Alligator Ray?s Oyster Bar A 4-star Experience (Business Lunch)

Alligator Ray’s Oyster Bar
326 N. West Ave.
Fayetteville

With a “coming soon” sign hanging in the window for six months before Alligator Ray’s Oyster Bar opened in Fayetteville, we started thinking it was a crock.

But that all changed in early February. The renovations were complete, and the space that previously housed a bookstore and adjacent hair salon in the Laundry Building became a Cajun restaurant specializing in oysters and daiquiris.

On a recent lunch trip to Alligator Ray’s, two of the three people in our group were very impressed. The third was a bit lukewarm. But with these one-shot restaurant reviews, it boils down to what you order and what kind of day the cooks and wait staff are having.

The atmosphere is very comfortable, with skylights, exposed bricks, television sets and New Orleans posters.

We started off with the crawfish and crab enchiladas ($8), which included two enchiladas smothered in sauce and salsa. We divvied them up and decided they were delicious and different. Tender chunks of crab and crawfish tails in this appetizer made us want to hit the floor and “gator” like John Belushi in “Animal House.”

One diner also ordered a bowl of crawfish bisque ($6), a thick soup made with cream, egg yolks, crawfish tails and a dark roux. Being a former New Orleanian, he said it was authentic and appetizing.

He followed that with the barbecue shrimp ($8), which consisted of about 10 shrimp baked in the shell with lemon, butter, garlic and spices. Although the shrimp weren’t as large as the kind you normally get with this dish on the Gulf Coast, the taste was excellent and the spices were just right. The bread that accompanied the dish was fresh and tasty.

Another spicy-food enthusiast had the oyster po’boy sandwich ($9), one of three po’boy selections served on French bread with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. The sandwiches come with a pickle spear and a choice of french fries or Cajun potato salad.

He guar-on-tees that the oyster version mixed with a healthy dose of Tabasco and the cayenne pepper-sprinkled side dish will have you smacking your lips like a toothless gator.

Another diner at our table had the crawfish po’boy ($9), the battered and fried crawfish tails version of the Louisiana standard. He chose the fries, which were also covered with a mild cayenne pepper seasoning and were very enjoyable.

The sandwich was good overall, he said, but the thick French bread overwhelmed the flavor of the crawfish tails.

One of the diners at our table declared the bourbon pecan pie ($4) to be the best he had ever had, but don’t tell his mama he said that.

Summary: Alligator Ray’s Oyster Bar pulls down a four star rating.