April 23, 2008
One Great Sandwich: Dixie Kitchen's Catfish Po' Boy
Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop falls somewhere between Wishbone and Army & Lou's. With its vintage tins hanging all over the place, it's easy to dismiss Dixie Kitchen as an Ed Debevic's clone. But the food is good. We like to order the catfish po'boy when we time to visit. This sandwich comes with two perfectly breaded and seasoned filets of baby catfish (no bones to be found!), dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing. It's served with a side of mayonnaise-free slaw and our choice of red beans and rice. We also drizzled everything with liberal doses of Louisiana hot sauce. Order a cup of gumbo and some peach cobbler for dessert and you have yourself a three-course meal for just over $20.
Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop is located at 5225-A S. Harper Ave., in Harper Court Center in Hyde Park.
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Oh man I used to work in Hyde and I miss that sandwich. This is like torture Chuck.
Catfish is a very fine fried fish. In a po'boy that's almost irresistible.
I love catfish, but I still chuckle at the $20 price tag for a po' boy meal. I'm going to open up a place that only sells Of Moderate Means Boys.
Speaking of, do they have crawfish boils around here at all? Man, that'd be awesome.
Dixie Kitchen has a Carolina BBQ sandwich (eastern NC), which I haven't been able to find anywhere else outside eastern NC. It's soooo good.
Wishbone is not a southern restaurant in my opinion. It's more like southern food fit to northern tastes. They even call themselves reconstruction cooking. I also hate their radio ad that says something along the lines of "Southern food for thinking people." Because, you know, real southerners are a bunch of retarded yokels.
I love Dixie Kitchen much more!
I don't like catfish...ever. It always tastes sort of muddy to me. Even farm-raised, which I know is totally in my mind.
At a fish fry, confronted with cat fish, buffalo and crappie; I will go with crappie.
i'm a haddock/cod girl. it's all those wisconsin fish frys. (fries?).
mmm. fish fry. and fries.
Buffalo is tasty too!
UTV,
I think the sandwich itself costs 6 or 7 bucks from what I remember. Not exactly po' but not exactly steep either.
Ditto to "Mo's" feelings on Wishbone, it's been a letdown every time I've gone.
One of my first jobs as a teenager was spending a summer down south working on a catfish farm in Tennessee. I was paid by the dressed pound, and became very adept at it.
Prepared right, as in a po'boy or blackened, catfish cannot be beat.
Excellent story, Chuck. I think most people who love catfish have a good story from their youth about having really good, really fresh catfish. I remember catching them down at the lake, sloppily dressing them, and frying them up in oil and bread crumbs. I've still never had anything better than that. Hit my culinary peak at age 12, which is kinda depressing.
Catfish? Yuck. I only eat cute animals...
pinko: care bear po' boy, anyone?
I'm partial to fried shrimp po boys over catfish and am skeptical of gumbo anywhere north of Shreveport but this sounds (and looks) pretty damn tasty. Definitely going to scope it out.
In a surprising twist, a Chicagoist food story actually features an appetizing picture.
A nicely fried catfish plank (with the bone) is really delicious. Too bad it's so hard to find in Chicago.
Whoever brought up Wishbone should be automatically dismissed -- that place is awful.
Whoever brought up Wishbone should be automatically dismissed -- that place is awful.
I'm sure to get bashed in the head for this, but, funnily enough, Joe Blow, IMHO Wishbone is actually a [slight] notch above Heaven on Seven (which used to be tolerable, but is now just an insufferable, gimmicky, touristy hades).
So, Chuck's compara-scale of Dixie's landing somewhere between Wishbone and Army & Lou's is quite accurate.
@Marcus -- I'm with you, I prefer fried shrimp po'boys over others, but, if the catfish is as good as it is at Dixie's, it's hard to pass up.
Chuck -- Can't rememeber, but does Dixie serve fried okra or pickles, too?
so is it cat, or is it fish?
frp,
They don't have fried pickles. At least they didn't used to. Fried pickles are wonderful.
Frp - I am with you on Wishbone, too (of course, I live very close to it). I had the gumbo at Heaven on Seven and it was pretty good, but yeah Wishbone aint bad at all. It aint Mother's or Danny & Clyde's or Domilice's, but still pretty good.
"Whoever brought up Wishbone should be automatically dismissed -- that place is awful."
No, who ever brought up Wishbone should be executed by being sat on by Oprah who dines there
via horse trough.
But I like Edna's on Madison better than Army & Lou's
The Meteorologist, there is no such thing as a crawfish boil nor is there a Crab Boil in the midwest.
And just to think that the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is right around the corner!
Do you see why I can't relate to the cubs or the Taste of Chicago? As oppossed to a bunch of drunk Cajuns walking around dressed as crawfish speaking Cajun!
"Millions creatures fly an crawl,
but LAWD,in N'awlins you'put em all!"
@Spook - Gretna Fest aint bad neither.
Fried pickles totally rock! See navin we can agree. Wishbone used to be better they got caught up in the hype and started cutting corners for better profits. Whats the place on Van burean and racine I only ate there once but the mac and cheese was awsome.
I'm happy to say that you are quite right fed.
Marcus Gilmer!
I should've known just by that ridiculous yellow helment on your noggin, that you have Big Easy sensibilities!
But I hate to be a wet blanket,
but ever since the Gretna P.D set up that "shot gun" armed road block and at gun point, forced hungry and thirsty American citizens back over the Crescent City bridge, I would not feel comfortble spening my duckets in Gretna
@Spook - Fair enough. I never bought into the "GREATNA!" slogan, anyway. That place was kind of a dump. I'm more of a Marrero or Kenner guy myself.
And, especially after my lunchtime PBJ, I have to reiterate how freaking awesome that sandwich looks.
That is a good lookin' sammich, ain't it. I forgot to mention how fluffy the fish was, as well.
It's worth a trip down to Hyde Park. In that immediate area you also have the recently opened Park 52, Calypso Café, Maravilla, Checkerboard Lounge, C'est Si Bon (home to a wonderful Sunday Brunch), Valois, Mellow Yelow, Ribs N' Bibs, and a Harold's Chicken Shack. It;s also right by the Metra Electric Line, or you can get off your duffs and bike past the next President's house like I did.
Calypso Café is owned by the same guy, as well.
And you don't have to go to Hyde Park to eat at Dixie Kitchen, as there is one on Church Street, just of the Davis Purple Line L stop. There's also one in Lansing, in case you head down there looking for Thee Body Shoppe develop a hankering for Johnnycakes instead.
The Evanston location also serves breakfast. Try the jambalaya omelet.
And frp: yes, they do have fried Okra, but you have to ask for it. It's not on the menu, but, at least in Evanston, they'll make it for you if they aren't too busy. Ask for a side of the chili dipping sauce on the side.