RESTAURANTS : A Creole Haven Where Pace Is Slow but Every Dish Is Worth the Wait

A Cajun quiz:

1.The cherubic looking fellow on the K-Paul’s cookbook cover is . . .

A. Dom DeLuise.

B. Divine.

C. Paul Prudhomme.

2.Queen Ida is . . .

A. Leontyne Price without makeup.

B. Prince’s mother.

C. A zydeco specialist.

3.File is . . .

A. What the French scream at bullfights.

B. $8.99 a pound on a good day.

C. A gumbo essential.

If you answered “C” on all three, there is a restaurant you should know about.

It’s called Eve ‘n Orleans, and as the sign above the door proclaims, it is emphatically not a fast-food restaurant. “Preparation of your special order takes time,” it reads, “please be patient.”

Perhaps that explains why the restaurant was virtually empty the three times I visited. I can’t imagine any other reason; the food is wonderful.

“The world is in a big hurry nowadays,” says Joyce Washington, the restaurant’s chef and owner. Washington is a native of Lake Charles, La., and she is used to a slower pace. “People take their time where I come from,” she says wistfully, “especially at mealtime.” Everything at Eve ‘n Orleans is cooked to order.

What got me there in the first place was a description of one of Washington’s specialties, smothered pork chops (fried pork in country gravy on a mountain of rice). Imagine how crushed I was to discover that she had stopped making them. “Business is slow,” she said, “and the last couple of times I made them I ended up throwing them out.”

After feeling sorry for myself for a minute or so, I decided to console myself with some of her spicy fried chicken, seafood gumbo, hush puppies, cole slaw and lemon chiffon pie.

The Clifton Chenier music should have told me that this was a winner the moment I walked in the door. But I didn’t catch on, even when I saw the papier mache crawfish on the wall and the tacky red vinyl table covers. But when Washington’s son, Chris, put down my first bowl of gumbo, he whispered something in my ear. “Now don’t tell my mom I’m telling you this,” he said, “but you’re really in luck today. The gumbo is at its best stage--it’s almost a week old.” Suddenly I knew I was in for a treat.

The gumbo, a dense, smoky-brown bowlful of sausage, seafood, onion, pepper and the secrets of several generations, surpassed any expectation I had, and so did almost everything else. Spicy fried chicken tasted even better than it sounded, alongside a pile of hand-cut fries. The cole slaw was sweet and creamy. Even the lemon pie turned out to be a dream.

Soon after, I dropped by at lunch, and again found no pork chops. I resigned myself to popcorn crawfish, stuffed shrimp, catfish dredged in cornmeal, creole rice, candied sweet potatoes and a moist, rich slice of Mrs. W’s homemade chocolate cake.

But I was still dreaming about those pork chops, and after that second spectacular lunch, I asked Washington if she would make them for me if I ordered a day or so in advance. “Well,” she said, reluctantly, “if you promise to come back. . . . “ Then she mentioned that I might as well try her crawfish etouffee as well. “Crawfish will be out of season soon,” she said, “so you better get going while the going’s good.”

Come back I did. And I was glad I had: As good as everything else had been, these two dishes were even better. Pork chops were smothered in roux , a kind of flour-based brown gravy with celery, onions, and pepper; they were almost magically delicious. The rice and gravy alone would bring anybody back.

Her etouffee was equally awesome, a hot, spicy stew of crawfish and vegetables. I asked for her secret, and she just smiled. I guess it is like barbecue-king Arthur Bryant once said: “The secret is that nobody else knows how to do it.”

Many other things are worth the wait here--smoky ribs, red beans and rice, hot chicken winglets, fried oysters and sweet potato pie. You’ll have to make many trips if you hope to try everything. And if you like zydeco music, you will want to.

Eve ‘n Orleans is inexpensive. Lunch specials are $3.75 to $5.75. Side orders, the best bargains on this extensive menu, are $0.90 to $4. Appetizers are $3.75 to $4.50. Entrees are $5.95 to $15.95.

EVE ‘N ORLEANS

1829 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim

(714) 776-4022

Open Tuesday-Friday for lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday for dinner, 5-9 p.m. Closed Monday.

Visa and MasterCard accepted.