The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Boateng's - now open

I wasn't there on opening night, but I was told by the owner that it wasn't the Grand Opening which is still to come. Boateng's Cajun Creations has opened in Bessemer. Finally; (for those who remember, I wrote a post in anticipation quite a while back).

Boateng's joins a couple of other restaurants, Nukes and Courtyard Cafe, in the area of the new DHR building which will open in September, bringing over 100 workers to the area. (I know of another potential project in the area that would be a boost for the city, too, but my lips are sealed for now).



Friday night the family dined at Boateng's and we did not come away disappointed. OK, what did everybody have? I can't remember everything, but two in the party had fried gator, and another had fried shrimp. I had grilled grouper. Another had a grilled shrimp salad. And among the side orders the group sampled were seafood gumbo, chicken-n-sausage gumbo, jambalaya, and fried okra.

Before the meal a serving of fruit was brought to the table for each guest. Strawberries, grapes and a slice of orange whet the appetite for what was to come.

The Boatengs have roots in Ghana, California and New Jersey.



Not the flag of Ghana alongside the US flag on their sign.

None of those places are known for their Cajun cuisine, but the Boatengs have developed a bill of fare equal to any in the Bayou State (or Bessemer, meaning they rival my own Cajun cooking - ha!).

It's really impossible to share all of the menu items, and of course, some items are out of season (or just coming into season), but there are po' boys or platters of your favorites; shrimp, catfish, grouper, gator, crawfish or several other things. And of course there's red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, crab-n-shrimp bisque, fried green tomatoes, shrimp-n-grits and more. Here's a picture of their low boiled shrimp. I'm ready to go back.




Sometime toward the latter part of next week guests may get to enjoy a slice of orange pecan pie or tearoom lemon cake. You get one guess as to where those may be coming from.

Now, should I share my hit Christmas party favorites - crawfish etouffee and gator jambalaya - recipes?

Find Boateng's Cajun Creations Restaurant on Facebook, where you can see more pictures of their food.

Boateng's is open 7 days a week, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday. They are located at 2 - 19th Street N in Bessemer, next to the railroad tracks. Tell them you heard about it on Bessemer Opinions.

7 comments:

Shia said...

Finally!! What took them so long?

Joe said...

Ha. Not sure. But come on over and let's go.

Shia said...

Will do. I think this weekend is busy. Maybe next weekend? I'll keep in touch.

lipscomb bohemian said...

boatengs gets my recommendation.....i had alligator fried ...turnip greens ...red beans and rice.... iced tea ....loved it ....tell them i said so

Jennifer Love said...

They have great food! I eat their quite frequently my self. Great family! Excellent service. Their new waitress are in training and they are doing great so far.

Anonymous said...

For a Family coming from all parts of the State and World being a Cajun food lover this family has a gift. The food is spot own. Gator, shrimp, fish, crab you name it and veggies to boot. Do you wait a little while once your order is placed, sure but that is to be expected from individually prepared dishes cooked to order. Trust me once it arrives you will not be disappointed, And I hope waiting for made to order food NEVER CHANGES. I wish them years of success and oh yea I'll be back, again and again and..........

Anonymous said...

My husband and I ate here for lunch one day and the food was remarkable. So good, we can back the next day :) Cajun Steamer, Joes, Crazy Cajuns, you all don't even come close to Boateng's!! Hands down! I had the Tilapia & Shrimp spectacular and it was just that, SPEC-TAC-U-LAR!