The Cajun Eatery

3017 Market Place Avenue
Bryant, AR 72022
501-847-2844

One bite, and you're hooked!

Er, not really...

Seemed very promising. Lots of great teasers painted on the windows of, what used to be, an old all-you-can-eat catfish place. Remember going there once, some years back. Barn wood and the usual southern fried ambiance with a promise of cajun spice. Alligator! Spicy Shrimp! Etouffe!

Imagine our surprise when we walk in and find an ... all-you-can-eat buffet! Can we order ala carte, we asked. No, but the buffet is very fresh and good and everybody likes it...

And at first bite, it seemed quite promising. The catfish was expertly prepared and typical of what you would find in this genre of restaurant. Alligator dumplings were spicy and tasty, though I can't promise you that I actually found any alligator meat in them. After that, everything else was somewhat of a let down. Maybe my expectations were too high, but...

I could hardly finish one piece of the smoked boudin, and found myself longing for a regular steamed boudin. The smoked sausage was of the variety found in any Kroger, though it was touted as homemade. Fried boudin balls were a complete disappointment and left on the plate with one bite missing. The sauce piquante looked inviting, but after the other stuff, I was hesitant to try it and moved on to the desserts.

Desserts consisted of frozen Mrs. Paul's style cobblers and an ice cream machine and could have been transported directly from Golden Corral without changing a thing.

All in all, it was a decent, if somewhat disappointing meal, but not really worth the drive all the way out to Saline County to experience. Might not go there more than once a year even if it were a few blocks from home. Not a terrible experience for nine bucks apiece, but the waitress pointed out that for only seventeen buck each, we could upgrade to frog legs, crawfish, fried quail, etouffe, and stuffed crabs. Nah, I don't think so.