The first time that I went to the Blue Moon Fish Company in Lauderdale by the Sea I had the Big Easy Seafood Gumbo; a file based rich brown soup loaded with authentic Andouille sausage, shrimp, crawfish and rice. I left the place crying; the gumbo was so spicy it made my eyes water. It's the way Gumbo is supposed to be.
Today I went to Blue Moon for lunch craving some spicy Gumbo, and when they brought out the massive bowl I could only smile inside. My instincts cause me to blow on my first spoonful to keep from burning my mouth; but this was only luke warm. Warm is ok, but after a few spoonfuls I realized that the gumbo wasn't spicy at all. I don't mean that it wasn't eye watering spicy; it was bland. It still had lots of good stuff in it, but it had no kick.
The soup was pretty filling regardless, but then my server reminded me that lunches are 2 for 1, so she suggested a dessert. I figured it was an opportunity to try something else on the menu, so I ordered the "firecracker oysters". I wanted some spice; some of that good ole New Orleans kick. The breaded and fried oysters arrived with a "cajun remoulade.
I took a bite; it tasted like breaded oysters. No spice. No kick. The remoulade was bland, like Russian dressing. There is no reason to call these "firecracker". I wasn't really all that hungry, so I ate 2 of them. But it was no use; There is no crying at the Blue Moon anymore.
I'm not sure what's happened to Blue Moon; has some town ordinance banned Cayenne Pepper or something? Did the blue hairs complain? This stuff used to be really good. Now it's reminding me of Houston's. State documents still show Bryce Statham and Baron Skorish as the owners; but open table has Brian Cantrell listed as the executive chef while Zagat lists Daniel Cournoyer. I suppose I could call them and ask; but it doesn't really matter. Whoever it is, he needs to KICK IT UP.