LTH invades Cajun Charlie’s for Fat Tuesday (2/28; 7:30pm)

I had the pleasure of lunching with GWiv and Cathy2 this afternoon at Cajun Charlie’s, to plan a Fat Tuesday event for all LTHers and friends.

As you know, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, is the traditional blowout before the start of Lent, and is celebrated rather enthusiastically in New Orleans. But if you can’t make it to Bourbon Street, you can join other LTHers at Cajun Charlie’s New Orleans Grill.

There’s a great story behind Cajun Charlie’s. At 13, Charles Murray got a job busing tables at Fanny’s Restaurant, a red-sauce type Italian restaurant that was a North Shore institution for decades, and a regular stop for celebrities when they were in town. Charlie was saving up for a tennis racquet. He rose to become Fanny’s chief chef. But that tennis racquet came in handy, because along the way he also became an internationally-ranked tennis pro.

After his tennis career moved from competitive playing to coaching, he got back into the restaurant business – first at a place next to Tommy Nevin’s on Sherman in Evanston, then at a place next to Candlelite on Western. Last May, he essentially returned home, opening Cajun Charlie’s in the same space that was once Fanny’s. There are still remnants of an old Fanny’s sign on the wall.

Over lunch, we talked to Chef Charles Murray – he said that for Fat Tuesday, he’ll add some special Mardi Gras items to accompany his excellent gumbos, etouffes and jambalayas. He even offered to show and comment on a proper roux for Cajun cooking (he said his is a three-hour roux; when he gets someone new working in the restaurant, the first thing he does is teach them to make a proper roux). Then we told him it would be an LTH event. You should have seen his eyes light up. “I’ll make it extra-special.”

Charlie’s BBQ Chicken


Fanny’s Spaghetti at Cajun Charlie’s


The chef – Cajun Charlie [Charles Murray] himself


LTH had a lunch at Cajun Charlie’s shortly after it opened … there’s a recap here:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3703

And Cajun Charlie’s was part of a chicken-tasting event:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ighlight=&

And the Metromix listing: http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dini ... 7482.venue

The Details

Family-style servings of all sorts of food will be $25 per person, which includes tax and tip; Cajun Charlie’s is BYOB, so bring whatever libation you like (Charlie mentioned that if you want to bring white wine and arrive a little early, he’ll keep it cool ‘til you want to open it).

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

To recap:
Fat Tuesday, February 28 7:30 p.m.
Cajun Charlie’s New Orleans Grill
1601 Simpson Street
Evanston, IL 60201

(To get there, take Green Bay Road to Simpson Street – you’ll see a Walgreen’s on the corner – and go west about 2 blocks. Alternatively, you can take the Purple Line El to Foster, then walk one block north to Simpson, and about 4 – 5 blocks west to CC’s.)

(Note: guys may bring beads; if they do, we’ll see what, if anything, the girls will do to get them.)



edited to fix the zip code & add photo of restaurant

nr706 wrote:But if you can’t make it to Bourbon Street, you can join other LTHers at Cajun Charlie’s New Orleans Grill.

Tom,

Ellen and I are looking forward to the Fat Tuesday festivities. I'll be the guy eating Cajun Charlie's fried chicken, along with the Fat Tuesday Cajun treats.

Cajun Charlie's Fried Chicken


Enjoy,
Gary

i'm there plus 1. can't resist the idea of fannys. think he'd do the salad dressing as well?

would you mind seeing if he'd consider doing fanny's salad dressing as well? some of my earliest memories include the salad dressing, spag, fried chix and garlic bread. i can remember the paintings and bookselves in the room. her and her husband, i think his name was lazar used to stop by our table every time. i even wrote a short story once that my fanny's childhood memories were included in.

Indeed, her name was Fanny Lazar (she was Italian, he was Jewish) thus the chicken and steaks all accompanied by her pasta and sauce. I, too have fond memories, we lived 5 minutes away and went there almost every Sunday night. She was always dressed to the "nines" very glam and greeted and seated everyone. A warm, familial ambience filled the room.

she reminded me of lorretta young. big dress, dark hair, glamourous. it was very homey there but could have used a circular staircase to complete my adolescent fantasies.

