Eating authentic food from one of my favorite cities is usually something I only experience while on vacation. Being it’s been a couple years since my last visit, having the opportunity to enjoy delicious Cajun cuisine right here in the Dells, saving me the over one thousand mile trip south, definitely made my recent stop at the Taste of New Orleans restaurant a highly enjoyable one.
Taste
of New Orleans is owned by Sam Rotolo and his wife June, who opened the growing
restaurant back in 2008, and has nearly doubled its sales every two years. Not
knowing what to expect when he started this unique restaurant in a tourist
town, he told me: “I didn’t figure it would last more than three weeks! Our
biggest problem our first year was, the first three months, was not ordering
enough food!”
Having
worked out the kinks of opening a restaurant that serves original New Orleans
fare so far from home, Sam, who I found to be an extremely warm and colorful
character, masterfully creates the flavor of southern Louisiana where he was
born and raised.
While
primarily learning the culinary art from his mother, who was a registered chef,
he perfected his craft by trading recipes late nights as a commercial fisherman
while catching oysters, shrimp, and crab in the bayou, as well as working as a
cook in numerous restaurants and country clubs: “I’ve cooked in every rat-hole
kitchen in the city of New Orleans!”
When
I asked him what brought him to the Dells, he joked: “Made a wrong turn on the
interstate!” In reality, he was turned-on to the Dells while on the road
selling Native American regalia at a horse show. Having heard the town’s
heritage matched part of his own, he eventually made his way here and opened a
store called Sage Brush Jewelry, which sold Indian artifacts. The store was
open for six years before he ventured back into the restaurant business.
When
I first arrived at the restaurant I was kindly greeted by Mary Jo, a waitress
who brought me a hot cup of chicory coffee, immediately taking me back to my
visits to New Orleans famous Café Du Monde. While sipping the tasty brew, I
wandered around the large restaurant decorated with numerous cultural items,
bringing back further fond memories of one America’s most unique cities.
Sam’s
latest acquisition for the place is a twelve foot mounted alligator, which he believes
was killed by one of his friends featured on the History channel show: Swamp
People. Having killed a few hundred alligators himself back in the day, he
recently went down to the bayou to visit with some of his old pals, and brought
back autographs pictures of the now celebrities to display on the restaurant
walls.
Eager
to try some of the food, Sam brought me into the kitchen, where I found a few
of his chefs getting ready for the day. Sam told me that much of his food is brought
up all the way from New Orleans to keep things genuine, and that he goes
through over a hundred pounds of a secret seasoning a year, which he gets from
a ninety-four year old man that has been making it down there for years.
After
demonstrating some of the various cooking techniques he uses, it was hard not
to want to try all the tasty sounding dishes he was describing. Having written
two cookbooks that he sells at the restaurant, he told me he shared many of his
personal recipes, but just don’t expect to find out how to make his Cajun
potato salad the exact same way he does. “Some things have to be kept a
secret,” he said with a smile.
Saying
that his deep fried catfish is to die for, he brought me out a plate, which
admittedly was quite good and not greasy at all. A bowl of gumbo on the side
had just the right kick, and for dessert was a plate of his special River Boat
Bread Pudding with hot rum sauce, made the exact same way his grandmother made it
working on the famous Creole Queen riverboat, which sailed on the Mississippi
River. It literally melted in my mouth.
Having
tasted just a few of his family recipes, it was pretty obvious that “family” is
a reoccurring theme you’ll find while visiting the restaurant. Along with the nice
family atmosphere, Sam, who is a great story teller and quick with the jokes,
told me that he tries to greet each and every guest during their meal.
When
talking about his customers he said: “They come here once, twice, and back, and
everyone is on a first name basis. Well, I might not remember everybody’s first
name, but we don’t forget a loving face. And we hug, I bet you I’ve hugged and
kissed half my customers! Because we’ve just become family, and I think that’s
important. That you have camaraderie between your customers and yourself. When
I sign my cookbooks I always say: Good food makes good friendship.”
Having
only met him once, but already feeling like he is now a friend, I asked him how
it felt to bring a little something from home to share in the Dells. He told
me: “Me and my wife really worked hard at this. We are very proud at what we
got, and you know at night I walk up on the balcony to do the money after
closing, and I look down at the place and I say – damn this was my dream and
I’m living it now.”
Taste
of New Orleans is open seven days a week April through September, weekends
March and October. After that, Sam goes down south to go fishing. For more
information visit: www.atasteofneworleanswisconsindells.com or call
608-254-2020
- Christopher Dearman
