After actually spending some time in New Orleans, it was interesting to go to Angeline’s in Berkeley, CA, a New Orleans restaurant. When the beignets were delivered, it felt just like being back at Morning Call Coffee. Fluffy, fried dough drenched in enough powdered sugar to make it seem like it snowed in California for the first time.

The hushpuppies, though more of a southern than a New Orleans thing, were served with herbed butter like at Leon’s, but, although good, lacked that spice that made them over the top fantastic.

I may be biased by having tried some of the best gumbo in human/Cajun history, but I think Angeline’s has fallen a bit short. It was kind of bland, a little thin, and there was no potato salad on the menu to pour it over.

While we were in New Orleans, I never ended up getting Jambalaya (too full of beignets, king cake, and gumbo), so I have nothing to compare this to. It seemed a little heavy on the rice, with little sausage or vegetables mixed in. However, it did make great breakfast the next day.

All in all, Angeline’s probably has the best and most authentic Cajun/Creole food in California, and if they stepped up their gumbo game, she could probably even hold her own in the Big Easy.