HI,

I never went to Fanny's, though I do remember her placed articles in the newspapers. I recall the print was rather small and included a photo of Fanny herself. I have the impression the print was sized to fit into a advertising space she paid for instead of a newspaper columnist's regular space.

I would like to see one of those articles today. Interesting, where you saw Loretta Young, I recall her column's photo similar to Joan Crawford a la Mommy Dearest. I just googled to find a website honoring Fanny's. I wonder if they could be persuaded to post an image of one of her columns.

Just readthis story about Mardi Gras and Cajun food in the Chicago area, and I was disappointed that it didn't include Cajun Charlie's - not sure why. The rest of us will have a good time there for Mardi Gras anyway.

And, based on posts elsewhere on this board, Metromix is somewhat controversial these days.

i defer to cathy2. i checked out the fanny's link and as an adult, i see joan crawford over loretta young. what do you want from a kid?

truth be known, i'm more excited about going to fanny's than mardi gras.

A quick update:

I had lunch at Cajun Charlie’s today, and spoke a while with Chef Charles Murray. A few notes:

If you want to know more about Cajun Charlie’s, Steve Dolinsky recently interviewed him and filmed the restaurant; he plans to run it during the ABC 7 10 pm news on the Friday before Fat Tuesday (2/24).

But, if, after seeing that, some of your friends call the restaurant for a reservation on Fat Tuesday, they’ll be out of luck. Because our numbers are getting high enough, LTHers will have the place all to ourselves. As Chef Charles said “Squatters rights. You guys got here first.” So you can gloat in your friends’ faces. Or invite them along. There's still some room.

He’ll add some decorations to fully reflect the Mardi Gras spirit, add some special menu items, (and, yes, Stevez, he’ll have the fried chicken and Fanny's spaghetti; yes, jazzfood, he’ll be making a special batch of Fanny’s salad dressing), and he’s looking forward to having as great a time as we will. Maybe we can get him to regale us with, among other things, some stories about Fanny.

See you there.

nr706 wrote:(and, yes, Stevez, he’ll have the fried chicken and Fanny's spaghetti; yes, jazzfood, he’ll be making a special batch of Fanny’s salad dressing

That cinches it! iHop will not be seeing me this Fat Tuesday.

I have to be out of town, otherwise I would have made it.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Sazerac,

Nice looking King Cake, but, more importantly, is that an Old Fashioned Donut Apple Fritter peeking out on the left?

Man o Man, I dearly love Old Fashioned Donut's Apple Fritters.


Enjoy,
Gary

Old Fashioned Donuts
11248 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60628
773-995-7420

G Wiv wrote:Nice looking King Cake, but, more importantly, is that an Old Fashioned Donut Apple Fritter peeking out on the left?

Good, no, great eyes!
I'm never going to play "Guess the dish" with you.

Thanks to PIGMON, for giving me a taste. That prompted me to drive down. 7am on a weekday, 90/94 south, 111th St. exit. Come back on MLKing Dr. No traffic problem really (though NB 90/94 was essentially standstill)

question #1:

Should all attendees plan on bringing CASH to pay for the event?
(I just wanted to confirm for those who will be attending for the first time...)


question #2:

Will a final menu be posted prior to the event?
(I'm curious to know what I should be salivating about...)

#1 - yes, cash would simplify things.

#2 - I'll talk to chef Charles this afternoon and post the menu. Between now and this afternoon I'll take any special requests.

Here’s an incomplete menu for Fat Tuesday at Cajun Charlie’s:

Appetizers – can be passed as we mingle:
Mustard-crusted Catfish Nuggets
Corn-meal crusted Okra
Fried Green Tomatoes

Entrees – family-style
Etouffee
Gumbo
Jambalaya
Fried Chicken

Sides
Fanny’s Famous Spaghetti
Red Beans and Rice

Dessert
King Cake
Ice Cream
And, reportedly, Cathy2 may be bringing paczki

But that’s not all — Chef Charles Murray promised to add “a couple of things I haven’t even thought of yet.” So there will be plenty of food and plenty of variety – more than listed here, for sure. And the chef was down in New Orleans not too long ago, and told me about the great spirit that exists down there, despite their difficulties.

That spirit will thoroughly infuse all of Cajun Charlie’s Tuesday night, possibly aided by your own BYOB.

