Looking for some cheap thrills? Can't afford anything else? We can help.
Guide sent staffers out to find food and fun in downtown Dallas without breaking the bank, and they returned with these cost-efficient suggestions. Now a night out won't set you back a day's pay.
More cheap dates:
• 6/1/07 - Third Monday's the charm
• 5/25/07 - Family outing has a sweet ending
• 5/18/07 - 'Dream'-y outing on a dreary evening
• 5/11/07 - In-town getaway leads to a tropical spa and Trader Vic's
• 5/4/07 - We interrupt this date at Uncle Julio's...
Alligator Cafe mixes Cajun delicacies and blues to great effect
 Jason Jankik / DMN Joel Foy sets the musical mood for an evening at Alligator Cafe.
The folksy hideaway on Live Oak, run by chef-owner Ivan Pugh, features fish, étouffée, pasta, gator, crawfish, beer and wine in a quaint, relaxed atmosphere.
Blues players Joel Foy, Hash Brown and Sonny Collie perform acoustic Delta- and Texas-style blues on a rotating roster. On a recent visit, we sidled into our booth with our counter-service meals just as Hash Brown was starting his show.
As he strummed and crooned through classic tunes such as "Trouble in Mind," by Mance Lipscomb, we supped on an array of Southern treats.
Cajun fettuccine ($9.95) melded andouille sausage, chicken, pasta and veggies in a piquant red pepper cream sauce. And we shared a side of crunchy warm hush puppies ($1.95 for a small order, $2.95 for large).
We were tempted by the description of the half-pound Bayou Burger with pickled green tomatoes and rémoulade sauce ($6.95). But that sounded like more of a lunch option, and this was dinner.
Grilled salmon ($9.95) was a better fit. The flaky pink plank was served over penne pasta with tomatoes and garlic pieces and doused in creole cream sauce. Nice and spicy, not overly hot.
Unless you're drinking beer ($2 to $3.75) or wine ($4.75), try the homemade root beer and cream soda ($1.75). They're sweet, cold and refreshing.
Taking our time with our entrees was easy with a background beat of Hash Brown's renditions of tunes by Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Lightnin' Hopkins, Frankie Lee Sims and Blind Blake. By catching his set in this atmosphere, we got in a little music history lesson, since he introduced the songs by their writers' hometowns. This intimate feature would probably have been lost in a noisy nightclub.
We couldn't resist a little fresh house-made sweet potato pecan pie ($3.95). It went well with Hash Brown's bluesy adaptation of the Newbeats '60s pop hit "Bread and Butter."
Perhaps the jewel of the set was a song he played for one of the waitresses. Rock 'n' roll fans probably recognize the title "You Shook Me" from a Led Zeppelin song. But according to Hash Brown, the song was written by Willie Dixon and J.B. Lenoir, recorded as an instrumental by Earl Hooker, and later overdubbed in the 1960s with lyrics by Muddy Waters.
Hash Brown is scheduled to play this Saturday. But he, Mr. Foy and Mr. Collie sometimes swap nights. Whoever's set up in the corner pickin', the music is sure to complement the Southern soul food. If you like what you hear, don't forget to throw a token of your musical appreciation into the tip jar.
The bottom line
WHAT: Red-hot food and cool blues tunes.
WHERE: Alligator Cafe, 4416 Live Oak. 214-821-6900. Live music Thursdays through Saturdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
THE TAB: $32.75, including tax.
THE SCORE: Live music without the trappings of the bar scene.
– NANCY MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
Published in The Dallas Morning News: 06.15.07
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