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GOOD EATS: Cajun Connection brings the best of the bayou

September 04, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

PAUL SEBERT

The Herald-Dispatch

SOUTH POINT, Ohio -- In Louisiana they have a saying, "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez," or "Let the good times roll." A self-proclaimed "Cajun-raised swamp rat" restaurateur Terry Freese opened up the Cajun Connection two months ago to bring a taste of his native state's cuisine to the Tri-State.

"I've wanted to open a Cajun restaurant in the area for a long time," Freese said. "I have family members in New Orleans who have restaurants. I ended up here on a previous job, and I wanted to bring a taste of New Orleans to this area. I was raised around cooking all my life. All of my recipes have been handed down for three generations."

Freese looked at locations around the Tri-State before settling on a former diner in South Point. Freese remodeled the kitchen, redecorated the walls and added a sound system playing jazz, folk and zydeco music.

To keep the cuisine authentic, Freese has to specially order a variety of ingredients from Louisiana, such as andouille sausage, crawfish and alligator. Bags of Zapp's Potato Chips, a New Orleans favorite, can be purchased as a side item. French bread is supplied by the Leidenheimer Baking Company, another regional brand from the Bayou State.

The cafe offers a variety of entrees ranging from spicy fried chicken to crawfish etouffee to red beans and sausage served over a bed of white rice. These range in price from $6.99 to $9.99.

Customers also can choose from a selection of Louisiana Po-Boy sandwiches with fried alligator or blackened chicken served on real French bread. The po-boys cost between $5.99 and $7.99. Customers also can enjoy a cup of gumbo or jambalaya for $2.99.

"Our big thing during the breakfast hours and throughout the day are the Cafe Du Monde beignets, which are a type of French doughnut sprinkled with powdered sugar," Freese explained. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Simple items such as pancakes, grits and sausage biscuits are offered. In addition to the beignets, different dessert specials, like triple chocolate cake, are offered on a daily basis.

"We had a quiet opening. We soft opened and let the word of mouth get around," Freese said. "We waited awhile before we started to advertise it, and we had our grand opening last week with some help from 93.7 The Dawg, who held a live feed out here.

"The feedback has been great, and we haven't had anyone complain about anything, although there was one customer who actually thought he was going to get a small alligator on a plate when he ordered gator here."

Freese is already looking into expanding the restaurant, with plans on turning some space adjacent to the diner into a sports bar with a pool table and multiple televisions. He's also planning some more special events.

"We're going to do live crawfish boils out here, and we're going to be deep frying some turkeys outside down the line. Crawfish is seasonal, and the season for fresh crawfish is coming up next month. Hopefully, the hurricane down there won't mess up the catch," Freese said.

Cajun Connection is located at 102 Grandview Ave., near the BP station and below the Grandview Inn. It is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed on Sundays. Cash and all major credit cards are accepted, no checks. For more information, call 740-377-9797.

Events

Harry Connick Jr.
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21. Award-winning jazz artist Connick will perform part of his "A Holiday Celebration" tour. Tickets, visit www.theclaycenter.org or...

Erik Meyers
7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20-23. Enjoy a fast-paced, high-energy comedy show. Meyers has been a regular on 98 Rock...

MU Theater: "The Glass Menagerie"
8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 19-22. Tennessee Williams' 1944 drama "The Glass Menagerie," his self-described "memory play," has been considered...

Capital City Art and Craft Show
...

Festival of Trees and Trains
Saturday, Nov. 22-30. Questions, call 606-324-3175.

4th annual Holly Berry Festival
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, in the lobby. Featuring hand-made items designed and made by local and area crafters and a book sale. Sponsored by the Marshall...

Ashland Christmas Parade
...

World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions
3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, in the coliseum. Tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com or any Ticketmaster box office.

51st annual Model Railroad Show
5-9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28-30. Featuring model railroads, hobby shops, memorabilia sales, railroad books, new and used...

Planetarium Show: "Reason for the Season"
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; noon and 2 p.m. Sunday, starting Nov. 28. Questions, call 304-561-3570 or visit www.theclaycenter.org.

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Paul Sebert/For The Herald-Dispatch

The Cajun Connection is located at 102 Grandview Ave. in South Point. The restaurant serves cajun specialities including Spicy Fried Chicken and Crawfish Etouffee.

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Paul Sebert/For The Herald-Dispatch

Cajun Connection owner Treey Freese and general manager Susie Edmonds are shown in the restaurant. Cajun Connection opened about two months ago.

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