When I first heard the words ‘shrimp and alligator cheesecake’, my brain tried to wrap around the idea of a cold sausage, cold shrimp, and a decadent New York style cheesecake combined into one dish. Thank God I was wrong, that could have been weird. This incarnation of “cheesecake” is singlehandedly the most amazing item of food I have ever tried, and I mean that. As soon as we sat down, my friend ordered it immediately. Within 10 minutes, it was sitting in front of us in all of its glory. Within 1 minute it was gone. The cheesecake was warm, and more reminiscent of a cheese flavoured meatloaf than anything else. The alligator sausage was perfectly spiced, and the tiny shrimp added the perfect touch of texture and flavour.
Aside from this cheesecake from the gods, If you have the chance to visit Jacque-Imo’s, you’ll get to experience one of the most well-rounded NOLA style menu’s in the city. It was one of those scenarios in which you stare at the menu with your stomach grumbling, while every menu description you read sounds exactly like what you want. Thank god I ordered the best house Salad of all time with fried oysters on top. With items like deep-fried Roast Beef Po-Boys, Crab meat stuffed Shrimp, and traditional favourites like Creole Jambalaya and Gumbo, how the hell are you supposed to make a decision? I ended up ‘settling’ for the fried chicken and got way more than I bargained for. Four big pieces of chicken, perfectly salted string fries, and sliced dill pickles as garnish. The one thing I realized while eating at Jacque-Imo’s and in New Orleans in general is that the restaurants are not stingy when it comes to portion sizes. I’m definitely working off the fat as I type this.
After our meal, we walked from our table towards the exit and right past the kitchen where the chefs all reside. I wanted to stop and shake every single one of their hands and thank them for being the incredible beauties that they are. They cook day in and day out, and I hope they see the true appreciation of their customers whenever someone walks by the line.
