Gumb: 4.85, Pasta: 18.60....admittedly a little expensive, but everything here is very authentic and worth it to treat yourself or satisfy that craving.

Our waiter, Lestra, was also very awesome, so a definite shout out to her! She was running herself ragged but we were well taken care of and we never saw the bottom of our glasses! Again, the staffing is very friendly and genuine.

A little side note, the website (below) has something called the 'CajunCam' where a web-cam is placed in the restaurant, facing the bar and you can spy on people, I mean see if they're busy...yeah. Creepy, yet satisfying to my voyeuristic desires.

Bottom line? I'm going back, this time for the soft-shell crab!

Zydeco's
11 E Main St, Mooresville, IN, 46158
317-834-3900
I recommend parking across the street in the large parking lot designated for downtown patrons. Back alley and street level parking is pinch for crunch.
http://www.zydecos.net/

5/26/11 EDIT

I shot the owner, Deb, the link to my post about her restaurant, here's her reply!

Hey Slash!
Thanks for the kudos, some additional info for you...
We do have a kids menu, I print them up with some games and coloring stuff so the kids don't get bored. Everything from chicken strips (we don't make) to gator.
My husband Carter  makes all our meats, the sausage in your gumbo and the tasso in your Jolie were made right here! Monday is smoking day. We also make our own roux and use fresh trinities for everything. The only thing on the menu we don't make here (with the exception of a few things on the kid's menu) is the chocolate cake, it is from Atkins bakery in Noblesville and I don't think we could do anything near as awesome as their cake.
A little more Zydeco's trivia, all the original artwork in the restaurant is Carter's, he was quite the artist till I brought him to Indiana and down to my level....
Lets see...Tuesday Jerome was stuck on 39 and Wednesday Becky sprang her ankle so you could have been here either day, if you were here on Tuesday 30% of your ticket went to PAK rescue in Monrovia (where we adopted 2 of our babies) and Wednesday 25% went to Relay for life so either way, THANK YOU!!!! If you were here on Tuesday we will only be open for "benefit Tuesday's"  till the end of June. I am moving them to Wednesday after that but will continue the benefits through 2011.
Again, thanks for the kind words, you write very well. Hope to see you soon!

Peace,
Deb
Queen of the Moon