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Mardi Gras in Ellijay?

      The sun is shining this morning, the temperature is 32 degrees and it is a beautiful day. Last night we went out for a Mardi Gras celebration dinner at the Cajun Depot in Ellijay. The shrimp I ordered were fried to perfection and delicious. The Cole slaw was wonderful (but scanty) and the French fries were almost inedible. After asking the waitress to make sure the chef knew I wanted them browned and crispy they came out limp, pale, way too greasy and anything but what I had ordered or wanted. I really could not eat them and left most on the plate. At first I thought I might bring them home in a doggie bag for Moose, Brownie and J.D.(my dogs) but thought better about it and left them there at the restaurant on the table as some small, silent protest.

      The wait for dinner was really very long and the people, for the most part who were there dining when we arrived at 5:00 were still there, still eating , drinking, having dessert or talking after an hour or more as we stood waiting and enviously watching. There was no place to sit down as the few chairs available were filled with other waiting customers. My suggestion to Cajun Depot would be to add more space somewhere, like enclosing the front porch, putting in a bar that would offer the hungry patrons a place to sit, drink and have a pleasant experience while waiting to be served. This would improve the overall experience and ambiance. Instead of having patrons stand in the drafty doorway being constantly bumped, prodded and gently persuaded out of the way by waitresses as they pushed their way past, they could have a drink in a more relaxed, comfortable situation. Having to consume an entire bottle of wine (a nice Pinot Grigio for $20.00) on our feet (like a bunch of cattle coming up for slaughter) is not conducive to a pleasant dining experience. The waiting time would be more pleasant and impatient customers would not be tempted to start fights with the seated customers who are busy eating and talking, laughing and turning a meal out into a party that drags on and on into the night while other hungry people standing up wait and wait, and wait!

      The restaurant is situated in a very small space and the noise reverberates around rather badly. In addition to the ambient noise natural in all restaurants the Cajun music was too loud and with the customers talking over the music, conversation was difficult if not impossible. The servers were competent and pleasant but a little uninformed as to the prices of the wine and beer. Decorations were over the top, along with the attractive waitresses, who looked as though they had been hit by an eye makeup tsunami. It was however, a celebration of Mardi Gras, so what else would you expect?

      All in all the dining experience should be about fun, fellowship and excellent food that you did not have to prepare yourself. If any of these elements are missing there is a problem and if left unresolved business will invariably suffer. My recommendation for dining at the Cajun Depot would be to go there for lunch or dinner on any night other than when Mardi Gras is being celebrated. However if you like being bumped and pushed, standing up while you imbibe too much alcohol, listening to loud music and louder people talk and laugh, women with too much make up on, go to the Cajun Depot for Mardi Gras or even better go to New Orleans for the real thing.

      Of course I will go back to the Cajun Depot. After all in Ellijay dining out options are some what limited. Certainly we have plenty of "all you can eat" places like the Hot and Cold Asian trough near Walmart as well as others. I never feel as though I get my money's worth at those places because I invariably watch the other diners plates at they leave the line and am usually appalled at the amount of food on their plates. It looks like mount St. Helens ready to blow! I just can't eat that much food at one time and consistently feel cheated. If I owned an all you can eat buffet, when you walked into the front door you would get weighed, of course you would have to be naked because otherwise people would secret weights in their clothing when they came in and jettison the load under the table or in the potted plants, for obvious reasons. When you left again you would have to get on the scales once more and be charged according to how many pounds you had gained. Going to the bathroom during the interim would be strictly forbidden! There would be a siren with flashing lights for anyone who imbibed the most food on any given occasion, like in Las Vegas when one wins the jack pot. A hall of fame wall with photos of the recipients who won the dubious honor of the biggest eater and placed in a noticeable spot at the entrance of the restaurant. HA, ha, ha, ha, ha ha and ha!

As much as I resent having dinner too early, next Mardi Gras I will be there for at 4:oo pm and be one of the seated people talking loud, eating sumptuous food and turning a dinner out into a party at the expense of other people waiting to be seated. 

                                                                                                                                                              tbd