Corey DavisMemphis Commercial Appeal
A New Orleans native with 35 years of experience in the restaurant industry recently opened an authentic Cajun restaurant in Bartlett.
Mason Jambon is the owner of the new Ragin’ Cajun Seafood and Po’Boys at 2740 Bartlett Road, in the former El Idolo Mexican Restaurant.
Jambon is no stranger to the Memphis area restaurant scene. He was operations manager at Bounty on Broad, which closed in April after a 10-year run in Memphis. In addition, Jambon previously served as a partner in Railgarten and was the chief operating officer for Beale Street Blues Co., overseeing restaurants including B.B. King’s Blues Club, Itta Bena and Lafayette’s Music Room. That job brought him to Memphis.
Jambon has been satisfied with the strong public response since Ragin’ Cajun opened the second week in December.
“It’s been a good run and we’ve been pretty busy,” said Jambon, who noted Ragin’ Cajun is the 30th restaurant that he has helped open during his career. “What we tried to do was not tell a lot of people when we opened up at first so we won’t be so busy. But the second day, we fed up like 700 people.”
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What’s on the menu at Ragin' Cajun in Bartlett?
Jambon said there are several great little neighborhood restaurants in and around New Orleans that aren’t as well known and he wanted to bring that type of cooking to Bartlett.
Notable chef and longtime Louisiana resident John Folse helped Jambon with the Ragin’ Cajun recipes and menu, which features the traditional fare of gumbo, seafood, chicken and sausage. Jambon noted the restaurant uses authentic Louisiana ingredients.
There is a Louisiana soup of the day, which rotates between shrimp and corn or crawfish and potatoes. The menu consists of traditional po’boy selections from shrimp to oyster to roast beef on Leidenheimer bread from New Orleans, as well as some specialty po’boys such as the barbecue shrimp po’boy, barbecue oyster po'boy and eggplant parmesan po’boy.
Jambon believes the "Who Dat" catfish — a fried catfish filet topped with Louisiana crawfish etouffee served over rice — will become a staple at the restaurant.
“The entrees are really just traditional New Orleans food such as red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, crawfish andouille pasta and fried seafood platters like shrimp or catfish,” Jambon said.
Customers' orders so far have been varied. “I think the po’boys are popular but a lot of people like the fried seafood platters too. We’ll also tweak some things as we go along," Jambon said.
In addition to the food, Ragin’ Cajun offers a selection of mixed drinks on the bar menu including the Hurricane, Monsoon and Cajun Mary, a spiced-up Bloody Mary, along with a selection of beers include local craft options. There’s also a signature drink called the Rougarou, which Jambon said is a cocktail inspired by a swamp monster.
It's not just the food and drink that deliver a taste of New Orleans. The décor of the roughly 3,400-square-foot space helps capture the Big Easy's ambience — from artwork on the walls to hand-painted images on tables including of alligators.
The restaurant can seat 106 people inside and also has a patio area that can seat 25 guests.
Jambon credits Ragin' Cajun minority partner Jeff Hutzel, owner of Bartlett-based general contracting firm Hutzel Construction Co., for helping to renovate the restaurant.
Why open a New Orleans Cajun restaurant concept in Bartlett?
According to Jambon, the idea to open a restaurant came out of a food truck that he ran outside Railgarten called Lagniappe during the pandemic. His Cajun-style food truck was well received, which led him to look for a brick-and-mortar restaurant location in the area. The spots he eyed included The Lake District in Lakeland and the former Let It Fly in Germantown.
Jambon heard from City of Bartlett officials that the former El Idolo Mexican Restaurant was going on the market and could be a good spot for the restaurant concept he wanted to do.
Jambon has high expectations about what the restaurant, which has about 35 employees, can become in Bartlett. It is located across from W.J. Freeman Park, which hosts sporting events and live music.
“I’m really bullish on it, and obviously the park across the street is a big draw,” he said. “They have soccer going on and whatever else they have coming in. The city (of Bartlett) is talking to us about, in conjunction with them, having a crawfish fest in the spring. I also just think it is a good location.”
Jambon is also working on another project in Bartlett called Ramble on Summer, a 2-acre entertainment outdoor venue and dining concept set to open in the fall. A portion of the project will be on the former property of the Bartlett Nursery on Summer Avenue.
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Jambon was candid about how he has enjoyed working with Bartlett Mayor David Parsons and the City of Bartlett, while calling the administration business-friendly, accommodating and easy to work with. He said Parsons and his administration have been aggressive at trying to attract more business activity to the Memphis suburb.
“I’ve been working with the Bartlett city government for a while now,” Jambon said. “I bought that property on Summer (Avenue) and we’re going to do that Ramble on Summer. The administration in Bartlett is extremely progressive in trying to lure new businesses to Bartlett.”
Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached atCorey.Davis@commercialappeal.comor 901-293-1610.
Ragin' Cajun Seafood and Po'Boys
Address: 2740 Bartlett Road, Bartlett
Hours:11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Phone: 901-779-4838
Online: cajun901.com
