Jay Keyes

Review of Mulates Cajun Restaurant

Watch out, this is a tourist trap.

Watch out, this is a tourist trap.

On previous trips to New Orleans, I've walked past the place countless times but have avoided going in based on its reputation. Known as a tourist trap, to be sure, I was hoping it would be an alright meal to kick-off my 17-day trip to New Orleans. My thought was that by heading to Mulate's directly off the plane, I'd be less disappointed than if I ate there later in my trip, when the culinary bar would have been set higher.

It's like a Cajun TGI Friday's, but with live "Cajun-y" music and dancing. The forced festive atmosphere is probably the only thing remotely redeemable about this joint. They failed to hit the mark on virtually everything else. The food is chain-style, mediocre, and terribly overpriced (for the quality). The service staff is mostly lethargic and indifferent. The patrons are all tourists. No local would be caught dead in this hole.

I started with the deep-fried frog legs. Mulate's frog legs have plenty of meat on them, but are tough to handle with the bones, and the thin, dark cornmeal-based deep-fried batter falls off the meat very easily, resulting in an unwieldy, sticky mess. If I were to eat again at Mulate's (I won't), I'd order the frog legs blackened instead.

Next I had the roasted corn and shrimp bisque. There was no taste of prawns or wine in this so-called bisque. This was more like a sludgy, flour-thickened corn chowder with chunks of shrimp in it, the taste of which is rendered indistinguishable to any other meat by overcooking. Sadly, it tasted like it could have come from a can.

Finally, I tried the Red Beans and Rice ("cooked with smoked ham shanks"). Utterly boring, bland, and flavorless. A major disappointment. Could not taste any "smoked meat" in this dish. Virtually no seasoning. This is the same level of slop I'd expect in a hospital cafeteria doing a "cajun theme" lunch.

In short, don't waste your time here.