Food truck review part deux: Cajun Tailgators

by Terry Eddington of Food Truck Connection

Good Cajun food has finally arrived in the Dallas area via a food truck.

Photo by Stephanie Hawkes

Cajun Tailgators food truck

I may not be able to claim any ancestral connections to southern Louisiana or the Cajun culture, but that makes me no less of a fan of good Cajun cookin’: a little spicy, always comforting, and best enjoyed with friends or family. (What food isn’t?) Ann Keady and Jason Key, both graduates of LSU, know good Cajun cookin’. DFW residents are the lucky beneficiaries of their homesickness for the food they grew up eating.

The Cajun Tailgators truck rolled out in time for Mardi Gras, and the truck wrap -- adorned with the street signs from the fictitious corner of Bourbon Street and Cajun Tailgator, the fleur-de-lis, and the requisite saxophone -- puts you in the mood before you even get to the window to order.

The menu, which varies slightly from time to time, holds all the standards – gumbo, etoufee, red beans & rice, boudin balls, and a roast beef po-boy.

Photo by Terry Eddington

Red beans and rice from Cajun Tailgator

On my first visit, I ordered a Crawfish Pistolette and Chicken & Sausage Gumbo. I wasn’t familiar with the Pistolette, but they had me at crawfish. Turns out a Pistolette is a French roll that’s been hollowed out and filled with crawfish etoufee. I love crawfish etoufee and this was great: spicy, full of crawfish, and creamy, and the roll was light, a little crispy on the outside, and flaky under the crust. This is comfort food!

The gumbo was just as good. I was amazed at the big chunks of chicken and sausage, a perfect roux, and the holy trinity of Cajun food – celery, onions, and bell peppers. In fact, it was so good I completely forgot to take a picture.

Since then, I’ve had the chance to try the red beans & rice with sausage. Just like the gumbo, the bowl was filled with big slices of sausage, tender beans, and perfectly cooked rice all in a slightly spicy roux. This may not be the "prettiest" dish they serve, but it matches everything else on the menu for taste and quality.

Photo by Terry Eddington

Cajun Tailgator beignets

And finally, what self-respecting Cajun kitchen doesn’t offer the breakfast classic (but good anytime) beignet? These are a regular on the Cajun Tailgator menu. The key to really good beignets is to make sure the dough is light and never overworked. These fit the bill perfectly.

But if you prefer a more traditional dessert and you hit them on the right day, you might score a praline brownie. I got the very first one they sold!

I’ve been looking for good Cajun food in Dallas. Who’da thunk I’d have to wait until I could find it on a food truck? If you’re a fan of Cajun food, you can find out where Cajun Tailgators will be on Facebook or Twitter.