Bourbon Street Barrel Room

I had the chance to knock another restaurant off of the 2015 To Dine list, thanks to a dinner invitation from Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats. She was organizing a group of fellow diners to try Tremont's new Bourbon Street Barrel Room.

This is one that I was anxious to try, because I was hoping that it would transport Mr. H and I back to our trip to NOLA three years ago. It still remains as one of my favorite trips that we've taken, and the food was a big part of that.

The restaurant is located on Professor Avenue, in the heart of Tremont's dining district. Next to Fahrenheit, free street parking can be difficult to find during peak dining hours, but they do offer valet in front of the restaurant.

The place is gorgeous inside, with no detail spared in capturing the look and feel of New Orleans.

I particularly love the upper level, with open viewing of the main dining room and bar below. It has its own small bar, and plenty of additional seating, upstairs.

Unfortunately, the food is not living up to the atmosphere. That seems to be the general consensus, from what I've heard, and it was certainly true during our first trip here.

Mr. H and I shared the Hot Legs ($5 for a pair, $9 for two pairs) of crispy frog legs drizzled in their Louisiana hot sauce and served with a citrus slaw.

They were okay. The hot sauce was very good, and the meat was tender, but the small bones made it difficult to eat and they were severely missing the "crispy" as the name implied.

We also shared the Ragin' Cajun Brochettes ($6.50) with andouille sausage, vegetables, and pineapple.

They were perfectly fine, but boring. It was just a basic kabob.

Mr. H ordered the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp and Grits ($17.50).

To be honest, I thought this was pretty terrible. They use tiny shrimp, which I find no use for, and the BBQ sauce was overpowering the entire plate. We didn't care for the flavor of it, and there was no escaping it. This dish was the biggest flop of the night.

I ordered a Crispy Oyster Po Boy ($11.50).

You can add a side of Hush Puppies for $2.50, and most of our table did.

These were the best two things that I ate that night, but I would call them "good" at best.

So, this meal and the atmosphere were reminiscent of our fond NOLA memories, but they didn't even come close to the recently-closed Jezebel's Bayou on the east side. Too bad, because I really needed a replacement!

They are still new, so let's hope that they work out the kinks. I'd love to have a go-to spot for this cuisine in Cleveland. At the very least, they are making some delicious drinks. I've had the Gator Juice and the Hurricane, and both were quite yummy.

Have you been to Bourbon Street Barrel Room? Is there something that I should have ordered that you enjoyed there?

Bourbon Street Barrel Room
2393 Professor Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113
216-298-4400