Review: T'Beaux's

The boiled shrimp plate. (Credit: Carey Miller)

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T’Beaux’s brings a welcome change of pace from the fast food norm to the Northside Drive/Hanging Moss area in north Jackson. They serve up fresh and deliciously authentic Cajun seafood six days a week at a price that’s surely wallet-friendly.

This is the third location bearing the T’Beaux’s name, with the original restaurant still calling Vicksburg home. A second location that is more of a roadside stand that specializes in takeout and catering opened in 2008 in Clinton.

This third incarnation bears the T’Beaux’s name but is the first franchise as it is owned and operated by Clintonian Jamie Barnes and his family. Barnes has parlayed his Southern heritage and experience entertaining family and friends at backyard crawfish boils into a first restaurant venture deserving of success and acclaim.

The food: The flagship menu offering of T’Beaux’s is without a doubt boiled crawfish, offered as a two-pound serving traditional Cajun style in a basket with potatoes, corn and sausage for $9.50. Unfortunately I can’t comment on its quality, as my dining companions and I opted for other menu offerings.

If it’s anything like the boiled shrimp (one pound for $11.50, also served with potatoes, corn and sausage), which was my entrée choice and which I assume uses the same seasonings, it’s got to be fantastic. My shrimp were plump, juicy and perfectly cooked and seasoned—the best I’ve had this side of New Orleans or at a DIY backyard boil.

Other boiled offerings include a combo plate ($14.50, with a pound each of crawfish and shrimp and all the fixins) and crab plates of snow or Dungeness (market price, available seasonally).

While T’Beaux’s is undoubtedly a master of the classic Cajun boil, their seafood succulence expertise doesn’t end there. If you prefer your dinners fried (and what self-respecting southerner doesn’t?) they’ve got you covered there too.

They serve up fried seafood platters that come with your choice of hushpuppies or bread and a side of fries, potato salad or coleslaw. Choices are shrimp ($11.95), oyster ($11.95) and catfish ($8.50). One of my dining companions got the shrimp platter, which was fantastic and a massive amount of food.

Of course, no restaurant could call itself Cajun without offering that most Cajun of staples—the po-boy—and T’Beaux’s really delivers. Upon my first solo visit right after they opened, I stopped by for a to-go shrimp po-boy ($8.95, served with fries and a pickle spear), and what I got was one of the best takes on the classic form I’ve had locally, rivaling metro area staples like Que Sera Sera and Good Time Deli.

On my more recent visit, my other two dining companions both opted for the oyster po-boy ($8.95), which drew raves, while a classic catfish po-boy ($7.95) rounds out the offerings.

We also sampled some of their appetizers—we ordered a batch of onion rings and a basket of fried pickles, and neither disappointed. I was especially fond of the pickles, which were thicker-cut that the usual chip-style pickles I’m used to.

Both were available from the in-store chalkboard that seems to change as ingredients are available. For instance, we were treated to a third appetizer of a dozen fresh oysters on the half-shell (market price) which had been delivered right from the coast that afternoon, while I remember on my first visit mulling over trying the fried alligator tail special that was on the board that day.

You can also order extra sausage, corn, boiled potatoes and hushpuppies a la carte ($1.30-$1.79), try some of their homemade boudin ($3.59) or their signature swamp burger ($6.99, with fries and a drink), a Cajun-style take on the American classic.

The drink: At the moment T’Beaux’s does not serve alcohol, but they of course serve up homemade sweet tea and a variety of soft drinks ($1-$1.50). They do encourage you to BYOB to enjoy their spacious dining room and flat screen TVs for the game while you dine in—and what better Sunday is there than one spent with crawfish, beer and football?

The scene: Housed in a newly remodeled version of the location that previously was home to 3 Sons Restaurant, T’Beaux’s is exactly what you’d expect from a crawfish place. It’s quiet, unassuming and charming, with Cajun and New Orleans-themed memorabilia decorating the walls.

You can order dine-in or to-go from their counter and wait for your meal in their cozy dining room, or step out onto their covered outdoor patio. You can smell the seafood frying from their indoor kitchen, and you can peek out the back window to see the boiling stations where the crawfish, shrimp and crab is prepared outdoors to give it that true backyard boil feel.

The bottom line: No longer do you have to head to the Coast or the Reservoir to get a taste of authentic Cajun seafood—T’Beaux’s serves it up right in the heart of the city.

With great menu selections and generous portions that guarantee that their slogan of “No one leaves hungry!” rings true, T’Beaux’s is a restaurant truly not be missed by any seafood lover.

And if you’re a resident of Fondren, Broadmoor or any of the other surrounding neighborhoods, you’d be crazy not to hit them up next time you need a quick and delicious meal.

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