Sometimes in conversation on The Food Show a buzz starts about a place. The idea is introduced by a caller, then a listener becomes intrigued, goes there, and then calls. And on and on.

As I have said many times about The Food Show (airs 2-4pm weekdays on 990AM WGSO) it works first on me. It has happened that I head across the lake to eat at a place we talked about earlier in the afternoon.

It wasn’t quite that fast this time, mainly because the new Rumba has taken Metairie by storm. It is enjoying a hyper-honeymoon, because Metairie needs more excitement in the dining world. I decided to wait a week or two. The game plan had to be executed properly. I went at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. It was a lovely day outside but a bit warm.

The bar is large, and two-sided. There is seating inside and outside. As an obsessive Alfresco diner my instinct was to look outside, but there was no room. There were seats inside at the bar and plenty of empty tables, but the hostess displayed the usual laziness in not wanting to investigate when reservations were coming in. This practice allows for floating reservations and increasing revenue rather than turning someone away. I rejected her offer to wait 40 minutes and looked again outside, where I discovered four more barstools with a counter but no view inside. A bartender was passing by and encouraged me to take one of them, promising to serve me. This turned out to be problematic later, but only a little, since I had to get another bartender to get his attention when I needed something, like silverware. The waiter was very nice and attentive as he could be, not being able to see me from behind the wall that separated us. 

The menu at Rumba is large enough for everyone to find something. The food is Caribbean, with “fake” American ethnic dishes thrown in with local touches. Crab Rangoon becomes  Crawfish Rangoon. Cream cheese fillings are not likely to be found in any authentic Asian or Island dishes, but they sure taste good.

This menu takes a few such liberties, but they are fun twists like a guava bread pudding, and though a hot fudge sundae might not be found south of the border, Rumba is in Metiaire, and a hot fudge sundae is good! There is Key Lime Pie, which is definitely having a moment around town.

On this first visit I ordered the sweet corn tamales because I like this dish. It was a favorite at my beloved and now sadly-defunct Oxlot 9. I also got the aforementioned ;Crawfish Rangoons, because as I said, this is a popular dish because it is tasty. And I got the burger, because sitting at that bar enjoying balmy breezes and a happening scene, I knew I’d be back for more “authentic” things later.

Another scourge of new places manifested itself again in a week. (I can hear Tom from the grave chiding me: “That’s what happens when you go to places that just opened.”) My response to this is that any restaurant opening in the age of social media without firing on all cylinders cannot be serious.

I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a server deliver all three of the dishes I ordered at once! What??? I have seen two arrive at the same time, (just last week coincidentally) but three?

I ate the Crawfish Rangoons first. They were little wisps of an appetizer. Light and crispy with more cream cheese than crawfish taste, these were fine. The plantain “jam” and chili oil that accompanied these little bites were interesting. Together it made for a tasty mouthful.

The Sweet Corn Tamales were sort of an amorphous pile but very good as well. There was a lot here. Besides the soft tamales, there was Salsa Verde, a spicy crema, corn salsa, and cotija cheese. All of these ingredients melded together into a creamy and spicy whole, with the only noticeable exception of an ingredient that distinguished itself was the corn. There were two small scoops of guacamole on top of the pile. This too was a nice bite of food.

I’m embarrassed to say I got the burger but this was only the first visit, and I will be back for more before I finish this piece. The burger was pretty ordinary but that doesn’t mean bad. It was something I wanted to finish. It was coated with melted cheddar and came with chopped purple onion and bibb lettuce. There was a slice of tomato. I have decided to forego all frozen French fries, unless they are the “deceptive” variety meaning they cost more and are more interesting. Such fries are deceptive in that they sometimes even look housecut. The number of companies offering such fries is multiplying exponentially. These fries did not belong to any such lofty club and were ordinary in every sense of the word. 

I know that not from getting them but by watching my close bar neighbor eat his. I opted for the “Island” slaw. Again, I can’t imagine such a salad eaten in the Caribbean. This one was just green cabbage with some chopped parsley, and was well overdressed as we Americans like to do. The dressing was creamy, a little tangy, and very good. Despite my picking I liked this slaw a lot. It was still overdressed, but this is Metry.

On my next visit I got the Dominican Ribs, which were similar to the Thai Ribs at Zea which have been a phenomenon since they were rolled out on the original menu. Many things have come and gone on that menu, but the Thai Ribs always stay put. Everyone loves them, and these Dominican Ribs should be as big a hit as the Thai Ribs. These Rumba ribs have the same flavor profile and are maybe a little more tender, sliding off the bone. Tom and I always had a debate about ribs: is it better for them to fall off the bone or be a little chewy? He was a fan of the latter and me the former, but that’s another way I finally came around to his thinking.