Sweet Potatoes: Spaghetti with a Drawl and Catfish NOLA

It was one of those Saturdays where all I had eaten by 4pm was a cup of yogurt and some granola. Needless to say, I was pretty hungry for an early dinner. We knew that Sweet Potatoes (on Trade Street)opened at 5pm and we took advantage of getting there early to get a seat right away.

Danielle, our server, greeted us, described the soup of the day and brought us our beverages right away. Since I had eaten so little today, everything on the menu looked good. I always get the Catfish NOLA (which stands for New Orleans, LA) because it is light and delicious. However, I feel like the blog should make me try new things, photograph and describe new things...but not tonight, I got the catfish. It was delicious as usual, lightly breaded, cooked perfectly, just the right amount of creole sauce for flavor, without taking away from the flavor of the flaky fish. My appetite was satisfied without being uncomfortable. I needed to save a little bit of room...but I'll get to that in the next post.

Joe was more adventurous with his dinner choice. He tried the Spaghetti with a Drawl, a bowl of spaghetti tossed in a creamy creole sauce with smoked sausage and country ham topped with fried chicken tenders. They creatively add a whimsical wall of crispy spaghetti for additional flair. The dish was absolutely sensational. The creamy creole sauce was creamy and full of flavor from the fresh vegetables. The sausage had a smoked flavor and added additional texture and flavor. Chicken was cripy from the cornmeal breading but tender inside. A sweet potato muffin made a tasty garnish. (I love a tasty garnish.)

We have always had good service at Sweet Potatoes and tonight was no exception. Even though Danielle's entire section filled up during our visit, we were well taken care of for the duration of our meal. The couple at the next table gave us a strange look as we took pictures of our food, but we are pretty used to that after ten years of doing it.

Sweet Potatoes: VooDoo Pork Sandwich

Lunch at Sweet Potatoes (Well Shut My Mouth) makes you feel like you are treating yourself to something special. Today my friend LM met me for lunch so that we could celebrate her new job so Sweet Potatoes was the perfect spot. Our server, James, was both animated and charming. He tempted us with his description of the soup of the day, but in the end we both chose the VooDoo Pork that was thinly sliced jerk-marinated pork with sweet potato aïoli on a Kaiser roll. The pork is tender and is sweet as well as savory. LM chose the sweet potato fries as her side and I chose the fruit, a rainbow of color and flavor. I love when a restaurant puts as much thought into the side dish as they do the entree. Watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and melon were the perfect summer compliment to the VooDoo pork.

Sweet Potatoes: Creole Catfish

Creole Catfish from Sweet Potatoes. The catfish is lightly breaded and topped with a savory creole sauce made with sweet tomotoes and onions. Served over a serving of white rice, this dish is light and delicious.

-Contributed by Susan M.