Cajun Table/SOTSOT

So I have been itching to try the Cajun Table or SOTSOT (“Some of this, some of that”), depending on whom you ask. This place is the brick and mortar version of the SOTSOT food truck. The sign outside the restaurant says Cajun Table, but much of the other items (menus, social media etc.) are branded with the SOTSOT name.

Anyway, I was on a tight schedule one day downtown and last minute ended up meeting a friend who was also downtown. They open at 11:00 (and I even called to be sure) but when we got there at 11:00, the doors were still locked. Shortly someone came and let us in (which was good because it was snowy and cold outside). The bad part was that they had clearly just gotten there themselves, and do not run the heat when they aren’t there. It was freezing in the restaurant throughout our entire meal, even after they did turn the heat on. A little tip to them, someone may want to show up an hour or so before the restaurant opens to get the heat going. We had to wear our coats the whole time. And it was still cold. The staff of two was exceptionally friendly though and apologized to us the whole time we were there.

We agreed to share several items from the menu, the shrimp po boy ($10 + $2 for fries), a pick two sampler with shrimp and crawfish etouffee and bourbon chicken ($11.50) and a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo ($5).  The po boy was huge! So big I found it nearly impossible to eat as a sandwich and just sort of ate it open-faced or ate the shrimp on their own. The shrimp were fine—seemed like they are premade frozen type of shrimp battered and fried, but there were a lot of them and they were very crunchy and had nice seasoning. The bread was nice too—had a great crispy edge to it. The star of this dish though? The sauce that was drizzled on it—especially combined with the lettuce and tomatoes on the bun. That sauce was great—super acidic, it was exactly what this sandwich needed. Because of it, I quite enjoyed the sandwich, even though the shrimp themselves were ok. The fries were standard seasoned fries and were just fine.

The other thing on the table that was really tasty was the gumbo. I am really glad we added it (you can’t get the gumbo as part of the combos). It had the most Cajun seasoned flavor to it. A real depth of various spices. Just the broth alone was really good. A couple chunks of chicken and veggies in a bite with some rice and that broth were great. The sausage was just ok—nothing super fancy going on here and the slices were quite big, but they were fine. The overall flavor though was very good.

The etouffee was okay, maybe a little bland. And the sauce sort of overwhelmed the pieces of shrimp and crawfish that were in there. The bourbon chicken was also fine; we agreed it tasted almost more like an Asian flavor profile—maybe some soy in there. Not bad, but not exactly what you are expecting when you are thinking of Cajun food.

The biggest downer for me though was the temperature of the place. I hate sitting through a meal with my coat on and still feeling cold. I think they need to rethink the cost savings on this one, or they may drive customers away. It’s a cute place inside though, with several booths and lots of brick and wood (the ceiling could use some sort of treatment though). And I am glad to see at least some of the food trucks doing well enough that they can move into a brick and mortar location, and that someone cared enough to rehab this very cool building. If you go, definitely get the gumbo. If they have the seafood version I see listed online, I would especially be intrigued to try that one.

Cajun Table/SOTSOT

2405 North College Ave

Indy  46205

317/602-5869

https://www.facebook.com/sotsot1catering