Anna Ree’s Andouille

Word on the street is Anna Ree’s Andouille has closed :(

We ate here a few weeks ago on a Saturday night — had a reservation for outside seating. The sun was blinding us at the table in front of the bar — the umbrella didn’t help because the sun was at a low angle, so we moved to a table under the trees. The band playing off to the side of the bar was way too loud — we couldn’t even hear each other some of the time.
The waitresses were overwhelmed so the service was spotty & slow. I finally had to clear my own empty dishes off of the table — was tired of looking at them & I wanted to order dessert. When the waitress finally came over & noticed that I’d done that, she didn’t apologize but she that I was the second customer to do bus their own dishes that evening!
My Fish & Chips had the most breading on the fish that I’ve ever seen — more than an inch of breading that I threw away to find the tiny piece of fish inside. The spinach salad that was so good in my March review was OK, but not as good. The dessert was OK. My 3 friends food was OK but not great.
Yesterday I drove by on a Friday night at 8pm and noticed they were closed — no explanation that I could see. Better call first IF you plan to eat here.

Real Cajun… real good

Unilocalers, we’re not in Cincinnati anymore. Aside from the fact that this is a hike from Cincinnati, my group really enjoyed our dinner at Anna Ree’s. The food was good (especially the gator taters and crawfish flatbread!) and service was friendly. They have a great outdoor seating area that we intend to enjoy when the weather is better. While I’m no useful measure on authenticity, in my limited experience of Cajun/​Creole style food, the food here is pretty good. We enjoyed the music, thought it didn’t seem particularly New Orleans the night we visited. This is a fun place for a little excursion and some decently priced food!

Motivated in part by positive reviews from Polly Campbell in the Enquirer and Donna Covrett in Cincinnati Magazine, who both seem to know what they’re talking about most of the time, we were optimistic that Anna Ree’s might be the go-​to Cajun/​Creole stand-​by that we’ve hoped for since moving to this area from New Orleans several years back.
No dice: Anna Ree’s is only okay.
When you drive up to Anna Ree’s countrified roadhouse location on the river between New Richmond and Point Pleasant, it’s easy to get in a Louisiana food mood. And once inside the rangy, low-​slung dining area, it’s pretty easy to pretend you’ve just entered a classic joint out in middle of nowhere in Cajun country. It’s got down-​home appeal.
But the food is all over map in quality and authenticity. Having gone with a group willing to share with each other, we got to sample quite a bit. «Cups» of gumbo are actually big bowls, but this «gumbo» is well off the mark: It’s one-​dimensional – none of the wonderful, complex layering of flavors you get with a fussed-​over Cajun or Creole roux. And it’s way too thick, more like a stew than a gumbo, and had undercooked okra and big chunks of chicken that apparently had been cooked separately from the gumbo. Not too bad as a big bowl of Louisiana-​like stew for $ 4.99, though.
Other appetizers were hit-​or-​miss. Fried frog legs had a nice batter but were watery, as though frozen and then thawed too quickly. The «gator tater» was surprisingly satisfying, though, as was the crawfish flatbread.
I ordered crawfish étouffée as an entrée, which was loaded with nicely-​cooked crawfish. But the sauce was pretty weird, so acidic as to be almost vinegary. In addition to the crawfish, it was also loaded with too many large chunks of undercooked red and bell peppers. Crab cakes, not all that common in Louisiana, were better than expected, if a bit mushy, and so was blackened grouper.
Anna Ree’s has a pretty decent beer and wine list for a place this far off the beaten path. (Oddly enough, no Louisiana beers, but that’s OK because that’s one thing I don’t miss about Louisiana…)
Our server was friendly and compentent and allowed us to linger over appetizers without rushing us into ordering entrees.
Music had nothing to do with Louisiana on this evening: It was a guy on acoustic guitar playing mostly classic-​rock numbers. But he was better than average!
Anna Ree’s makes for an interesting road trip, and some of the food is actually pretty good. The portions are quite large for the money. And it’s probably more fun in warmer-​weather months when you get to sit outside and take in the river views and fresh air.
P. S. I don’t understand the review that ridicules «Wimpinati» for being afraid of hot peppers: The reviewer may not be aware of this, but Cajun and Creole cuisine generally is not very spicy-​hot at all, just heavily seasoned. And I didn’t think Anna Ree’s food was too light with its seasoning to begin with, as he and others suggest here. It’s just that a lot of the flavor profiles were off the mark, off-​balance, and/​or not complex enough…

