Cajun flair with food, especially appetizers and entrees, makes a visit a good bet 

The northwest corner of East Main Street and Ashland Avenue has been home to many restaurants since the 1930s. I can go back that far because before redevelopment (yes, it occurred back then, too), it was where the home of my great-grandparents stood. After my great-grandmother died in 1936, the house was sold, torn down and the Stirrup Cup was built. The three other corners at Main and Ashland became gas stations. This address has been the Stirrup Cup twice, Hall's on Main, a succession of dreadful restaurants, Furlongs from the 1996 until 2004, and then a few more short-lived restaurants and now, Furlongs is back. The parking lot has been packed ever since.

Furlongs, if you don't know already, is a Louisiana-Cajun inspired restaurant. It serves dishes created in Louisiana, like oysters Bienville and fried crawfish tails, and local dishes with a Cajun twist, like the Furlong Brown (its take on the famous hot Brown sandwich created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville).

There were three of us on this review, including a Louisiana native, and we enjoyed almost every moment of this dining experience.

Our dinner started with oysters Bienville ($7.75 for four), a New Orleans classic. Oysters on the half-shell were topped with a little onion, bits of bacon, cheddar cheese and a cream sauce, then run under a broiler. They were heaven.

The other appetizer we shared was a Cajun classic: fried crawfish tails ($4.35). Comparable to fried shrimp, these little crustaceans were more tender than shrimp and just as tasty. The cocktail sauce was made with a lot of horseradish and was quite punchy.

Before the salads, we each sampled cups of soup. The corn and crab bisque ($5.95) was sweet from the corn with chunks of lump crab blended in a cream soup. It was delightful. The jambalaya ($4.25) wasn't really a soup but a spicy rice concoction highlighted with andouille sausage. Our least favorite of the three was seafood gumbo ($5.95). This soup, served with rice, was as muddy as the Mississippi River -- maybe too much roux. There were oysters and shrimp in this soup, but all we could taste was smoke from the Cajun ham known as tasso.

Salads, which came with each entree, were field greens and a ring of red onion. A spicy blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette were served on the side.

Entrees were each a delight in their own right. The crab au gratin ($20.95) was for crab lovers. Lump crab in a light cream sauce was broiled. Rounds of French bread were placed around the shallow ramekin. All you could taste, and rightfully so, was crab. It wasn't overburdened with spices. Just crab. It was delicious.

The most predictable of the three entrees, the surf and turf ($35.95), was still extremely good. A very firm but tender filet mignon was topped with crab. We asked that it be cooked medium rare, but it was served well past medium (barely pink). But it was still good. The boiled lobster tail was from a Maine lobster, according to the restaurant. Shrimp also was served with this expensive dish.

The one I had to try was the Furlongs Brown ($14.95). This featured slices of bread topped with roasted chicken, then covered with bŽchamel sauce. Pieces of andouille replaced the bacon. The dish was topped with a slice of tomato, covered with cheese, then broiled. It was interesting to say the least. The andouille made it special, but the cheese on top, which makes it pretty, was unnecessary. I took off most of the cheese, and the open-faced sandwich tasted better without it.

The desserts weren't worth bothering with. The triple chocolate cheesecake ($5.75) looked like an ice cream sandwich but didn't taste too much like cheesecake. The extremely sweet bread pudding was ordinary, we thought. It was studded with raisins and topped with chantilly cream.

Service was as good as it gets. The gentleman waiting our table was flawless.

Dinner for three, including two draft beers ($4 each), tax but not tip, was $127.31.