File Gumbo Bar: https://filenyc.com/
Address: 275 Church Street, New York NY 10013
The Menu: https://filenyc.com/menus
Quick Bites
A few nights ago, we decided to squeeze in one more yummy dinner adventure together for 2023. Our goal was to try once more to explore the flavors of New Orleans right here in the heart of NYC. Back in September we had visited Alligator Pear in hopes to re-living the magical times we had in NOLA last year - but Alligator Pear left us wanting. We heard good things about File Gumbo Bar and decided to give it a try.
The Setting
We're guessing that it's called the File Gumbo Bar and not the File Gumbo Restaurant for a reason - our tables were right next to the bar and it felt too loud for much of the night. It was pretty difficult to hear what we were saying to each other, which put a slight dampener on our date night. This is definitely one area where Alligator Pear's choice of music and overall romantic vibe blows File Gumbo Bar away by miles. We could hardly hear the music at File, and even when we could it was pretty forgettable!
The Service
It's tough to say whether the service was good or bad, because while our waitress was MIA for periods of time, we were able to flag down another waiter who was working on other tables and he helped us get what we needed on a few occasions - whether it be extra bowls so that we could share each dish or boxes for our leftovers. So thank you other waiter!
Iconic Jazzfest Crawfish Bread
Our journey began with the Crawfish bread, which is essentially French bread with crawfish meat and other flavorful goodness on top. The smell from this dish was enticing, and the first bite confirmed it - this was the star of the evening! The bread was perfectly toasted, providing a satisfying crunch, while the crawfish was flavorful. This appetizer was definitely a good first start for our night.
Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya & Tiny's "All In" Gumbo
For our main course, we decided to share both the Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya and the Tiny's Gumbo. For the Gumbo - we were given the choice of Chicken with Andouille Sausage or Crab and Shrimp. Or, better yet, the All In which has all four ingredients included. So obviously we picked the All In - how could you not?
First up was the Jambalaya. First bite into it and it was decent but not great. It just didn't quite hit the mark and lacked the wow factor we were hoping for - the same feeling we got enjoying NOLA's incredible cuisine right in the motherland last year. Nothing was bad about the dish - the shrimp and sausage were pretty good but overall the dish just didn't pop as much as we were hoping for.
Next up was the Gumbo, which we both had high hopes for. Unfortunately, going with the same theme as the Jambalaya, the Gumbo did not stand out. We found it to be somewhat bland, missing all the expectations we associate with good gumbo.
Beignets & Ice Cream
Finally, we ended our meal with Beignets and Ice Cream for dessert. The Beignets felt average, nether disappointing nor impressing us. They were flavorful with plenty of powdered sugar, but they also felt a bit too tough and chewy, almost like biting into an old bagel. Interestingly enough, even the ice cream was a bit harder than expected, even if delicious. When combined together though, the melted ice cream formed a sugary glaze on the Beignets that was quite delicious. They definitely pair better together!
So How Did File Gumbo Bar Stand Up to NOLA's Best?
It seems like when you're experiencing NOLA cuisine you've got to have some combination of crawfish, jambalaya, etouffee, red beans & rice, gumbo, and/or beignets. So in that regard we're pretty pleased with the fact that we checked off a good number of those boxes on one sitting. In our humble opinions, if you're going to judge a restaurant on how well it does NOLA, you've got to judge it off of some of those signature dishes!
The File Gumbo Bar did have its highs (hello, Crawfish bread!), but it also had its misses where we just didn't feel blown away. That said, while there was nothing bad (at least the food wasn't too salty like at Alligator Pear!) about our experience at File Gumbo Bar, it made us realize more and more that for the two of us to truly experience the magic of NOLA again, we're going to have to make another trip down to NOLA. Which is fine, a place like File Gumbo Bar can still give you a taste of good old NOLA cuisine and bring back those great memories, but it won't be a substitute to actually taking a trip down there.
Still, it's always so fun to explore different cuisines and taste new dishes together. Here's hoping that NYC steps up its gumbo game soon! Until then, we'll keep exploring and enjoying the city's diverse culinary scene in 2024 and beyond!
Stay tuned for more food adventures!