This was my first visit and loved the atmosphere outside. I“ll most likely return when a good band is playing. The outside area is also a great place for kids. There is a large grassy area with frisbees and cornhole. My date ordered the ribeye medium rare. It wasn’t probably due to the fact that it was less than a half inch thick. Expected more for $ 16.99. The two nightly specials sounded wonderful but they were out of both. The service was friendly and attentive.

I don’t know a lot about what to expect from a Cajun restaurant. Dint even eat seafood but what I can tell you is that this place is a pretty exceptional place to eat. Friendly staff and decent prices. Te food I had there was a 10. We had the fried mozzarella wontons as a ap. I had the Cajun chicken sandwich with fried potato and hush puppies. My food was excellent. I will be back soon and often.

New Richmond, Ohio, to me, seems like an odd location for a restaurant serving Cajun cuisine. New Richmond, in general, seems like a weird place for anything. When I put it in Google Maps and search for restaurants I get McDonald’s, Frisch’s, Subway, a couple pizza joints and «Landing Restaurant and Marina.» How eloquent.
But there it is, right there in New Richmond, not quite in the «heart» of the city, but near enough: Anna Ree’s Andouille. I tried this particular establishment after I found a
coupon and thought it sounded interesting enough. Never really delved in to Cajun cuisine.
My wife and I went on a pleasant spring evening and decided to eat outside. They have an interesting little porch complete with bar looking out over the Ohio. It sits a bit away from the main building, past a fresh herb garden. I usually don’t eat at a business due to its view, so I can’t say it’s «one of the best» I’ve seen or any other such nonsense, but I really enjoyed it.
We both had gumbo for an appetizer… it just seemed like it had to be done, begin a Cajun-​themed evening and what-​not. For a main dish I ordered the crab cakes and my wife the eggplant Napoleon; baked eggplant with tomatoes, marinara, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh herbs.
The gumbo was absolutely delicious. It had a ton of the main ingredients in it (andouille sausage, chicken, okra) and was spiced almost perfectly, spicy, but not too spicy. This really whetted my appetite.
Unfortunately the crab cakes left much to be desired. They tasted like deep fried crab. And that’s all. There didn’t seem to be any seasoning at all. It didn’t taste too much better than what I would expect if I were to order a crab cake from Long John Silver’s.
My wife’s dish was much better and the eggplant, which in my experience is a difficult vegetable to cook correctly, wasn’t at all overcooked. The fresh herbs added a very nice flavor. Nothing mind-​blowing, but very pleasant.
I thought this was a good enough meal, but without the
certificate I probably would have been quite disappointed. Since it was kind of a mixed bag (gumbo — great, eggplant — good, crab cakes — meh) I would definitely like to give it another try, but for now I can’t give it more than an average rating.

If you’re in the mood to get out of the city here’s a great place to go. They are located of 52 past New Richmond, but well worth the drive. It’s a creole louisiana resturant. I love teh Andouille’s Cajun Fettuccine and the Crawfish Etoufee. They have a great outdoor area that takes you close to the Ohio River. (Probably not a good thing right now seeing that we’re close to flood stage in New Richmond.) I couldn’t give it a full five stars becasue sometimes the service is a little off, but they keep getting better. So, if you’re in the mood for some Creole/​New Orleans style food, hop in the car and check it out!!!

It’s a nice place but a far cry from real creole food of louisiana and south alabama. Spice and cayenne pepper seem to be foreign to the chef. We got crab cakes, gumbo and andouille fettuccini. All were bland, even with the weak offerings of hot sauces available. Finally, we were able to get some cayenne pepper to spice up the sugary sweet dishes.
People of wimpinatti who fear spicy food may really love it but those who prefer something a bit closer to the real deal would be better served going to the knotty pine in kentucky as when it comes to cajun food in cincinnati, they still reoux the roost.