DaDeO New Orleans Diner & Bar invokes pseudo-nostalgia for a 1950s malt shop straight out of an Archie comic. Mini-jukeboxes sit on most tables and vintage Brunswick bowling memorabilia hangs on the walls.
The prepared-in-house cherry and vanilla coke don’t deter from this impression. But the jazz-band figurines, photos of jazz musicians and menu items set a different tone.
To start, we order the Bloody Mary oysters. I’m skeptical about how the flavour will translate to the oysters, but the vodka, tomato and lime concoction leaves me craving seconds.
Next on our docket is a New Orleans staple – the po’boy. We order the crab cakes and Philly cheese steak sandwiches with jambalaya rice and sweet potato fries on the side.
I don’t want to overshadow the po’boys – served on a soft, fresh, French loaf – but the sweet potato fries at DaDeO are the best I’ve ever had.
Where do I even start with the fries? The perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin orange centre? The crispy, salty breaded exterior? Or the house-made spicy mayo dip that’s almost as good as the fries themselves?
After a second round of fries, we order the bananas foster. It’s designed for groups: The flamb can easily feed four. A couple of cups of caramelized brown sugar threaten to overwhelm the palette of even the most experienced dessert lover.
Prepared at your table on a gas cook top, sliced bananas soak in a caramel bubble bath before dark rum is added and the whole thing is ignited. The tower of flames startles us and the server smiles as she says: “Oh yeah, I’ve seen people lose eyebrows doing this.” (10548 A Whyte Ave., 780-433-0930, dadeo.ca)
