All will be revealed once your name is called (reservations are only for parties of five or more). You'll enter through the dimly lit bar straight through the kitchen (look for owner Jack in the shorts) into a candy-colored back barn full of tchotchkes and memorabilia.

Is the food worth it? Certainly, if you are a fan of all things deep-fried. The kitchen knows what it's doing when it fries up delicately battered gulf shrimp. Jacques-Imo is famous for its fried chicken, densely battered and spiced. If you like your seafood blackened, I can recommend the blackened gulf fish with a red chili-and-crabmeat hollandaise. Rich, yes, and explosive in taste.

Prices are reasonable. Many of the same dishes are available at Crabby Jack's, but here at Jacques-Imo's, you're buying atmosphere, fun, and the convenience of the Maple Leaf Bar next door, home to many of New Orleans' top music acts.

We had to walk a short way from the streetcar stop to Jacques-Imo's. Once inside we also had a short wait at the narrow bar. The decor is a hoot! I noticed a stuffed boar hanging from the wall that was eating a Barbie doll! Much to our delight, Jacques Leonardi, the chef and owner, came out. In a chef's formal white shirt and shorts I could tell he was a character! My friend and he were acquainted, so he took a moment to tell us about the new restaurant he's opened on the Upper West Side in NYC. If you live up north but want a little Creole with some soul, you should seek this place out. You'll notice the restaurant name of "Jacques-Imo's" is a play on words that comes from "jokamo", a term associated with Mardi Gras.

To get to our table we had to walk through the kitchen. Down a couple of steps we went to a colorful dining room dotted with fairies, dragonflies, and Be Nice or Leave signs. Our waitress brought out sweet cornbread muffins and we ordered what proved to be my favorite dish of the night: alligator sausage cheesecake. Awesome!

As for our main meal... As a Southern girl from Georgia, I'm not used to getting shrimp with their heads still on, but this is how my entree was served: true New Orleans style. Homemade potato chips and corn maquechoux were yummy sides. My husband had a stacked green tomato and crabmeat concoction while our friend enjoyed blackened tuna. Other menu choices like stuffed porkchops or shrimp ettoufee might also whet your appetite.

Jacques-Imo's is very popular, so you might want to try an early dinner. They open at 5pm and are closed on Sundays. Enjoy!

The restaurant's atmosphere is funky, starting you off with a trip through the kitchen on the way to your table. It's a small place with lots of activity. The service is pretty decent, but the food is fabulous!

I tried the soft-shell crab for an appetizer-- nice and crispy and big enough for two to share. The spinach salad with fried oyster that accompanies dinner is good, but nothing spectacular. We ordered from the seasonal menu-- I had blackened redfish and my sweetie had Cajun bouillabaisse -- both were wonderful. The only problem was that the portions were so large that we didn't have room for dessert!

We're looking forward to our next trip back to New Orleans so we can enjoy more Jacques-Imo's!!!

He truly cares about his customers and what they think and is famous for his generous "langniappe" (or Cajun for "a little something extra"). But be prepared to wait...even locals are known to wait an hour to 2 hours for a table here. The food is well worth it. Fish and Cajun dishes are the specialties here so be adventurous. Entertain yourself at the bar with a Hurricane or Cosmopolitan. Start off with a Alligator-Shrimp Cheesecake appetizer. Seafood is their specialty but I found out later that the chef here is world famous for his fried chicken! We'll save that for next trip. The side dishes (corn mache choux, smothered greens, delectable cornbread) rival the main courses. If you have the room-try a coffee bean creme brulee dessert.You'll be glad you came!!