By: Ashley George and Michael Wilson

This week we decided to jazz it up and we headed over to Flavor of New Orleans at 205 N. Ashley St. It’s a small restaurant and bar downtown that tries to bring the feel of eating outside on the streets of New Orleans to Valdosta. They are open 11a.m.-9a.m. on Mon-Thurs and till 11p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The atmosphere was interesting. Brick walls were made to look like the sides of old buildings. Fake windows were on the walls with beads hanging off them. It made you feel like you were right on the street. Our only complaint was that it was a little small and a bit too dark.

The service was pretty good. No complaints about the waitress. She got the food out quickly and was polite.

As far as price goes, you are going to spend a little more than at an average restaurant, but a lot of it is seafood. The prices range from about $6-$8 for lunch and $11-$16 for dinner.

Ashley had the Crawfish Etouffee. It was crawfish in a roux sauce over white rice. It was pretty spicy, but not too hot to eat. The plate was a good portion for a lunch order and came with two pieces of bread. Ashley doesn’t really like onions so she had to pick around them, but what she did eat, she really liked.  After that she had some Beignets, these are little fried cakes covered in powdered sugar. It was a little heavy for a beignet and not quite crispy enough.

Michael ordered the Jambalaya, a bowl of rice, chicken and sausage mixed with tomatoes and spices. It was a delicious bowl of New Orleans cuisine and, given the portion, it was extremely well priced. The sausage and chicken combined perfectly with the spices and tomatoes. It was a complete meal and it really satisfied a hungry appetite, especially one looking for a quality flavorful meal with a little bite.

The Beignets were alright. They were a little too hard and the liberal use of powdered sugar ensured that more of the dessert got on the table and clothes than in the mouth.

Overall, Flavor of New Orleans had a great atmosphere, even for the slow late lunch hours, and the food does it part to validate the name of the establishment. The Tasters are giving Flavor of New Orleans four out of five stars.