THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Fee-Lay Gumbo

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Fee-Lay Gumbo Restaurant Review:

Brad Eberle’s new Creole spot is for crowd-pleasing fare and good music. The name comes from the file, or sassafras powder, some cooks use to thicken gumbo. Quite good folk art for sale from Sessions Folk Art in Marietta makes the walls a visual delight. Creole cooking is more urban than rural-rooted Cajun, less likely to rock your palate into orbit and marked with its own distinctive character. Start with a cup (really a small bowl) of excellent gumbo for just $4.95. The andouille tastes like the right stuff; the shrimp are sweet tasting, tender and fresh; the okra is sweet; and the rice is cooked just right. Not too spicy or too thick, it’s ideal on a cold, damp day. The maque chou, a sort of corn relish, is made from frozen corn but is nicely seasoned and tastes good. The huge muffaletta (a half is enough for at least two persons) isn’t quite as up to standard as the gumbo, with so-so bread and a lame touch with the olive salad. Try the quite-tasty beignets for dessert. There’s no chicory coffee, though, doggone it, so the best drink to wash it all down is a draft of Abita Turbo Dog, a medium-bodied, slightly caramel-ish dark brew. Hurricanes are served, and the Screwdrivers are made with freshly squeezed orange juice. After 10 p.m., there are $5.95 blue-plate specials and crawfish boils in season. (Fresh Gulf shrimp replace the crawfish otherwise.) The Blues, jazz or Zydeco turn the place into a romp every night but Sunday.