Step over the threshold into Zydeco’s 5, and you’ll think you’ve been transported from Indiana to the New Orleans French Quarter. Everything in the restaurant–the décor, the drinks, and the food–screams New Orleans, Mardi Gras style.
When Louisiana-born Carter Hutchinson moved to Indiana to marry his wife Deb, he brought a couple of things with him—New Orleans spirit and his family’s Cajun recipes. Carter grew up cooking these family recipes. So when he and Deb opened a restaurant, naturally it had a New Orleans theme and authentic Cajun cuisine.
At the bar, order a New Orleans style drink, like a hurricane. I chose gator juice, a tropical beverage that tastes like a pina colada but tinted green.
The dinner menu includes all of the popular Cajun foods, like gumbo, etouffee and jambalaya.
They also serve some not as well-known dishes, like ya ya chicken, chicken breast strips prepared with smoky rosemary and garlic.
The Hutchinsons travel to New Orleans several times a year to pick up supplies. A couple of times a year they bring in live crawfish and use them in a crawfish boil with corn and potatoes. Check the crawfish report on the restaurant’s web site menu page for crawfish status. Get there quickly for the crawfish boil because it goes quickly.
Zydeco’s caught the attention of The Food Networks’ Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives show with Guy Fieri a few years ago. It’s understandable why. From authentic Cajun food and New Orleans drinks to the Mardi Gras decor, if you didn’t know better, you’d think you really were in New Orleans.
If you go to Zydeco’s 5
Zydeco’s 5, open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, is located at 11 E Main Street in Mooresville, Indiana, about 10 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Check the web site for hours and the menu.
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That’s a great article and of particular interest as I am planning a road trip to the deep south. Because of this I went looking for crawfish in my town and came up empty. I am looking forward to the real thing.
It’s amazing what you can find in the least likely places. Apparently Zydeco’s flies crawfish in just a couple of times a year, and when you see it publicized you better get there quick because it goes fast. Enjoy your trip, Tim! I haven’t been to the deep south in years.