We started off with a drink at the bar so we could catch up and relax for a few. The bartender was attentive, the 'house wine' was nice in both price and tatse, all was right with the world. When it came time to finally sit for our meal, though, we waited an awfully long time to get a table (even though there were several open) and even longer for someone to come over and greet us (Cousin A actually started counting minutes, because it became THAT absurd). Eventually (I think we got up to 15 minutes of wait time?) someone came over to take our order. We shared an appetizer that was composed of black olives, tomatoes and shrimp in a garlic and tomato based broth (not particularly Cajun, but whatever, it sounded good). It was bruschetta-esque in that we had crusty bread to top with the tomato shrimp mixture. My one note on this dish was that it was garlicky... but to me that's not a bad thing. I could see, though, if someone didn't like a strong garlic flavor this would be a bad choice... both the bread AND the mixture were seasoned with the stuff, so it was garlic upon garlic. We all enjoyed it, but def not a first date dish. The shrimp were cooked perfectly (no chewiness here!) and the flavors all worked well together.
Cousin D ordered the blackened catfish, and it was exactly as it should be. This had all of the flavor that I was craving back when I was at meh-town... not too salty, a little slow rising heat, a nice peppery kick. It was delicious. It was cooked to a tee, pulling apart with very little pressue from the fork. It had a tomato relish on the side that paired really well with the blackening spice... cool and refreshing against the pepper. She picked the fries and coleslaw as her sides, and neither were particularly memorable, but they were definetley edible. OddFellows has a HUGE selection of sides, and most of the entree dishes allow you to choose one or two. They range from pretty traditional Cajun fare (red beans and rice or collard greens) to safe and Americanized (mashed potatoes or sauteed spinach). 
Cousin A ordered the seafood jambalaya and it looked fantastic (I didn't try it because I was so busy eating my own meal, but I digress). The generous portion was filled with tons of seafood, including mussels, shrimp, scallops and crawfish. It was colorful and fragrant, and he said it was not at all dry (which happens a LOT in rice based dishes). I am sure he enjoyed it because he cleaned his plate!
I couldn't make up my mind on what to order, but luckily OddFellows accounted for that. In their "Li'l Taste of New Orleans" I was able to try the chicken jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, and chicken and adouille gumbo. There was nothing li'l about this. I was served three heaping bowls of food, easily enough for two people. I will go in order from least favorite to most enjoyed. Despite Cousin A's claim that his jambalaya wasn't dry, mine was. Really dry. Maybe it's because his had seafood, which has a lot more natural moisture, who knows... what I DO know is mine was dry. The flavors were all delicious, but the chicken was sticking to the top of my mouth and I just couldn't enjoy it. Next was the crawfish etouffee, which I really enjoyed. The sauce was delicious, rich and creamy. The rice added body to it so it wasn't too thin. The crawfish were as good as I have had outside of the bayou, sweet and meaty. It was almost decadent. Very good. The real winner of this trio, though, had to be the gumbo. SO good. There was some really nice spice to it, with a heat that wasn't overwhelming but was most certainly present. The chicken in this dish was definetley less dry (though I don't think I would describe it as moist), but the sausage was perfect. Andouille sausage is so flavorful it can bump up the wow factor of any dish, but I feel that this one would have been good even without it. It's all in the roux, people. Anyone who knows Cajun cooking knows that the roux is half the battle, and this crew knew their roux.
All in all I have to say that this place was good. The service stunk (seriously, we practically had to do the wave to get our server's attention) but overall we were all pleased with our meals. The food was plentiful, the technique was accurate, and the flavors were authentic. This just goes to show that while Uncle S is not to be trusted, he makes fabulous foodie children. Lucky me!
OddFellows
80 River Street
Hoboken, NJ
201 656 9009
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