Chef Wayne's Big Mamou - Williamsburg Style

We were ravenous when we entered the Big Mamou restaurant in Williamsburg. I’d heard recommendations for Chef Wayne’s Springfield restaurant many times but had never visited. Cajun food isn’t our typical fare, but when we were visiting the Williamsburg Country Store one day and spotted his new restaurant across the street, we couldn’t resist trying it out. We were shown to our table by a raspy voiced, friendly waitress who welcomed us, joked with us, and literally pulled up a chair when it was time to order. What a difference a server can make - by the time we had placed our order we felt completely at home and completely relaxed.

The place looked great. New Orleans purples, greens and golds are reflected in the walls, tablecloths, hanging masks and stained glass windows. Casual, creative and funky, the décor conjures up a Mardi Gras party atmosphere. This was helped by the jazzy up-tempo music. We found ourselves smiling and bouncing in our chairs to the music.

We ordered two lunch specials and a sandwich from the regular menu. The sandwich was a fried eggplant po’boy with roasted tomato, peppers, artichoke hearts and cheese. It was a flavorful combination and large enough to satisfy a hungry trucker. It came with jambalaya rice. The fluffy yellow rice was smothered with a creamy, rich gravy that was unlike anything I’ve ever eaten, and I will confess I had no idea what was in it. I suspected a chicken base, but beyond that I could only detect tiny bits of celery and possibly some corn? It was recognizable as universal, soothing comfort food, yet full of strange and sparky flavor at the same time. My wife theorized that it was what Rice-A-Roni fantasizes being when it grows up. I don’t know about that, all I know is that I couldn’t get enough.

Fortunately, one of the lunch specials had the same jambalaya rice, and I polished off that portion as well. This second plate also was heaped with the best pulled pork I’ve ever eaten. Spicy but not overly hot, rich and tender chunks of pork, and smoky and barbecued in just the right balance. Honestly, you could taste the love. I haven’t been a real fan of pulled pork in the past because it is typically dominated by smoke flavor. But this dish was like a ferris wheel of flavor in my mouth – first a happy shock of sweetness, followed by a full-bodied and rich tomato essence, blending with the little mounds and morsels of succulent pork, rounded out with a spicy smokiness that left a warm glow in my mouth. It was magnificent. The third dish (yes, we ordered three entrees for lunch between us . . . got a problem with that?) was a fried catfish special with red beans and rice. Both specials came with cornbread and sautéed veggies – mostly summer squash, zucchini and string beans. The vegetables were okay, but the rosemary seasoning was a bit heavy. The cornbread was good but nothing extraordinary. On the other hand, the catfish was anything but ordinary. It had a satisfyingly crunchy cornmeal crust with tender, perfectly cooked fresh fish inside. The rémoulade sauce added a nice creamy kick to the fish. The red beans and rice were good, but, for me, the jambalaya rice was the clear winner.

Sweet tea might have been enough to round out the meal for most diners, but we aren’t most diners. While disappointed to hear they didn’t have their bread pudding (my wife’s favorite dessert), we consoled ourselves with the sweet potato pie on a plate drizzled with caramel and a thick wedge of Aunt Millie’s pound cake in a pool of intense raspberry sauce and warm brandied peaches and pecans. The pie was tasty, but Aunt Millie’s creation was serious business. Warm, dense, and moist, it tasted like a cross between pound cake and chic bread pudding. We were giggling like fools by the end of the meal. Happy, very full fools. What a surprising and wonderful meal.

As we exited, we noted the dinner specials for that evening and mourned the loss of them. The great news is that there are so many more options to try when we return - as we surely will. Blackened prime rib or blackened salmon with jambalaya and crawfish topping? Oh yeah, baby . . . I love Cajun cooking!