Bayou Restaurant and Lounge has been the talk of the town long before it opened its doors on Sept. 10. Specializing in Cajun-fusion cuisine, Bayou is the first eatery of its kind in this area and Milwaukeeans cannot seem to get enough.

Walking into the lobby at 2060 N. Humboldt Blvd., I saw an empty host stand — not a good first impression. I looked around the partition into the dining room and every single table was filled. Every single server was fleeing around the floor, in a neat and professional matter, accommodating their tables.

I now understood why the hostess was not at her standpoint — the place was busy and so was she. A very good sign that owners, Robert and William Jenkins, are very happy.

Taking two seats at the bar, my dining partner and I were excited to take a look at the menu. We decided on a meal of various appetizers. This is my trick to dine at a fabulous eatery: Eat fabulous food, all the while keeping my financial situation … stable.

Taking a look at the large appetizer menu, we knew our palettes were about to be spiced up and satisfied.

The polite bartender took our food orders and served us another round of drinks while we were waiting. Bayou’s bar is unlike anything I have seen in Milwaukee. It is oval shaped and has two large walls of liquor back to back to accommodate guests sitting at either side.

This creative bar also allows for a lot more seating than your average restaurant. With Bayou being especially busy, this was fortunate for us.

Our appetizers came all at once and we decided to eat our hot entrées first. It seems as though at any restaurant you frequent, the ever popular crab cake is headlining the menu. Every chef creates their crab cakes differently. Some are good, some are really bad, but Bayou’s are deliciously divine.

One large golden crusted crab cake ($8) set on top of a bed of shredded lettuce and accompanied by two different sauces made me a happy eater. The first sauce, roasted red pepper aioli, was very mild and suits the eater who is not especially keen to hot and spicy food. The second sauce was even better. The hot chili relish left my taste buds tingling and that heat did not simmer out all evening.

Second we ordered the hot and cold shrimp platter ($11). Its name lives up to its presentation and taste. Also lying on a bed of lettuce were six pink shrimp unmarinated and ready to be dipped into their accompanying remoulade sauce. Lying next to the chilled shrimp was fresh off-the-grill blackened shrimp which were meant to be dipped into the mango coulis.

Take my advice: Don’t switch the sauces. Keep each sauce with its own shrimp and everyone will be a happy eater.

After polishing off that plate, we began on the smoked duck spring roll ($7). Whereas our first two choices were mere perfection, the spring roll, unfortunately, failed to satisfy. The cold duck wrapped inside layers of rice paper did not seem right; dipping it in the accompanying ginger sauce almost made it worse. It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise enjoyable meal.

Bayou is a prime example that even on a typical college student’s budget, fine dining can always be a part of your weekend plans.

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