On Cajun/Creole kick in Cabot

Crawfish tails is one of more than a dozen appetizers served up at The Purple Onion in Cabot where Cajun and Creole dishes dominate the menu.
Crawfish tails is one of more than a dozen appetizers served up at The Purple Onion in Cabot where Cajun and Creole dishes dominate the menu.

Purple Onion, which arrived in Cabot late last year, offers some tasty options for diners in central Arkansas. While the city is considered a bedroom community to the greater Little Rock area, dining options -- beyond fast-food chains -- have been limited to a few choices.

The restaurant, at 1101 S. Pine St., offers ample parking in a concrete lot. Inside the wait staff, wearing festive purple tie-dyed T-shirts, serves two sides of the open space. One side includes wooden tables and chairs and the other offers beer and mixed drinks at a spacious bar (one of the few in Cabot) as well as some dining booths. As Lonoke County is dry this side is a private club.

Purple Onion

Address: 1101 South Pine St., Cabot

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Cuisine: American with an emphasis on Cajun and Creole

Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D

Alcoholic beverages: Full bar (private club)

Reservations: Yes, except Friday and Saturday nights

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 941-3171

Brunch, served on Saturdays and Sundays, includes dishes such as Cajun Benedict and Eggs Benedict (both $7.99) as well as a selection of frittatas (fully loaded, Santa Fe, Broccoli and Cheese, $5.99; Bourbon Street, $6.99). There are various food and beverage specials offered during brunch and football games.

Sports fans will especially enjoy a dozen or so large TVs and tuned to various games. Despite the plethora of plasmas, the establishment doesn't feel like a sports bar, but more like a pleasant and relatively quiet restaurant.

Owner Scott Stephens operates other Cabot dining ventures, including Pizza Pro and Fireside Grill.

During an initial visit on a Sunday afternoon this fall, we were disappointed to learn that the restaurant was out of a couple of the menu offerings we hoped to try.

From the appetizer menu featuring 14 selections -- the usual appetizer offerings plus fried green beans, gator bites (yes, real farm-raised alligator fried and served with Thai chili sauce, $13.49) -- we chose a half-dozen bacon-wrapped jalapenos ($8.99). Stuffed with cream cheese and Cajun spices, the peppers, served with ranch dressing, featured a crunchy, flaky coating and were hot and flavorful.

For the entree I chose the Cajun Meatloaf ($10.99) with choice of two sides, billed as "a spicy spin on traditional meatloaf." But other than the top being thickly coated with ketchup, the dish was unremarkable. I was looking forward to having mashed potatoes and was disappointed to learn the restaurant had run out of them. Instead, I had onion rings and a grit cake, which were tasty. My husband ordered the salmon plate ($13.99) with Cajun spices (other seasoning choices included blackened or garlic). For side dishes, he chose green beans and the grit cake. His salmon was prepared well and nicely seasoned.

Other entrees offered from the more than two dozen choices of seafood, pasta and classics include a white wing plate of bacon-wrapped chicken tenders stuffed with cheese and jalapenos ($14.99), Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi blackened and topped with a bed of cilantro rice and the restaurant's signature seafood etouffee ($15.99) and Cajun Sausage Alfredo, featuring penne pasta with andouille sausage blended with alfredo sauce and served with garlic bread ($10.99).

Disappointed on our first visit to learn that the restaurant was out of its homemade bread pudding, for dessert we shared the turtle cheesecake ($5.99) which was flavorful and left us wanting more.

For a second lunch visit on a following weekend, for our appetizer we chose crawfish tails ($11.99) which were Cajun-spiced, battered, fried and served with Thai chili sauce. We also sampled the fried pickles ($5.99), which, as the menu promised, were lightly dusted and deep fried to a golden brown.

This Crescent City native, staying true to her hometown offerings, selected a shrimp po' boy with fries ($11.09). The sandwich, served on the authentic Leidenheimer French bread, was "dressed" (as they say in N'Awlins) with Creole mustard, lettuce and tomatoes and topped with Cajun spices and creamy coleslaw. The po' boy was authentic to New Orleans and flavorful if slightly light on the shrimp.

My husband chose the top sirloin steak ($15.99) topped with etouffee (for an additional $2). The steak was grilled, and by his account, delicious. For sides, he selected the satisfying mashed potatoes (this go-round the restaurant had them) and broccoli.

And, yes, we finally scored that homemade bread pudding ($3.99). It was worth the wait.

Are there some things that could be improved upon here? Absolutely. Is this restaurant a welcome and needed addition for diners in Cabot and the surrounding area? Absolutely.

Weekend on 11/26/2015

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