See everyone there, 2/28; 7:30 pm. Street parking usually isn’t too tough within a block or two.

LTH,

Steve Dolinsky, ABC 7's Hungry Hound, featured both Cajun Charlie's and Lagniappe tonight on the 10pm news. Not sure for how long, but for the immediate future you can watch the Video on ABC 7's web site.

Enjoy,
Gary

Make your last minute decision to join us asap!

The guest list so far:

Bob S 1
Bruce 1
Cathy1 1
Cathy2 1 (maybe 2, but it will be a walk in)
chapulin 2
Chef d'Sprit 1
Chuck 1
CrazyC 1
eatchicago 1
Evil Ronnie 1
foodie1 2
geli 1
Giovanna 1
Giovanni 1
GP60004 1
griffin 1
griffin's wife 1
Gwiv 2
helen 1
Jazzfood 2
JiminLS 2
Josephine 3
Lovely Donna 1
mhl 1
Nr706 2
Octarine 1
pdaane 1
SGFoxe 1
slowisgood 1
Someday 1
SteveZ 1
TonyC 1

Total: 40

If you don't see you name there and want to come, then please do advise.

Just got word from Chef Charles that he's going all out for this. He's been a lot busier lately since Steve Dolinsky's piece on the ch7 news last Friday, but he's turning the place over to LTH for Fat Tuesday. And he really ants to show off his cooking chops to a group who knows good food. I still don't know what surprizes he has planned ...

If you have any favorite Zydeco or other 'Nawlins CDs, bring 'em. Of course, BYOB. And bring a friend, if you like.

There's still a little space for, maybe 10 last-minute types, so even if you haven't reserved, c'mon by and Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

To recap:
Fat Tuesday, February 28 7:30 p.m.
Cajun Charlie’s New Orleans Grill
1601 Simpson Street
Evanston, IL 60201

(To get there, take Green Bay Road to Simpson Street – you’ll see a Walgreen’s on the corner – and go west about 2 blocks. Alternatively, you can take the Purple Line El to Foster, then walk one block north to Simpson, and about 4 – 5 blocks west to CC’s.)

The paczki's are no longer rumor, they are fact.



See you tonight!

i live on division st and would try to bring some paczki if you didn't feel it was inappropriate.

My back kicked out on Sunday ... better than I was yesterday, but still in pain -- really looking forward to this, but my butt hurts and may not be able to negotiate it tonight ... though I will try

Sonja F

cathy2,

my paczki quest was of no avail. i had to work today and by the time i was able to get out, not a one was left on division st.

LTH,

Wonderful turnout for a Tuesday night in the wilds of Evanston, right around 40 people and, as with all LTHForum get together, the company and conversation was the highlight of the evening. I also had the pleasure of meeting a few LTHers for the first time, always a real treat.



Speaking of treats, Evil Ronnie brought homemade pralines that were so delicious I swear I saw Griffin's wife swoon when she took her first bite.



The paczki Cathy brought were wonderful, there was also another kind, though I'm not sure who brought them, which were delicious as well.


Far as food goes, truthfully, this was not Cajun Charlie's finest moment, they were a little out of their depth with the large crowd and timing suffered. Still, there were some enjoyable culinary moments as evidenced by Steve Z diving into a plate of crispy catfish.



Fun evening with great company, both Ellen and I had a very nice time.




Thanks to nr706 aka Tom and Cathy2 for helping make our Fat Tuesday a little fatter.

Enjoy,
Gary

wondering why the silence re: this nite? first, my utmost regard for the event organizers as the co was surely worth the price of admission alone. how difficult it is to get 40 people anywhere, anytime for anything? i meet the nicest people @ lth events and enjoy being able to put a face to a pseudonym.

that said, the only thing that surpassed my anticipation of this eve was my disappointment in the food and service. overwhelmed, underseasoned and amateur @ best. the fact that they're getting any play @ all off of the fanny legend is blasphemous. she must be rolling in her grave. maybe we're to blame for playing that part up. only proves that you can't go home and if you do, it will never be the same.

jazzfood wrote:wondering why the silence re: this nite?

jazzfood,

There is a thread going here.

Best,
Michael

thank you