John Wicker.com

Yats Cajun/Creole

Back when I was attending UK, there was a a chain of local restaurants called Jozo’s. They had an alligator with an apron and a chef’s hat as their mascot, and they made cajun food at its best. The first time I had Jozo’s, my boss at the time got if for a couple of us who were working over the weekend. I was leery but I gave it a shot, and I was blown away.

I became a Jozo’s regular– the food was great, there was a lot of it, and the prices were great. There were Jozo’s all over Lexington, and I visited most of them at one time or another. I took my friends there, and I took family there if they visited. I got my wife hooked on their food, and I loved it so much that I started trying to cook it at home.

Eventually, we left Lexington and moved to Omaha, and I had to leave Jozo’s behind. I looked for a cajun joint in Nebraska but never found one that was even close. When I came back to Louisville, I would drive back to Lexington just to get some Jozo’s (and that’s two hours round-trip folks).  And then something happened.

Shortly after we had moved back to Kentucky, I wound up in Lexington to see Kevin Smith, and I showed up early so I’d have time to get dinner. I drove past one Jozo’s location after another, but they weren’t there any more. I must have hit three different spots, but the place had disappeared.

I tried other places as I found them. Louisville was lucky enough to have Joe’s OK Bayou and J. Gumbo’s, and they both have really great food. But you never forget your first love.

Just before I left Lexington, I came across a restaurant called Yats that was just opening. The owner was the same guy that had started Jozo’s, and the name was a popular saying in New Orleans– “Yat?” was shorthand for “Where ya at?”, meaning “What’s going on? How you doing?” I was intrigued but I never got a chance to eat there.

But that all changed today. I decided to search for a cajun restaurant in Indianapolis, and the first result I found on Google was a placed called Yats. I looked up the directions and got out the door, and when I got out of the car a half-block away, I could already smell the stuff that I’d been missing. It’s close to the campus (don’t ask me which one), just like Jozo’s had been. And when I placed my order for Red Beans and Rice, I asked them if they were connected to Jozo’s.

“Hey Joe, come out here!” yelled the guy at the counter, and ten seconds later, Jozo himself came out of the kitchen! Joe Vuskovich turned out to be a really great guy and was surprised someone came in from his Jozo’s days. He gave me a card for a free entree, but I didn’t need an excuse to go back. I was really pleased to have met him.

As I remembered, the food was great, and there was plenty of it. And as I’m continuously reminded, things happen when you least expect them. It isn’t Jozo’s exactly, but I’m not exactly that college kid either, so we’ll call it even.

The open mic at Bearno’s on Sunday was a blast. The food was great, the crowd was awesome, and the music was incredible!

Things were supposed to get started around 7 PM but for a couple of reasons, things were a little late getting started. The first band up were The Cigarittes— these guys had the look down and were playing some awesome tunes… Van Halen, Poison, the Stones, the Doors. Incredible musicians, and they’re all so young! Totally not sure about the name, though.

Spare Parts were up next and we got set up really quickly, which was impressive to me, since we had a keyboard, two amps and two sets of guitar effects, and six people to get in place and ready to go.  I was really pleased with the sound and I could hear what everyone was playing pretty well from on the stage. The real trick, of course, is what it sounds like in the audience– you have to hope for the best, but you never really know. Luckily, Larry (who runs the open mic for Bearno’s) was giving me updates on where the sound was at, and I was able to tweak the sound levels at the mixing board as I sang.

We did six songs– “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Gimme Three Steps”, “Cumbersome”, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”, “Honky Tonk Women”, and “Pride and Joy”– and we all had a blast. We had to restart one song because of a technical issue, but we recovered from it gracefully. The crowd seemed to enjoy the music, and we enjoyed playing even more. The biggest deal to me, however, was the fact that we had gotten together to practice exactly one time before that performance. We had literally just met each other for the first time Friday afternoon, but we all knew our parts and it came together really well.

When we were done, a band called Duet Upright (sorry, can’t find a link) took the stage. They had a stripped down and intimate feel, and their harmonies were very tight. I heard them do the better part of “Halleluah” by Leonard Cohen and it was breathtaking, but I had to get the rest of my family home. The next time out, I hope I get to hear more of their performance.

Thanks to everyone who came out to see us, and to all of the new folks we met there!

My new band, Spare Parts, is playing tomorrow night at Bearnos by the Bridge (2nd and Main Street).

They call this “Sunday Night Band Practice”, and it lasts for half-an-hour per band. However, I haven’t played out since August– and since there are live people to play in front of,  and a stage to play upon, I’m thinking of it as gig!

So come down to Bearno’s tomorrow at 7 PM tomorrow night, and check out Spare Parts. Please? Thanks!