It sure feels like Louisiana outside – sticky, hot, and like I need to shower at least twice a day – so why not head to a Cajun restaurant for dinner? I recently spent an evening at Lil’ Easy on the far side of East Cesar Chavez Street, the latest venture from the creators of De Nada Cantina and Sawyer and Co. You’re probably already familiar with their take-home plastic cups – they’re bright yellow with a green alligator on the front and likely all over your Instagram feed. I’m happy to report that Lil’ Easy is not just cute cups, it’s pretty yummy, too. (I am also someone who can be enticed by a cute cup though, don’t worry.)
The loaded cheese fries are perfect for sharing. (Kelsey Bradshaw/City Cast Austin)
From the menu, my table opted for the tasso deviled eggs ($5.54) and loaded cheese fries ($8.08) along with yellow cups of the restaurant’s frozen cherry limeade ($6.46) to start. The limeade is a bit tart, but was a nice refreshing sip after a cheese fry dipped in ranch and sprinkled with tasso, a kind of ham. Don’t expect cheese fries like you might find at your hometown skating rink. These are not doused in fake, nacho cheese that’s dripping off of the fry. The cheese is melted onto the fry, and had a nice pull-apart effect. The deviled eggs were also sprinkled with tasso, which somehow worked, despite it being nearly 100 degrees out. (There’s something about deviled eggs where I’m like, “No, sorry, I can’t eat those if it’s hot.”)
The shrimp po’boy is one of six po’boy options. (Kelsey Bradshaw/City Cast Austin)
For the entree, I figured I had to get a po’boy, and I opted for the fried shrimp ($17.55). The bread was perfectly soft and the shrimp was really, really good. Tomatoes, pickles, mayo and remoulade sauce made the po’boy perfectly tangy. It also made for a nice lunch the next day – the sandwiches are a little big, so come hungry.
For dessert, my table polished off I Dream of Drienne pralines ($3.23 each), a perfectly crunchy and not-too-rich ending to dinner!
