Zydeco (6340 Ridgewood Ct, Ridgeland) has an intriguing, ambitious menu that doesn’t quite match the generic building and location.  Inside, things are a bit more interesting than they seem from outside; there’s cajun- and Saints-themed decor, zydeco music playing on the stereo, a full bar and very friendly staff.

For my appetizer, I got the crab cakes.  It wasn’t an easy choice because the Natchitoches Crawfish Pies and the Bleu Cheese Beignets & Boudin Balls sounded so interesting, but I’d heard such good things about the crab cakes (which my waitress confirmed) that I had to get them.  They were really good — lots of fresh-tasting meat, crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, with pretty subtle savory and aromatic touches.  I liked the lemon creme on top, and didn’t fall in love with the remoulade but appreciated the extra creaminess.

For dinner I got the Grillades & Grits.  The meat was veal scallopini, which was well breaded and crispy.  The lemon caper sauce bordered on too tart, and the grits were a little too one-note rich on their own, but together (as, of course, you are supposed to eat them) they balanced out well.

For dessert (in case you are worried about my health at this point, rest assured I wasn’t finishing everything) I had been planning to get the beignets.  But when my waitress told me they had raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding with a raspberry-rose sauce, my plans changed.  That’s mainly because I recently was reminded how delicious rosewater is when I had it in a cocktail, and I have been craving it ever since.

It’s not a very good photo, but at least you can get an idea of how large it was — it might have been the largest serving of bread pudding I’ve seen.  More importantly, it was actually one of the best bread puddings I have ever had.  The consistency was moist but not mushy; the sauce was creamy, a bit tangy, very sweet, and the rose both highlighted the raspberries and added its own complexity — amazing.  I am officially a huge fan of rose-flavored desserts, and of Zydeco’s chef for putting rose in his bread pudding.

Zydeco serves lunch, dinner, and late-night.  Entrees are around $10 - $15, which I thought was relatively low for a menu that seems fairly high-end.  They’re open every day and serve brunch on Sundays — check out their website for more info.

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