Mike and Carrie Broyles are two big-hearted Coronado locals, and they have a brand new baby: their first restaurant, Cajun Kitchen, in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
“I was born and raised in Coronado, as was my dad,” says Carrie. “Both of my parents and I are CHS graduates, my sons are current CHS students.”
Carrie started her career in restaurant business at the Coronado Chart House in 1991. “Marty Jensen hired me for my first job as hostess,” she says, “and I immediately fell in love with the restaurant business.” After years at the Chart House, she worked as a catering coordinator for Einstein Bros. in San Diego and Irvine, and then decided to simplify and worked at Clayton’s as a waitress.
“I absolutely loved working in Coronado again! There’s nothing like Coronado regulars,” says Carrie. “I learned so much from both [my bosses in Coronado], but the most important thing stressed by both, and what I try to convey in our restaurant, is making our guests feel at home. I like the old saying, ‘Enter as strangers, leave as friends!’ I like to add, ‘Full bellied and happy!!!'”
Mike, Carrie’s husband, is from Lafayette, LA, a city about three hours from New Orleans. “Cajun cooking is in his blood,” says Carrie. “There was never a question as to what type restaurant we would open. His upbringing and the tastes of his childhood were the inspiration for our Cajun Kitchen.”
Mike’s first restaurant job was also in Coronado. “He went to work for Steve Lindsey at Bula’s in the late ’80s,” Carrie relates. In Coronado, Mike moved up the ranks from line cook to restaurant manager. “He managed the La Fiesta Lounge at La Avenida, also in Coronado (current Bistro D’Asia location).”
When Carrie and Mike were finally ready to open their own restaurant, the pair carefully picked the location to give it the most authentic flair. “The Gaslamp Quarter has a very similar feel to the French Quarter in New Orleans,” explains Carrie. “On one of our most recent visits back to New Orleans, while walking through the Quarter, we decided that we’d love to try and bring a taste of the French Quarter to the Gaslamp Quarter.” They have done this not only with delicious home cooking, but also with classic New Orleans decor, exposed wood, vintage signage, and the beautiful fleur-de-lis motif.
My husband and I stepped into the cozy warmth of Cajun Kitchen on a recent rainy weekend night, inhaling deeply the aromas of sausage and pie. A cheerful waitress with a warm Louisiana accent greeted us.
“Sit anywhere!” she said, and then returned with menus and ice water. “If you’re looking at the sodas,” she offered when I perused the Louisiana drinks menu, “I’d recommend the Ponchatoula Pop Rouge. It’s my favorite of our Swamp Pops!”
Swamp Pop. Now how I could I turn down something with a name like that?
Kirstin, our waitress, was 100% correct about the soda. She also recommended my husband try a new-to-him local brew: Mission Brewery’s Hard Rootbeer, a root beer-flavored beer. The sweet and sour flavors paired perfectly with the comfort foods we were about to taste.
On the starters menu, our eyes locked on the House-Made Potato Chips for $6: “thin, crispy chips sprinkled with our Cajun seasoning and served with a side of our bleu cheese dressing.” To that we added the Crawfish Stuffed Jalapeños ($9) at Kirstin’s recommendation: “jalapeños stuffed with crawfish, cream cheese, and garlic, topped with Parmesan cheese, then roasted in a wine and butter bath.”
Both dishes were rich and delicious, filled with flavors that were unfamiliar (we’re from the East Coast) but instantly comforting. When our bleu cheese dip ran low, Kirstin brought us a new bowl, and we dragged each homemade chip through the creamy, flavorful sauce.
For our main dish, we were torn between the Crawfish Pie and the Cajun Surf and Turf, but ultimately chose the pie as we knew that was a dish we’d never find at another restaurant. At $20, the “buttery, flakey double crust filled with crawfish tails, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and jalapeños in a thick, roux-based Creole sauce” did not disappoint. Mike was back in the kitchen creating each dish, and he deserves special recognition for his fabulous crust. Thick and golden, the generous topping flaked perfectly each time we cut into the deep-dish pie, and there was enough to savor with almost every bite of crawfish filling.
For our second main dish, we also chose a Cajun classic: the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. The $8 cup included “authentic Lafayette-style dark roux based chicken and andouille sausage soup/stew served over white rice,” and it turned out to be my favorite dish of the evening. I will even go so far as to say that I was not a gumbo aficionado before that cup of stew, but I have changed my tune. The spicy sausage and rich broth tasted like comfort in a cup.
We had no room left in our stomachs, but a sign on the wall had been advertising the “pecan pie from our family recipe” all evening, and I just couldn’t say no. Our eyes widened with appreciation when Kirstin set down a massive slice of pie ($5.50) with a generous scoop of ice cream ($2). The warm blend of brown sugar, bourbon, and molasses was mixing with the rapidly melting French vanilla ice cream. I took my first bite and rolled my eyes with delight, then made a mental note to pop into Cajun Kitchen for the pecan pie whenever I’m shopping downtown.
Kirstin packed up our leftovers into a bag and reusable plastic containers with the care that you would for house guests. We truly felt at home there, especially after Kirstin said she and Carrie had added an extra serving of rice and gumbo to our bag for later. We would eat well with our kids the next day!
If you visit Cajun Kitchen for a hot meal this rainy weekend, what do Mike and Carrie want you to know?
First of all, they are half a block from Horton Plaza and a huge parking deck, and easy parking validation is available in the mall. Visiting downtown for good food couldn’t be easier.
And what should you order? What are they most proud of? “Not one particular item,” says Mike honestly, “but being able to share authentic Cajun dishes with Southern California, prepared like they are back home. But, if you press me for my favorite, it would have to be our Muffuletta sandwich with a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo.”
Go get your gumbo at Cajun Kitchen! For more information or reservations, call (619) 795-7815 or visit the restaurant’s website.
All photos courtesy of Carrie Broyles.
