The Big Easy in Cary is located over at Harrison Point just off Harrison. It is one of the closest restaurants to my Cary Apartment and seems to be a bit of a favourite with the local condo residents judging by the crowd I find in there on a Friday and Saturday nights.

On their website they say that they offer you “the finest taste of N’awlins, where we deliver a unique brand of friendliness, culture and cuisine. Cajun/Creole comes alive with authentic recipes, generous helpings and our own kind of laid-back hospitality.”

I came over for lunch with my friend Mike from @runnersthoughts and writer of the excellent blog  “In the Moment Running“. We were both pretty keen to try out a new place to eat at and it was really great that the sun was shining and we could sit out on the patio. I mean it is February! and it feels like Spring for North Caroline, Summer for me back in Nottingham.

There was a lot of great sounding New Orleans style fare on the menu with classics such as Jambalaya, Gumbo, and Red Beans and Rice on offer. It was lunchtime though and they all felt a bit too much for the moment, so we had a look at the sandwich options where there were also a few classics to be scoffed!

Po Boy Menu

I had already made my mind up that I was going to order a PO’ Boy as I fell in love with the sandwich on some earlier trips to New Orleans (read more here) and take advantage of any opportunity to eat one. I was a little sad that my all time favourite the Roast Beef was not on the list, but I saw plenty of others that I fancied.

I kind of wanted to order the Alligator, but resisted the curiosity and went for the 1/2 shrimp and 1/2 oyster instead, partly because it is a classic and partly to compare with the one I had a few weeks back at Full Moon Oyster Bar over in Morrisville (read more here)

Shrimp and Oyster Po Boy

I was pleasantly surprised with my Poboy at the Big Easy Pub in Cary. It had everything that I was looking for in a PoBoy.

The shrimp and oyster were coated in a light breading and deep fried until perfectly crisp and golden brown. The coating did fall off a little bit but it was really well seasoned and the contents were still juicy and tasted really fresh.

The lettuce and sliced tomato added a super light crunch and freshness to the sandwich. I even liked my nemesis the sliced pickles which were also crunchy and added a little tangy tartness to the bite.

The remoulade was also really well done, even if it does always seem to be just a posh spicy cousin of the 1000 island dressing.

Closer Look at that PoBoy

Bread wise it was competent, but not perfect. I know that in New Orleans you get that super ledenheimer bread that is like a super light soft french stick. The bread here did not remind me of that Nola bread, or maybe it is so long since I was there my brain has forgotten and enhance my memories?

Either way this is a really great sandwich and a pretty decent rendition of the classic Po-Boy. It is also huge! I mean fill a plate huge, you really only need half of this sandwich, and whoever thought that a side of fries was needed, really must have lost a grasp on reality (or maybe was really hungry)

More Sandwich Options

Muffuletta

Mike had the Muffuletta which was equally huge! Described on the menu as “A New Orleans speciality, properly served on a muffuletta round with ham, capicola, salami, mortadella, and provolone, topped with our olive salad.”

He ordered the half sandwich for $8.25, but I tell you that we could have easily shared this as he only managed one of the quarters and had to take the other half home.

It looked the business, just as I remembered from my trips to Nola. The bread was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, you could see the air pockets in that pillowy white centre.

The sandwich was thickly layered with a lot of meat, and you could see that chopped olive salad well spread onto the bread bun.

I kind of wanted to try this sandwich too as I only had it once before from the Central Grocery in New Orleans and remembered it as quite an experience (read more here)

All in all this was pretty successful lunchtime MyFoodHunt trip. I was really happy to find such excellent sandwiches and renditions of classics I had tasted once before down in Louisiana. It brought back fond memories and lit my mind up with ideas and thoughts of returning back to Bourbon Street and the Bayou.

I now know that there is somewhere nearby where I can get my fix, if and when I need it!

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The Big Easy in Cary is located at 231 Grande Heights Dr, Cary NC 27513

You can follow them on Twitter and on Facebook as well.

There is also another location in Raleigh that you can visit to. (I may well do so myself quite soon)