REB and I used
Marseilles in May as an excuse for a short out-of-town weekend. After a night’s rest in scenic Ottawa, IL and a morning hike at Starved Rock, we stopped at Ron’s Cajun Connection for lunch before heading back to Chicago. Fortunately, they are open on Sundays for lunch -- the only day they open before 4pm.
This was our first visit to Ron's and we were both impressed. The tiny restaurant is kitchy and cute. This place, although styled somewhat like a miniature, cajun TGI Friday's, is the antithesis to the big chain experience. Ron and his staff were very friendly and welcoming. While we were there, we watched Chef Ron bop around the place like a madman. He was in the kitchen, running the cash register, seating guests, refiling drinks, and visiting each table. It became clear why this place runs such limited hours. It looked exhausting.
On to the food. As others have mentioned, the combo platters allow you to try a good portion of the menu. For first timers like us, this was definitely the way to go.
The overflowing
oyster po boy, with lettuce, tomato, and mayo was our favorite -- simple and very well executed. Oysters were perfectly fresh and fried. The roll was soft and a little too bready, but it held the sandwich together well. We appreciated the nice variety of hot sauces on the table. The only thing missing was some slaw.
The
gumbo was very good, with the flavor of a nice dark roux and a big chuck of tender chicken thigh floating in it. Best I've had in a restaurant outside of Louisiana.
The
fried catfish was greaseless, very fresh, and served with a nice, tangy tartar.
The
jambalaya was fantastic and very different to the tomatoey jambalayas one often sees. It was packed with smoked sausage and chunks of smoked pork, and had a unique and delicious smokey sweetness.
The corn-dotted
hush puppies were outstanding. Soft, doughy, sweet, crunch-coated pillows.
We also liked, but didn’t love, the
crawfish etouffee. The crawfish itself was nice and well-prepared, but the blonde roux based sauce that it was in was underseasoned and bland. Ron seems to be aware of this and suggested we sprinkle on some of his "hot salt" during one of his 3 or 4 visits to our table. This should probably be done in the kitchen.
The only complete misses were the
bubba shrimp, which were boring and tasteless compared to the favorites, and the
buffalo alligator nuggets, which arrived a bit gummy and only slightly above room temp.
Overall, we really enjoyed the food, the service, and the vibe at RCC. Not sure when we'll find ourselves back in that neck of the woods for a meal (MiM II, perhaps?), but when we are, it will be at the top of our places-to-eat list.
--Rich
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