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Michael's Bar and Grill a Good Ole' Place for Cajun Food and Fun by Crystal A. Johnson

Michaels Bar and Grill has a quaint appeal as one drives by on Olive Avenue in Burbank.  The canopy is a tad short of forest green and there is an earthiness to the brick.  Though, when I walk through the door I am surprised that  the establishment has a very dark décor.   To the left are the bar and the staging area for karaoke.  Since my outing was on Tuesday I can not report on the karaoke which happens on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  To the right is the dining area composed with old black vinyl booths. My friend takes notice of the variety of framed Louisiana and Mardi Gras posters on the wall. I take notice that some of the chairs are worn. Michael’s is not a pretentious place. It is a good ole’ bar. Either you come in and watch the game, come to do karaoke or simply come to have some tasty Louisiana style Cajun food.   

 

Service is good. The hostess is friendly and seats us promptly.   The waitress is bubbly and attentive; however, I did have to prompt her about the specialties. She raves about the blackened fish dishes.   My friend, Leo orders the blackened salmon topped with a mango relish. His order comes with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed carrots and broccoli. He devours the blackened salmon and  goes on about how his enjoyment of the mango relish, insisting that I have a bite.  I do and  I find it to be quite tasty. The meat is tender. The garlic mashed potatoes are hearty and flavorful and had me wishing that was my side dish. 

 

My fish of choice was the blackened catfish. It is really quite good with just the right amount of crispiness. It comes with white rice and the same types of steamed vegetables as my dinner companion has with his meal. The owner, Michael Sherry comes over and suggests that I have the Creole sauce with my fish. The sauce is really good and reminiscent of a shrimp jambalaya sauce with shrimp in it. The fish was good alone so I split the difference of the sauce on the rice and the fish. The concept of pouring shrimp on the top of fish is fun and reminds me the innovation of Louisiana style cooking.   The shortfall of the evening comes with my choice to have spoon bread instead of red beans with my meal.   There was nothing spoonable about the bread and it did not taste good to me.

 

All in all, Michael’s Bar and Grill seems like a different experience each day. I did not get a chance to dally in to the world of fried food there which include appetizers like fried alligator and fried okra so I will venture there on another occassion.    Note that on Tuesdays all appetizers are 50% off after 4PM. Wednesday’s free beignets for every table and live music. Thursday there is free jambalaya at every table and Sunday Happy Hour all day long. 

 

For more information about Michael’s Bar and Grill visit: http://michaelsbarandgrill.com.

I   Blackened Catfish