Get Your Cajun On

(Staff Photo: Richard Davis) Lyn D's Cajun Gypsy Cafe in Fayetteville.

Brew bisque more magical than David Copperfield

By Rachel Birdsell

TFW Contributing Writer

Preamble Ramble

I hadn’t been to Lyn D’s in awhile — mostly because of their changed hours. It seems like every time I went by, they were closed. The other day I managed to find them open, and I stopped to get my Cajun on. Aieeee! Just so you know, the new hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Food for Thought

I decided to order off the a la carte menu and went with my usual cup of Brew and a shrimp etouffee pistolette sandwich.
The Brew is actually bisque and is some of the most amazing stuff you’ll ever put in your mouth. I think they must either use a unicorn horn to stir it with or they sprinkle it with rainbow dust. It’s loaded with shrimp, crawfish, potatoes and cheese. It’s also spicy, but the heat is tempered by the mellowness of the beer that makes up part of the base. The Brew seriously rocks.  In fact, it rocks harder than an ’82 AC/DC concert. The stuff is magical. If you’re having a bad day, a cup or bowl of the Brew will make everything better — at least for the time you’re spooning it into your mouth.
The etoufee pistolette was almost as good as the Brew. A pistolette is an oval-shaped French roll that is often sold in Louisiana as a brown-and-serve roll. It can be either baked or fried and is either used as a sandwich roll or served as a garlic roll with a meal. Lyn D’s etouffee-stuffed pistolette is pretty darn good. Messy, but amazing. The roll is a little crispy on the outside, but chewy on the inside, and once you stuff it with shrimp etouffee, it’s unbelievably good. You can also get the pistolettes with ham, turkey, chicken, fried crawfish or shrimp.

The Sporkcast

(1-5 sporks)

Atmosphere: 3 alligator skin sporks
Lyn D’s has closed the back dining room so there are only a few tables up front. It’s cozy, as long as you like rubbing butts with complete strangers while you eat. Thankfully, they have carry-out so you can take it home and eat it while rubbing butts with people you know.
Food: 4.8 golden sporks
There are only three restaurants I go to in NWA for comfort food, and Lyn D’s is one of them. You’d be hard-pressed to find Cajun food this good so far away from Cajunland. And, even though I didn’t have them this time, the Devils on Horseback, which are bacon wrapped, deep-fried shrimp are simply sinful. They’re so good that, even though you can hear your arteries slamming shut while you eat them, you don’t care.
Staff: 5 silver sporks with smiley face stickers
I have never had a bad experience with the service at Lyn D’s. The owners have always been extremely friendly, and everyone that works there seems happy. Maybe they keep their own special “Brew” in the back.
Dollars spent: My total was around $7, which is such a low price to pay for such divine food.  Most of the entrees are around $9-$10.
Chance of returning:  I’ll keep going back to Lyn D’s as long as they’re open. I sincerely hope that the decreased dining room space and current hours aren’t the beginning tolls of the death knell for Lyn D’s. I know they aren’t in the best location, but their food is great, people! Plus, they will deliver for orders of 10 or more. The only warning I’ll give is that if you have Lyn D’s for lunch and you have to go back to work, you may find yourself falling asleep at your desk. But, it’s worth it. I gar-ohn-tee!

If you know of a great eating place, drop me a line at rabirdsell@gmail.com.  I’ll check it out and let you know what I think.