THE ROUX REVIEW GUMBO · ÉTOUFFÉE · CLT
A Charlotte Foodie Guy Quest

The Roux Review

One man. Every gumbo and étouffée in Charlotte. May the best roux win.

Quest progress

3 / 10 spots down. The roux is just getting dark.

The Clean Bowl Scale

Stars are for tourists and color is just paint. Flavor gets judged by the only evidence that can't lie: how much was left in the bowl when I put the spoon down.

1 · Barely TouchedWe don't speak of it
2 · Half LeftFlavor left early
3 · Finished ItSolid bowl
4 · Scraped ItSpoon hit ceramic
5 · Licked CleanClean Bowl Club

The Leaderboard

Updated after every visit. Champs can fall at any time.

1
Current Leader

Cajun Queen

Elizabeth

Gumbo Étouffée
Cajun Queen
Seafood Gumbo

"Flavorful spices and seasoning, a good rice-to-gumbo ratio, and loaded with protein in every bite. The shrimp was not overcooked."

Seafood Gumbo at Cajun Queen
Heat
Size
8 oz Cup
Rice
On Point
Roux
Brick
Salt
On Point
Seafood Étouffée Clean Bowl

"This one brings a bit of heat — "restaurant spicy." I could handle it, but it put some sweat on my head. You could taste every spice in it; extra rice would be nice."

Seafood Étouffée at Cajun Queen
Heat
Size
16 oz Bowl
Rice
On Point
Roux
Brick
Salt
On Point
Free Sides
dinner rolls with butter
Free sides at Cajun Queen
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2

Bite Your Tongue

Historic West End

Gumbo Étouffée
Bite Your Tongue
Seafood Gumbo

"So much flavor, though I found it a little salty. It comes in a few different sizes—I ordered the 8 oz. portion. Could have used some more rice, which was a tad undercooked."

Seafood Gumbo at Bite Your Tongue
Heat
Size
8 oz Cup
Rice
Undercooked
Roux
Dark
Salt
Heavy
Étouffée

"Wonderful dark-colored roux and plump, perfectly cooked shrimp. Nice and thick."

Étouffée at Bite Your Tongue
Heat
Size
16 oz Bowl
Rice
Undercooked
Roux
Dark
Salt
On Point
Free Sides
saltine crackers
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Bite Your Tongue
Bite Your Tongue
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3

Kristy's Creole Kitchen

South End

Gumbo Étouffée
Kristy's Creole Kitchen
Seafood Gumbo

"Not much flavor. The rice came served on top of the gumbo and tasted like microwave Minute Rice. Small portion."

Seafood Gumbo at Kristy's Creole Kitchen
Heat
Size
Cup
Rice
Overcooked
Roux
Copper
Salt
Shy
Crawfish Étouffée

"Tiny, overcooked crawfish and no flavor at all in the roux. The rice came served on top of the étouffée and tasted like microwave Minute Rice. Small portion."

Crawfish Étouffée at Kristy's Creole Kitchen
Heat
Size
Cup
Rice
Overcooked
Roux
Copper
Salt
Shy
Free Sides
hush puppies with cinnamon-sugar butter
Free sides at Kristy's Creole Kitchen
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?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen

NoDa

?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

Cajun Yard Dog

Arboretum

?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

Eddie's Place

Cotswold

?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

Southern Pecan Gulf Coast Kitchen

SouthPark

?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

French Quarter

Uptown

?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

Mert's Heart & Soul

Uptown

?
In the pot. Verdict drops soon.

State of Confusion

South End

Up next on the trail

The hit list. If your favorite isn't here, that's a you problem you can fix below.

Cajun Yard Dog, Arboretum ★ + your nomination?

Know a gumbo or étouffée I'm missing?

The 50,000 members of Charlotte Foodies are the tip line for this quest. Drop your nomination and I'll add it to the pot.