what do I know

NOTE: Jackamo’s has shut it doors and stopped the flow of bread pudding to the Orlando area. It is a sad day.

When I went off to college, I had a lot of hard realizations to deal with. My laundry needed to be done more than once a month, class was intended to be attended at every session, and the homemade Cajun dishes my Mom made didn’t make themselves. After 6 years and way too many attempts to find a reasonably priced, tasty Cajun restaurant, I returned to the Central Florida area to find Jockamo’s New Orleans Kitchen. After one visit, all of the greatness of my Mom’s cooking was relived. Even better, a rotating menu every day of the week has guaranteed my return for as long as I live in Central Florida.

Jockamo’s has a small spot in a strip mall next to a Dunkin Donuts and Five Guys and is always packed for lunch. Their menu has a great selection of po’boys including crawfish, oyster, catfish, and grouper. Jambalya and red beans and rice, with or without sausage, are also available daily. Now don’t get me wrong, their regular menu is great, but it’s the daily specials that’ll make you go back. Different types of etouffee, gumbo, fish, and bread pudding are available. For lunch, I ordered a large crawfish and shrimp etoufee (~$6) and the banana foster’s bread pudding (~$5) with a regular drink ($1.50). The roux they use for their all of their dishes reminds me of Mom’s home cooking and that’s pretty hard to do. I’ve also tried the cherries jubilee and peach bread pudding and they don’t disappoint either. Additionally, they have a homemade strudel, but I haven’t seen it on the menu in a while.

With the start of crawfish season, Jockamo’s doesn’t miss a beat. They’ve started their seasonal boil every other Saturday from 11:00 AM until the supply runs out. Each order comes with bucket of boiled crawfish and some traditional sides (potato, corn, etc). The first boil starts on January 12th and then January 19th, after that they resume their bi-weekly schedule. I haven’t had a chance to make it out to one of these yet, but I will this year. It’s been too long since my last one.

The way that Jockamo’s runs their restaurant makes me proud to be a Cajun in Central Florida. Jockamo’s does a great job at exposing the rustic nature of Cajun cuisine to the masses at truly reasonable price. For anyone who hasn’t visited Jockamo’s New Orleans Kitchen, you are missing out. Patronizing them will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make about dining … “I GARONTEE!” (the late, great Justin Wilson).

Jackamo’s New Orleans Kitchen is located at 3042 W Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL.

• Woodlands Indian Cuisine - Orlando, FL
• Season 52 - Orlando, FL
• Pup’s - Dr. Philips, Orlando, FL
• Not Your Mama’s Cafe and Tavern - Livonia, LA
• Memories of India - Orlando, FL