a louisiana perspective. having grown up in south louisiana and being a cajun, i thought i'd give this place a try. i must admit that i was a bit wary of a place with supposed louisiana dishes being named after a city in mississippi. one of the first things i noticed after sitting down was a bust of elvis (who was born in tupelo). the walls were decorated with paintings of new orleans style architecture. i didn't feel like i was in louisiana, but aside from being a bit noisy, the place was comfortable and felt a bit like home. i was pleased by the drink selection as they had abita and dixie beers (both breweries are in louisiana and put out quality products), as well as chimay and some other imports. the wine list didn't look bad, either. my date and i didn't have to wait long for service. it was prompt and friendly. the menu, while not extensive, had a number of dishes i'd expect to find on the menu in cajun or creole restaurants (there is a difference and no, cajun does not simply mean "spicy" as people seem to think in some parts of the country). gumbo, red beans & rice, and grits are all mainstays on menus in louisiana. our waiter recommended the fried grits as an appetizer. wait...fried grits? grits aren't fried. he explained that they take grits, cut them into cubes, batter and fry them. not traditional, but we decided to give them a shot (regular grits are easy enough to make on my own). grits have a mild flavor and i found that the batter overshadowed the grits a bit, but they were still good. my date ordered the special of the day (blackened tuna with potato salad and a green salad of some sort). i ordered the gumbo. the portions were large and we both were full well before finishing them. the tuna wasn't what i consider typical of blackened fish, but it was cooked rare and was seasoned well. the potato salad wasn't typical southern potato salad (the kind some people add to gumbo), but was lighter and went well with the fish. thegumbowould have been at home at any restaurant in south louisiana. roux is the heart of any good gumbo, and i could definitely taste it in the bowl i had. the consistency was perfect. it was thickened with enough okra and file' that it wasn't the watery crap i've seen passed off asgumboin some places. i'd say thegumbowas more creole than cajun, as it contained no seafood and wasn't as spicy as is typical in the cajun parts of louisiana. there also was no duck, squirrel, rabbit, or anything else freshly killed by some relative or another. :-) whatever...it was still good. very good. i added a dash of tabasco and for a minute i forgot i was in boston. my date and i decided to forego dessert as we both had enough food left over for lunch the following day. there was no bread pudding or anything uniquely southern about the desserts, but they sounded good. next time i may forego the appetizer and try one of the pies they had available. overall, it was a very pleasant experience. while not 100% authentic, i'd definitely recommend the place to anyone in the area looking for a taste of louisiana.