Get your Cajun fix here

Gumbo, jambalaya and etoufee lovers, place a hand over your broken Cajun heart and pledge allegiance to the Alligator Cafe. Finally, here is a Cajun and Creole restaurant in Dallas where the chef knows more about the food than you do.

Owner-chef Ivan Pugh serves authentic, made-from-scratch dishes that feature alligator, catfish, crawfish, shrimp, oysters and chicken, fried, blackened, grilled and stewed.

Other options are salads, sandwiches, Po' Boys and desserts (bread pudding with whiskey sauce and sweet potato pecan pie).

Housed in a former fast-food chain, Alligator Cafe's only resemblance to the previous occupant's modus operandi is the fast service; orders are placed at the counter.

House specialties are the stand-outs: crawfish and shrimp etouffee, gator and chicken jambalaya, chicken creole, grilled or blackened chicken, catfish or gator, stewed gator with rice, veggies and spices, and a couple of Cajunized pasta dishes.

Gary Taylor (Photo: Erin Wade)