Jester Jax

Blackened chicken nachos were really good. However the service wasn’t all that great at the bar. They didn’t have the beer that they should have had. I guess they ran out early in the night. They ran out of ice. The staff seemed to be lost and/​or busy with their personal life rather than attending to customers. They had a rock band at night that was SUPER LOUD for such a small venue. Went on a Friday night.

Hmm, from the outside it doesn’t appear to be a Cajun restaurant except for the sign. The interior attempts a Cajun atmosphere but the music distracts from the theme. The wait staff is friendly but not very attentive to the customers. The menu is ok only about four Cajun dishes. I first ordered the crawfish étouffée, about a minute later the waitress came back to inform me they were out of étouffée. The restaurant opened about an hour earlier. How could they be out? My second choice was jambalaya. The flavor was good but the dish was mostly sauce, rice and a very small amount of sausage. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and give it another try since they have only been open for about four months.

Name on the sign actually doesn’t say bar, place is called Jester Jax Cajun Grill (see picture), not a big deal, just know it is more of a bar environment, something that caught me by surprise when I stopped by for lunch. Still serves food and has a full menu though.
Their lunch specials menu caught me by surprise because the prices were really low, about $ 4/​dish, and I’m thinking in the back of my mind: ‘I’m probably going to have to order 2 because they’ll likely come out in tiny bowls.” I was wrong, the bartender recommended the jambalaya and I got a decent serving. I’m by no means an expert on Cajun food, but I liked it, came with some tasty bread too. A great deal for $ 4!
But if you know me, you know I’m nothing if not a thrill-​seeker, I live on the edge, so naturally I just had to try the $.99 shrimp cocktail! Discount seafood in the desert is not for the faint of heart and I won’t be responsible if your experience is different, but my cocktail tasted okay and I had no, shall we say, ‘consequences.‘
Aside from the food, as a bar Jax has good New Orleans vibe going the dim lighting, the Mardi Gras beads, heck it even smells a little like the Big Easy (its not too bad, you get used to it). Place is pretty big, with lots of tables and there are TVs everywhere, feels like a good place to come watch the games.
I took a peek at the Happy Hour board and it seems like they always have drink specials going on, I even got a $ 1 domestic during lunch because that was on special at the time. The bar is fully stocked and beer selection was decent.