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FOOD & DRINKBY GILBERT WOMAN ON NOVEMBER 2, 2015
Southern State of Mind
Creole Cajun Bistro brings Louisiana¡¯s spice to Chandler
BY JASMINE KEMPER
If you¡¯re hungry for homemade Cajun cuisine, there¡¯s no need to leave the Valley. Creole Cajun Bistro in Chandler
has got you covered.
Every aspect of the restaurant screams Louisiana, from the ¡°Bourbon Street¡± and ¡°French Quarter¡± street signs to
the framed photos of well-known jazz musicians adorning the walls.
This type of cuisine may be new to Chandler, but not for Chef Eric Rachal, who grew up in his grandmother¡¯s
kitchen. As a gourmet chef and caterer in New Orleans, grandma¡¯s recipes for traditional Creole dishes like gumbo
and jambalaya are meals Rachal and his family eat on a daily basis, and that¡¯s why he decided to incorporate them
into the menu.
Cajun food is unique because it is in?ï™uenced by a variety of cuisines all over the world including West Africa, France,
Spain, Germany, Italy and more. It utilizes plenty of rice, seafood, sausage, and a whole lot of southern love.
The restaurant opened its doors in February, hoping to bring southern hospitality to the desert.
¡°It¡¯s that Louisiana vibe where you can come in. You can get loud, you can come with your family. We do live jazz
sometimes. We put on football on Sundays. Whatever the guests actually want, we try to cater to them in that way
to make it feel almost like home,¡± Rachal says.
One word Rachal would use to describe Creole Cajun Bistro is ¡°authentic.¡± Everything is made to order and is always
fresh. He makes his own Louisiana hot sauce, smokes all his own meats and mixes a homemade Cajun spice mix.
¡°I make everything from scratch. There¡¯s no semi-homemade here. I mean, I¡¯m buying 50 pound sacks of ?ï™our and
starting there,¡± Rachal says.
One dish that Chef recommends is their ??l¨¦ okra gumbo. Gumbo is a soup that originated in Louisiana during the
18th century and has a combination of seven di??erent cultures. The ?ï™avor of the gumbo comes from ??l¨¦ powder,
which is ground up leaves from sassafras trees.
Rachal starts o?? with the ¡°holy trinity,¡± consisting of bell peppers, onions and celery to form a roux. The roux is
thickened and stirred continuously for six hours so it doesn¡¯t burn in the pot.
¡°It¡¯s your meats that take the longest, like pork roast and beef roast, and then you would do the things that take less
time, like your sausages, shrimp and last your crab,¡± Rachal says.
Another traditional dish is the French-inspired ¨¦tou??¨¦e. The word ¨¦tou??¨¦e means ¡°to smother¡± in French, and that
is exactly how the stew is made.
¡°The Cajun-style gravy [uses]the holy](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/c1f2589f-dfd3-41ee-863d-43b69bbae670-160621072754/85/Southern-State-of-Mind-_-Gilbert-Woman-1-320.jpg)
![6/21/2016 Southern?State?of?Mind?|?Gilbert?Woman
http://www.gilbertwoman.com/2015/11/southern?state?of?mind/ 2/3
RELATED POSTS
trinity of bell peppers, onions and
celery. So you would take those three
things and start with that and then
you add a roux and then you would
add any type of thing that you wanted
like chicken breast, andouille sausage,
craw??sh, shrimp,¡± Rachal says.
When the food gets to the table,
people are always surprised how big
the portions are. A lot of the time
Rachal is asked why he serves such
hefty portions, and he always answers
the same.
¡°That¡¯s how we feed you in Louisiana.
I¡¯m skinny one in the family,¡± Rachal
jokes,
¡°You give big portions.¡±
Another dish they are known for is the
Creole barbeque shrimp. The shrimp
is saut¨¦ed with the shell and heads on
and served with fresh French bread
and a lemon wedge.
¡°I make a sauce with Worcestershire, butter, rosemary, thyme, red chili pepper, garlic, butter, Louisiana hot sauce
and then my Cajun spice. It has nothing to do with barbeque whatsoever but it¡¯s really, really good. It also has beer
in it, the Abita Turbodog which is a very dark, dense beer,¡± Rachal says.
Rachal recommends trying some of the more unconventional foods like the fried frog legs, alligator and green
tomatoes. He even has a secret ¡°swamp sauce¡± that he uses on chicken.
¡°It¡¯s made with hot sauce, culver honey and a mountain of other stu?? that I can¡¯t reveal,¡± Rachal says.
In the short amount of time they¡¯ve been open, Creole Cajun Bistro already has regular customers who come back
every week for the family-friendly, laid back atmosphere. He plans expand to locations like Phoenix and Scottsdale
in the future.
¡°The food is good, but more or less the atmosphere makes you feel at home. It¡¯s that neighborhood spot
[where]everyone knows your name,¡± Rachal says.
TRAVEL DOWN SOUTH TO:
Creole Cajun Bistro
5070 S. Gilbert Road, Suite 400, Chandler
(480) 895-1655
creolecajunbistro.com
?
?
