It takes some guts to put your opinion of the food in the title of your own restaurant.
On the menu? Sure. Everybody talks about their famous this or legendary that.
Really?
Your fried chicken recipe is legendary? It slew the dragon, conquered Poseidons armies and performed the Cinnamon Challenge flawlessly? Wow. The breading must be fantastic.
But out in the wilds of Midwest City, which is legendary for being east of the city, is Cest Si Bon, 101 N. Douglas Blvd., a Cajun restaurant that proudly puts its reputation on its sign.
Its so good is an accurate description of the words and noises my friends and I made as we mythically defeated the bulk of the Cest Si Bon menu.
Bards will surely write epic lute solos to describe our valiant efforts that day.
Ere did Greg and his merry band descend upon the catfish
Twas $8.99 for a pound.
And lo did they eat with a mighty hunger
until no more fish could be found.
Swam all it could in a river of spices
til fried in a crust sweet and true.
And, along with the shrimp for $10.99,
it nearly sated the hearty, ravenous crew.
What next came a-hopping as they licked their lips
but some tender fried legs of frog.
No dipping sauce needed for these sultry treats
that had recently perched on a log.
If youre afraid to make a meal of Kermits backside,
which I found to be quite fine,
skip the large meal with 10 of the legs
and buy one apiece for $1.99.
Still the red beans and rice did await us
with large blackened sausage on the side.
Its a filling meal, true, but stir it all up/and youll find ham hiding inside.
The crawfish étouffée was less daring;
its spices did not make a mark.
The dark roux was buttery and the tails cooked fine,
but there was no bite with its bark.
If youd rather have lunch that comes in a bun,
a poboy is what you crave.
The cochon de lait is a slow-roasted pig
that found in my belly a grave.
Tender and sweet, the pork fell apart,
mixed in with a crunchy coleslaw.
And the Creole mayonnaise made the bread
so much easier for me to gnaw.
Are you as sick of my terrible rhyming
as I think you ams?
Then forgive me this last, but I really must say
dont dare leave without candied yams.
We have fun, right?
Seriously, the food at Cest Si Bon lived up to its name. The hardest things to deal with are the ridiculous distance between the restaurant and me and a bit of crab-shell dodging when you eat the gumbo ($7.99). But its worth it. I mean, theres real crab in there.
If youre worried about Cajun food being too spicy, you can put away the jug of milk and relax. While theres flavor, theres not a whole lot of heat. If anything, be sure youve got a little hot sauce on hand.
While my trepid food adventurers and I appreciated most everything at Cest Si Bon, there were highs and lows.
The collard greens were fine, but not amazing. The mac and cheese was creamy. The big hit was the boudin balls (six for $3.99, so get thousands of them), which are a carb-tacular delight of ridiculous proportions especially dipped in the chefs version of Tiger sauce.
Midwest City is a ways off, but Cest Si Bon is so good, its worth the drive.
Print headline: So good, From frog legs to boudin balls, this Cajun eatery is so proud of its menu, it stakes its name on it.