B's Po Boys: Good Cajun Comes with a Price

B's Po Boys at 1261 S. Shelby St. just opened this week and it is already one of my favorite places. It's in a rather small brand-new building that has intentionally been given a patina on the outside that resembles a weathered shack by the bayou.  Inside it's all Nouveau IKEA decor: multicolored earth-tone checkerboard flooring that resembles linoleum, a Swedish style new-wood bar/counter topped with faux marble, steel chair stools, etc. There are about 9 or 10 outdoor tables, too, each with its own bottle of Sriracha hot sauce.  Next to the outdoor dining area are two long narrow troughs that I took to be horse shoe pits, but which are actually for bocce balls, a kind of Italian lawn bowling (not sure if  I spelled it correctly, sorry). The ambiance of the place nicely dovetails with that of the Brass Ring Lounge which is almost next door, and should draw the same sort of trendy clientele.

The cajun-style sandwiches and sides, however, are the real star of the show. For lunch we had two half-sandwiches ($6 each): I had the Spicy Sausage Patty (because they were out of fried oysters) and the Little Woman got the Barbecued Shrimp sandwich. The bread seems to be a kind of French bread that is lightly crisp on the outside but delicately soft on the inside, quite complimentary to the flavors of the fillings. The regular sides are $2 each, but we split two of the higher-priced side items:  Andouille Sausage, Red Beans & Rice and Chicken Gumbo & Rice, $3.50 for each 7.5 ounce cup. The Gumbo was my favorite, very savory and just a little spicy.  The half sandwiches were a little small for the price, I thought, but they were nevertheless very tasty. A couple of my colleagues have been there since, and both ordered $9 full sandwiches, which they said were quite filling, so that must be the way to go.  A medium-sized decent-flavor iced tea was $1.50.

Even though it's not a great bargain, I really liked the food there, and the cool ambiance of the place along with the really nice owner and service staff mean I'll be goin' back for some more Cajun. Ayyy-Heeeeeeeeeee!