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Cajun King

5816 N. W. 63rd St.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 603-3714

Cajun King Restaurant at N. W. 63rd & MacArthur

Although I judge restaurants strictly by the quality of the food, it seems that the best ethnic restaurants are those that can claim to be "authentic" (however hard that may be to define). In the case of Cajun King the chef is a transplant from New Orleans (or so I understand), so it is hard to imagine how this food could be any more authentic. This is in spite of the fact that New Orleans is not technically in the group of Louisiana parishes known as Acadiana, or Cajun country. Still, I think the food here speaks for itself, and few who have had real Cajun cooking would argue about Cajun King being the real deal.

Cajun King is a buffet, and no individual items are served (although food is available to go). Usually I avoid buffets because of the cost and my experience that food is better when it is freshly served from the kitchen than when sitting on a buffet. Both of these because non-issues at Cajun King, though. The price was very reasonable, and I found everything in the buffet to be quite freshly prepared. A third issue, the fact that I usually eat too much at buffets, was mitigated by the fact that I could eat just enough to get full and still feel that I got my money's worth.

Several items from the buffet
Fried chicken, collard greens, shrimp bisque, gumbo, beignets, and catfish

The Fried Chicken was a good example of the fact that food on the buffet was as warm and fresh as it would be if I had ordered it a la carte. Cajun King had the equivlent of a basket of different chicken parts in a small enough quantity so that they would be consumed quickly before they got cold. This did prove to be one of the most popular items served, and I judged it to be one of the best items from the buffet. I cannot say this chicken was better than some of my favorites such as Ann's Chicken Fry House or Eischen's in Okarche. Instead, this chicken had a different flavor with a distinct seasoning that made it quite good, but unlike any other chicken served in Oklahoma. In the fact that it was well cooked and not greasy, I would say that it was as good as others in the city.

I was told that the restaurant was not strictly Cajun, but also had Southern cooking. The fried chicken was probably the best example, but a few other items are available if you just do not want to eat anything Cajun. Because of everything on the buffet being available to try, though, the chances are that many people will find things from among the Cajun food that they did not know they liked so much.

Fried Catfish was another outstanding item. This was served in a basket on the table, along with a basket of Beignets. I was told that the beignets, although sweet, were not dessert, but were for eating with the meal as desired. I ended up eating more of the catfish, though, simply because I had never experienced catfish that I liked as much as the one here. The chef prepares a special sauce to go along with it that helped make it such a special experience.

At the beginning of the buffet line was a surprisingly good Salad with a choice of several items to use in a make-your-own combination.

Soups include both standard items and specials of the day. Of the ones I tried, Shrimp Bisque, the soup of the day, was the best. Of course the good thing on a buffet is that you can start out with small samples and then get more of the ones you like best.

The Crawfish Etouffée was another of my favorite items, and the waitress informed me that this was also one of hers. This was the only thing I tried that was truly spicy, something that I would have expected more from different Cajun items. However, there were several items that I did not try, nor that it would have been advisable to even attempt to eat after the quantity of food that I had.

Several types of beans and other side dishes are available, but I found the Red Beans to be the best. As with several of the other items, they were among the best I have tried.

The Bread Pudding from the buffet was my actual dessert (the beignets did not count!). Seldom have I tried something so seemingly simple yet with a flavor and texture that obviously requires much practice and skill to attain.

I think there was one item that was blackened, and I will probably have to try it next time. There are really more items available than any normal person can try in one visit, and with maybe one or two exceptions they were all things that I look forward to eating the next time. After my experience, I almost believe that a buffet is the only way to do this food justice, and to get the full experience of the Cajun and Southern cooking served here. Fortunately, it does not break the bank to give it a try.

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RESTAURANT DETAILS

RATING: 23

Cuisine: Cajun
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Smoking: No Smoking
Accessible: Yes

Most Recent Visit
Oct. 6, 2010

Number of Visits: 1

Best Items
Fried Chicken, Catfish, Crawfish Etouffée, Bread Pudding

Special Ratings
Fried Chicken:
Fried Catfish:
Crawfish Etouffée:
Shrimp Bisque:
Red Beans:
Bread Pudding:
Gumbo:
Cornbread:



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