Buffalo Rising Online

Apr 21st 2007, 8:36am By Christa Glennie Seychew

A few weeks ago, our family decided to go out for breakfast. I’d heard from many people about Shango’s spectacular brunch, and since it was a Sunday, it seemed like the obvious choice.

It was a good one.

Shango, for those of you that have not been there, is a bistro offering New Orleans cuisine, good service, and a great selection of wine and beer in a really lovely space on Main St. near UB south.

It was a sunny day, and we were happy to be seated near the front window. Our meal was superb, and I’m excited to tell you about it.

Our table enjoyed a bounty of food. The kids had huge Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream ($7). The vegetarian of the group was pleased with her frittata of wild mushrooms, roasted red peppers and goat cheese topped with a drizzle of truffle oil ($9).

I had the spectacular crab cakes (shown above, $11). Shango does crab cakes particularly well. Flavor, ideal texture and quality ingredients are all evident in their interpretation. Better yet, at breakfast they’re served atop corn maque choux with poached eggs and just a dab of hollandaise. This was really, really fantastic. The corn lent itself well to the crab cake, and the egg yolk bound them together in a beautiful fashion. Two substantially sized cakes were served with a handful of greens and a crispy tortilla strips.

Also tasty was the blackened Ahi tuna steak (pictured below, $18). It was a hearty portion, perfectly prepared and served over roasted sweet potatoes, crisp green beans and vinaigrette of horseradish and truffle oil.

The brunch menu is divided into three sections. The first portion of the menu features appetizers. The prices here range from $4-$8. This is where you’ll find Shango’s award-winning gumbo, a plate of sausage, beans and rice, a pulled pork quesadilla, and veggie spring rolls stuffed with avocado, sun-dried tomato roasted corn, cilantro cashew pesto and chili pepper garlic sauce.

The second, and largest area of the menu, is entitled “eggs, etc.” and offers the delicious crab cakes, waffle and frittata I’ve mentioned, as well as eggs over salmon hash and cornmeal fried oysters with Creole hollandaise ($12). Other items include green eggs and ham (pesto, scrambled eggs, prosciutto, roasted reds, parm and a biscuit- $10)) and a wrap of eggs, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, cheddar and Shango's killer Creole hollandaise ($9).

The hardier portion of the menu includes only four entrees. The tuna discussed above falls under this heading, as well as a Creole bouillabaisse ($17), penne with crawfish, shrimp, andouille and Cajun cream sauce ($16), and black pepper linguini with chicken, pepper, onion, tomatoes, garlic and spices ($14).

Is your mouth watering yet?

Stop in for Sunday brunch, or even dinner. They’re open for brunch on Sunday’s from 11AM – 3PM, but their dinner menu is waiting for you seven days a week.

Shango New Orleans Bistro
3260 Main
837.2326