Great Balls - Boudin Balls and More at Zydeco in Las Vegas

Zappos has touched my life in ways I never imagined.  I think I once ordered shoes from them (bowling shoes, as I recall).  The experience was fine.  It didn't change my life.  My wife has ordered a pair or two from them.  Some had to be returned and, if I remember correctly, the return experience was exemplary.  I don't think that changed her life or mine.  However, Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappo's, loves downtown Vegas.  That love was, at least in part, shown when he dropped many metric crap tons (that's a real unit of measurement) in downtown Vegas to help revitalize a really dismal downtown.  When I would tell people where I worked, I would describe it as the part of Vegas that smells most like urine.  Thanks to Tony, there are some great places down there (see my post on the Las Vegas Donut Bar).  So, what bounty can we thank our beneficent Tony Hsieh for today?  Zydeco Po-Boys

Because I like to pretend you are here for a story, and not just food specifications, let me tell you about how I first became acquainted with Cajun food.  For my senior trip, my dad took me to New Orleans.  We spent a few days in the French Quarter, eating beignets and listening to jazz.  Saw Mary's True Value Hardware Store in the French Quarter( I heard that Mary was actually a DUDE, so scandalous for 1994).  We also had some fancy Cajun food at a place that has a name I can't recall (what I remember most is getting lost while my uncle drove us there, so I mostly remember starving and experiencing the definition of seething with anger).  Then, because the Saints sucked back then, we were able to see the Saints Play the LA Rams at the Superdome for roughly the price of Manhattan ($26 and some beads).  

I prefaced this with the more "authentic" and high quality Cajun food experiences so that you understand that I see the irony in what I'm about to say.  When I was at the Superdome, I was given $20 to go grab something to eat.  I wandered around and found a Popeye's in the Superdome.  This was the first time I saw a Popeye's.  I ordered red beans and rice.  I loved it and, for some reason, that is what stuck with me from New Orleans.  That Popeye's was delicious Cajun fast food and I wished I could have more.  From that moment, I craved delicious Cajun flavors.  

Fast forward to the present, in Vegas, I understand the reigning Cajun restaurant to be Lola's.  I like Lola's and have been there many times.  However, There is something about Zydeco that is better and I'll tell you what it is at the end.

First, let's showcase their wares.  

Here is a po-boy.  That ham is country ham, it is not that crap you are used to.  This ham has a distinctive texture and flavor.  The po-boys are outstanding. I typically get the special, it has debris (brisket), smoked turkey (not soggy, it has its own flavor), jalapeño mayo (which can be substituted for regular mayo), Cajun mustard, lettuce, tomato and great bread.  It is the star of the Zydeco show, and it's a good call, any time.

For sides, you can have fries or onion straws.  But, why do something that you can get elsewhere when you could be eating Dirty Fries!

 

That is French fries, with andouille sausage, cheese and Cajun "gravy."  Similar to a Chicago style "gravy" that is served with Italian beefs, this side dish could easily be a meal.  If you came to eat your feelings, why not eat them with house made andouille sausage? 

How about this recent addition to the menu - 

 

 Yeah, that's right.  Boudin Ball's.  The biggest, saltiest balls you'll ever put in your mouth (or so I'm told).  Rice and sausage, fried up like you didn't know you wanted.  Comes with a great sauce.  You can see the spices and the flavors.  You can taste them too.  

Finally, how about dessert?  This is another recent addition:

 

Banana pudding.  You can see what I'm talking about.  It was rich, creamy, delicious.  All that you would hope it would be.  

So, what is it that makes this place special?  It's the details, the little touches that show this is a passion project, a personal effort by the chef to share his own personal feelings, a piece of himself through the menu.  The sausage is homemade, and you can taste it.  The smoked turkey, doesn't taste like it was taken out of a clam shell from Sam's Club, it tastes like someone you know, and who likes you, smoked it.  The dirty fries have a richness that tells you this is an old recipe, a flavor that predates the Internet, cell phones, even cordless phones.  The little flourishes, where one might not think it would matter, make all the difference at Zydeco Po-Boys.  You have got try this place.