Boogaloo Cafe Turns a Trick

Returning to Boogaloo Cafe three years after its change in ownership was kind of like going to see an old girlfriend who had turned into a hooker. The room has been transformed into a bar, with the food getting short shrift. It’s loud and touristy, and full of drunks singing along with the radio, which is actually as close as you can get to Bourbon Street authenticity.

The “Acme Oysters” would make Acme cry in shame. Compared to the plump, firegrilled oysters drowned in cheese, these were little, barely-cooked, sprinkled with a little Parmesan, and badly shucked. Maybe it’s hard to find good shucking in the South Bay, but a mouthful of shell is not fun. They accidentally brought too many oysters, and graciously comped us the additional oysters. And additional bits of shell.

Boudain Balls were just shocking, so soft they could have been raw. The shrimp wrapped in bacon was probably the best dish. But the shrimp in the Shrimp Skillet were bland, although the broth was nicely spiced. And sin of all sins –they have stopped selling catfish! Another longtime favorite there was the key lime pie, but it wasn’t on the menu. Responding to our query, our waiter returned to tell us yes, they still had pie. Another server soon came by to tell us they no longer serve desserts.

“But we were just told you had pie.”

“We do have pie, but we don’t sell it anymore.”

“What?”

“We have pie, but there is no longer a button on the register that says pie so I can’t sell it to you.”

“Could we barter for it? Is there anything I can trade?”

Finally he brought us a complimentary slice of pie, sadly past its prime. We left feeling unsatisfied and overcharged, even with two lagniappes. Sometimes you don’t want to bone a hooker even when it’s free.