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Cajun King
5816 N. W. 63rd St.Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 603-3714
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.
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.
Fried chicken, collard greens, shrimp bisque, gumbo, beignets, and catfish
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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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