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- 1. 6/21/2016 Southern?State?of?Mind?|?Gilbert?Woman http://www.gilbertwoman.com/2015/11/southern?state?of?mind/ 1/3 FIND A COPY CONTACT US ADVERTISE WITH USTRENDING: Strike a Pose ¨C Build strength, ?ï™exibility and balance through yoga YOU ARE AT: Home ? Food & Drink ? Southern State of Mind HOME UPFRONT FOOD & DRINK TRAVEL EVENTS HEALTH HOME & GARDEN PAST ISSUES ADVERTISE WITH US GILBERT WOMAN ARCHIVES Shelf?by?Issuu Gilbert?Woman June...TimesPub Search ¡ Search ? 0 FOOD & DRINKBY GILBERT WOMAN ON NOVEMBER 2, 2015 Southern State of Mind Creole Cajun Bistro brings Louisiana¡¯s spice to Chandler BY JASMINE KEMPER If you¡¯re hungry for homemade Cajun cuisine, there¡¯s no need to leave the Valley. Creole Cajun Bistro in Chandler has got you covered. Every aspect of the restaurant screams Louisiana, from the ¡°Bourbon Street¡± and ¡°French Quarter¡± street signs to the framed photos of well-known jazz musicians adorning the walls. This type of cuisine may be new to Chandler, but not for Chef Eric Rachal, who grew up in his grandmother¡¯s kitchen. As a gourmet chef and caterer in New Orleans, grandma¡¯s recipes for traditional Creole dishes like gumbo and jambalaya are meals Rachal and his family eat on a daily basis, and that¡¯s why he decided to incorporate them into the menu. Cajun food is unique because it is in?ï™uenced by a variety of cuisines all over the world including West Africa, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and more. It utilizes plenty of rice, seafood, sausage, and a whole lot of southern love. The restaurant opened its doors in February, hoping to bring southern hospitality to the desert. ¡°It¡¯s that Louisiana vibe where you can come in. You can get loud, you can come with your family. We do live jazz sometimes. We put on football on Sundays. Whatever the guests actually want, we try to cater to them in that way to make it feel almost like home,¡± Rachal says. One word Rachal would use to describe Creole Cajun Bistro is ¡°authentic.¡± Everything is made to order and is always fresh. He makes his own Louisiana hot sauce, smokes all his own meats and mixes a homemade Cajun spice mix. ¡°I make everything from scratch. There¡¯s no semi-homemade here. I mean, I¡¯m buying 50 pound sacks of ?ï™our and starting there,¡± Rachal says. One dish that Chef recommends is their ??l¨¦ okra gumbo. Gumbo is a soup that originated in Louisiana during the 18th century and has a combination of seven di??erent cultures. The ?ï™avor of the gumbo comes from ??l¨¦ powder, which is ground up leaves from sassafras trees. Rachal starts o?? with the ¡°holy trinity,¡± consisting of bell peppers, onions and celery to form a roux. The roux is thickened and stirred continuously for six hours so it doesn¡¯t burn in the pot. ¡°It¡¯s your meats that take the longest, like pork roast and beef roast, and then you would do the things that take less time, like your sausages, shrimp and last your crab,¡± Rachal says. Another traditional dish is the French-inspired ¨¦tou??¨¦e. The word ¨¦tou??¨¦e means ¡°to smother¡± in French, and that is exactly how the stew is made. ¡°The Cajun-style gravy [uses]the holy
- 2. 6/21/2016 Southern?State?of?Mind?|?Gilbert?Woman http://www.gilbertwoman.com/2015/11/southern?state?of?mind/ 2/3 RELATED POSTS trinity of bell peppers, onions and celery. So you would take those three things and start with that and then you add a roux and then you would add any type of thing that you wanted like chicken breast, andouille sausage, craw??sh, shrimp,¡± Rachal says. When the food gets to the table, people are always surprised how big the portions are. A lot of the time Rachal is asked why he serves such hefty portions, and he always answers the same. ¡°That¡¯s how we feed you in Louisiana. I¡¯m skinny one in the family,¡± Rachal jokes, ¡°You give big portions.¡± Another dish they are known for is the Creole barbeque shrimp. The shrimp is saut¨¦ed with the shell and heads on and served with fresh French bread and a lemon wedge. ¡°I make a sauce with Worcestershire, butter, rosemary, thyme, red chili pepper, garlic, butter, Louisiana hot sauce and then my Cajun spice. It has nothing to do with barbeque whatsoever but it¡¯s really, really good. It also has beer in it, the Abita Turbodog which is a very dark, dense beer,¡± Rachal says. Rachal recommends trying some of the more unconventional foods like the fried frog legs, alligator and green tomatoes. He even has a secret ¡°swamp sauce¡± that he uses on chicken. ¡°It¡¯s made with hot sauce, culver honey and a mountain of other stu?? that I can¡¯t reveal,¡± Rachal says. In the short amount of time they¡¯ve been open, Creole Cajun Bistro already has regular customers who come back every week for the family-friendly, laid back atmosphere. He plans expand to locations like Phoenix and Scottsdale in the future. ¡°The food is good, but more or less the atmosphere makes you feel at home. It¡¯s that neighborhood spot [where]everyone knows your name,¡± Rachal says. TRAVEL DOWN SOUTH TO: Creole Cajun Bistro 5070 S. Gilbert Road, Suite 400, Chandler (480) 895-1655 creolecajunbistro.com ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?SHARE.
- 3. 6/21/2016 Southern?State?of?Mind?|?Gilbert?Woman http://www.gilbertwoman.com/2015/11/southern?state?of?mind/ 3/3 Copyright ? 2016 Gilbert Woman Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Comments are closed. Oh man! Keep dad busy and full this Father¡¯s Day JUNE 3, 2016 ? 0 What¡¯s Cooking With Jan D¡¯Atri: June 2016 JUNE 3, 2016 ? 0 It¡¯s So Easy- Strawberry Pineapple Popsicles JUNE 3, 2016 ? 0