This rainy day has me reminiscing about a comforting meal I had recently in Huntington at the Gumbo Stop Cafe.



The cajun and creole restaurant is located at Heritage Station and helps fill a gap in our culinary scene, which I really appreciate. Serving po'boys, jambalaya, etouffee and more, the restaurant has so many tempting offerings that it's tough to choose just one.



It's a really small space, but bright with color and smiling faces. There are only a handful of tables in here, so takeout is a safe bet. I went with the muffuletta sandwich, which has layers of pistachio-mortadella, spicy capicola, genoa salami, mozzarella, provolone, house olive salad, on sesame seed Gambino's Italian bread. 



When I had the original sandwich in New Orleans, I fell in love. So I was excited to get a version locally. And, I think it holds up pretty well! The original version was almost like compressed - there's no empty space in that sandwich. Every bit is smashed down and full of flavor. This sandwich was a touch fluffier, which makes it a bit more difficult to get a bite of all the flavors at once. BUT, that's an easily solved problem: unhinge your jaw. Quality meats, ample olive salad and a good bread make this sandwich sing. I was happy. 



I also ordered some jambalaya. The top was much soupier than I expected, but once I dug my spoon down below the surface to get some of the rice and andouille sausage, mmm-mmm was it flavorful. I mixed it all up so all those juices helped moisten the rice. Scallions make everything better. 



They even have delicious desserts. No banana pudding on this day - but an incredible (pineapple?) cake with strawberries and whipped cream was juuuust delish. 



Go, and go now.

Grade: A