Tom left shoes impossible to fill. I never intended to try to fill them, but just in doing this my way, I realize how relentless, tireless, and far-reaching he was in pursuit of great food. To wit, yesterday I found myself in a charming little joint in Westwego called Voleo’s. The place started in Lafitte. How did Tom stumble on a place in Lafitte? Perhaps a caller to the radio show? I’ll never know. But somewhere along the way I became intrigued by this odd-sounding restaurant “down there.” I seem to remember that Tom liked it a lot. For some reason I thought that Katrina had obliterated it, so when I’d see it as a participant in festivals, I wondered if it existed as a festivals-only place like many at Jazz Fest.
My curiosity got the best of me when I saw it as a participant in the Po-Boy Festival, so I had them on The Food Show. Voleo is a nickname, and he is the founder. The place has been around since the 1980s, and Katrina did indeed blow the original place away. But it relocated to a tiny little spot in a shopping center parking lot in Westwego, and is doing just fine.
You can’t miss the building because it’s bright blue. On the outside. Inside is a cute little place with about 40 seats, mostly in booths, a large video poker room, and a kitchen with saloon type doors. I could only see the feet of the people in the kitchen, but the floors were spotless. The tables were covered with vinyl but not removable tablecloths. Some were covered with a print of peppers, others with miscellaneous prints, adding even more kitsch to the place. Every table was occupied with neighborhood folks.
Except one, and we sat there, even though it hadn’t been bussed. There were three waitresses, who scurried around keeping up with orders. The day we went the special was meatballs and spaghetti, and heaping plates of this favorite came from the kitchen like a ball-pitching machine, smoking hot enough to leave a trail. Each order included a salad, garlic bread, and dessert.
The menu at Voleo’s is enormous. It’s a wonder a small place like this can keep up with demand with only three waitresses. The menu states out front that they are proudly doing the “we’re-charging-you-to-use-your-credit-card-thing,” not by stating it directly, but by showing two prices for each item on the menu. That’s different. I was sold on the meatballs and spaghetti until I saw a seafood platter go by. My companion had already ordered the Creole gumbo, and I asked for a side of jambalaya. We also got a half muffuletta and the seafood platter.
We were intrigued by the three gumbos. I remember the first time I saw a Creole gumbo. It was at Bozo’s and I wondered what was this? All manner of proteins in one little cup? Blasphemy! It hasn’t been till recently that I am seeing the lines blurred all over, as Creole gumbo becomes fashionable. This type of gumbo has been known forever in the Creole community, but it is definitely having a moment. I will remain a purist.
But I have to say a Creole gumbo can be very good, as this one was. Exploding with all manner of proteins, the sausage was good, the chicken was tender, and the shrimp were ample. It was so full of everything, including rice, even a cup was filling enough for a meal. Good stuff.
I was equally satisfied with my jambalaya. It was not a brown jambalaya. I didn’t even ask, which surprised me. But I liked this Creole version just fine. It had a very nice flavor, and was not overwhelmed by tomato. I finally realized it’s the idea of red sauce/gravy and rice that I find objectionable.
The half muffuletta came and that looked very promising. The seeded round loaf was toasted just right and the entire thing was finished as I have come to love…toasted bread and room temp insides. The Provolone was just slightly melted, so there would be no hot oil to make a mess of things. There was a proper amount of very good olive salad, and the sandwich was not overstuffed. There was a disproportionate amount of ham to other ingredients, but that was fine too. The ham was very good, but there was only a single slice of mortadella and another of salami. It was still a very tasty version of the local classic.
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The seafood platter was really heavy on the fish, which is something I don’t eat unless it’s wild caught. I didn’t even need to ask that question here. There were about four large pieces of fish, four oysters that were tiny and therefore really crispy, three large fried shrimp and a fourth that was stuffed. And a crab stuffing patty that looked unappealing.
The platter cost $21.56 because I paid by credit card, and for the price, in the current context, it seemed fine. Everything was fried to greaseless golden brown perfection. The crab patty had a lot of breading but was tasty enough. I was disappointed in the flavor of the stuffed shrimp. This was all served the old-fashioned way with Texas toast underneath, and boring frozen fries alongside.
After we were finished, the waitress brought us both a piece of chocolate cake. This cake was the dessert that came as the third course of the daily special. I was surprised and puzzled by this so I asked about it and she told us she had extra, so she wanted us to have it. We thought that was a lovely gesture, and good basic chocolate cake.
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I can see why Tom liked Voleo’s. It is a cute little neighborhood restaurant serving good old N’awlins food in proper portions at proper prices. Nothing wrong with that. And I will still always wonder how in the world he ever found out about it in the first place.
