Johnny G’s Creole Kitchen on Beale Street has become one of my favorite places to grab dinner. After an afternoon of day drinking at Bardog and the Saucer, I decided it was time for a Johnny G’s visit. I made a deal with myself that I had to order menu items I had not yet tried. I chose the Stuffed Peppadew Peppers and the Mardi Gras Cheese Dip.
Both were listed as “featured items” on the menu. The stuffed peppadew peppers had intrigued me every time I saw them on the menu, but I’d not yet got around to trying them. They were listed as sweet and spicy peppers stuffed with crab. I decided to give them a try. At $6.95, I wondered how big the portion was. I decided I better get something else to go with them, just in case the peppers themselves weren’t enough. I selected the Mardi Gras cheese dip.
Good thing I did. The peppers were about the size of cherry peppers, and like cherry peppers were red, fried with crab stuffed inside. There were six of them, no more than an appetizer – but then again, for $6.95 it was still a dish worth the money. They were delicious dipped in the remoulade sauce that came with them.
(Edit: Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry for peppadew peppers. They’re from South Africa.)
I love the chips at Johnny G’s. They’re thin and covered with seasoning. Actually, sometimes they were too thin, breaking apart as I dipped them in the cheese dip. I didn’t mind though. Cheese dip was tasty, with spinach, tomatoes and peppers making it tasty and visually appealing. I would definitely order either of these again.