Remembering Dixin Kitchen

It was a sad day in the early summer. When we called to make sure Dixie Kitchen was open, we were told it is closed PERMANENTLY! Jeff and I looked at each other and were stunned, "Oh, no!" Dixie Kitchen is our favorite restaurant for Southern cuisine in Chicago. Their fried oysters with special dipping sauce might be one of the best things I've tasted. We also loved their gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice. Though we realized many of these most ordered dishes will be available at their sister restaurant, Calypso Cafe, right across the street, we were too skeptical to try it.

This Saturday, we just really crave the fried oysters, so we decided to pay a visit to Calypso Cafe. While Dixie Kitchen was full of character with its southern interior design, walking into Calypso Cafe is like visiting a tropical restaurant in Key West or Hawaii. It was a pleasant surprise that we found "shrimp and conch fritter" in the menu, and they are really tasty and authentic! That definitely is a plus because we fell in love with conch fritters in Key West, but haven't been able to find them in Chicago. The gumbo and jambalaya were the same as those in Dixie Kitchen, but I thought the breading on the fried oysters was a little thicker.

Oh well, the whole Calypso experience was actually pretty good. The addition of the shrimp and conch fritter definitely helps!