Rajun Cajun (Hyde Park)

Rajun Cajun is my other candidate for good home-cookin' in Hyde Park, and just eccentric enough to merit its own post.


Photo: G Wiv

In a slim storefront between Blackstone and Harper, nestled among a Radio Shack, hair salon, beeper depot, and dollar store, is this little touch of Mumbai-cum-Biloxi.* A study in contradictions, this "Indian Vegetarian" restaurant serves meat. And Soul Food. But serves no Cajun dishes. And was converted from a Soul Food restaurant by an Indian family with stronger roots in East Africa than the Subcontinent, but primarily featuring a central-Indian menu. If you ever had a craving for mac and cheese covered in dal, or peach cobbler and chana masala, or corn muffins drizzled by spork with a little sweet tamarind sauce, or a mango lassi to wash down your greens and fried chicken, this would be your place. Not far away down the street is Valois, another sneeze-guard shrine, with its 4 PM breakfast, baked whitefish, and Slim's Table, and together, these two make for a decent pilgrimage.



With the late 2007 price increase (.50-$2.00 across the menu), this is costly cuisine to be served by the ladleful from a steamtray onto a styrofoam plate, but I think the food quality justifies the price. On the Indian side of the menu, all dishes are prepared from scratch fresh daily, and with no powdered spice mixes. They create their own garam masala every week from house-ground whole spices imported from India, and use whole or daily-crushed anise, cloves, and cinnamon in many of the vegetable dishes (so you have to be careful when scarfing lest you be stricken with bark between your teeth). My favorite items are the dal, chickpeas, and potato chunks, all of which are intensely and complexly spiced. I find all the Indian vegetarian plates notably more flavorful than anyplace else in the city, if not as finely balanced as the best. These "spicy wegetables" rotate, and so are not available on every visit. Consistently offered are two average chicken dishes - butter and curry, the meat is too often overcooked - parothas, samosas, and tandoori chicken. The latter is inconsistent but can be spectacular when on - a rich shellac of spice giving way to a moist interior, served with steamed onions and cilantro. One of the owners keeps a shelf of diabolical Indian and American hot sauces (some are really just science-project capsaicin extracts) on hand for the chicken. Very good house-prepared mango and salt lassis are available to help with cooldown.

To my knowledge, the former incarnation and namesake of the store did not really serve traditional Cajun dishes either, and the items that carried over were and are neighborhood favorites, primarily Mississippi and Carolina in preparation style. Vinegary greens and corn muffins stack up well with Izola's and Dixie Kitchen, cobbler is usually excellent, and the mac and cheese can be transcendent. Unfortunately, it can also be really runny or really crusty and dry due to heating method. I have not tried the Southern-fried chicken in some time but remember it being decent.

Their samosas are a full-time industry - they make thousands per day, sending them in bakery boxes to the many student-run cafes in University of Chicago buildings and some neighborhood markets as well. I have both Indian and gringo friends that swear that, when hot and fresh, these are their favorites in the world, especially with the homemade spicy cilantro and tamarind sauces. The dough is excellent, and the thick potato-and-pea filling is wonderfully perfumed, but I slightly prefer the savory ground beef Northern style which I've had in some Indo-Pak households in Hyde Park and also (though again, inconsistently) at Bhabi's and Raj Darbar.

Next time you're on your way down to Uncle John's or That's-A-Burger, consider a stop at Rajun Cajun, even if just for a quick appetizer. You can also buy Bollywood DVDs, very expensive incense, and fried bagged curry snacks. And plastic-wrapped poundcake.

Rajun Cajun
1459 E. 53rd Street
Chicago (Hyde Park)
(773) 955-1145

* Linda Richman says: "a tawpic: Rajun Cajun is neither Rajun, nor Cajun. Discuss."