If the rich and comforting flavors on the menu at The Moody Moose seem familiar, it’s because they come from the same ornery mind that once ran the Acadian Superette, the Freetown-famous burger joint, plate lunchery and grocery store on Lamar Street. For three years the Superette chef and owner John Mouisset developed a devoted following for his repertoire of Mouisset and Breaux (of the Breaux’s Mart Breauxs in Breaux Bridge) family recipes for plate lunch staples like shrimp stew and meatball stew. When the lease ran out, he took his knack for jabs of spice to his new spot, The Moody Moose Café and Catering on Kaliste Saloom Roar near Highway 90 (previously Café Ahnvee and before that Hog Heaven, among others).
Opened this past October, The Moody Moose has given Mouisset a chance to continue serving his exhaustive menu of Southern favorites, while addressing the breakfast and lunch time needs of the growing south Lafayette business community. Serving breakfast all day, The Moody Moose menu expands minds and belts with classic southern breakfast offerings, including biscuit sandwiches with somewhat more cult-oriented fare like chicken and waffles. A dish I’ve felt criminally underrepresented in town, The Moody Moose’s take on the classic co-mingling of sweet waffle and salty fried bird features a local twist with a touch of cayenne in the fluffed Belgian-style waffle batter, topped with two scratch-fried and thin battered chicken tenders and a heaping of powdered sugar. The winner here is the Steen’s syrup and pepper jelly sauce that glues the complementary flavors together, giving you that disintegrating but lip-smacking chicken crunch you crave in a plate of chicken and waffles. Wake up Acadiana, put chicken on a waffle, you won’t regret it.
Ask Manager Anne Bordelon, who’s been with Mouisset since the Superette days, the real star of the show is The Moody Moose hamburger, a not-so-distant cousin of the Superette favorite. Served on a bun baked especially for The Moody Moose by Keller’s Bakery Downtown, the burger clocks in at a half pound of well-seasoned behemoth (also available in double patty form) dressed with mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and pickles. Salads, poboys, wraps, soups and platters round out The Moody Moose’s fully stocked stable.
The Moody Moose operates a vibrant offsite business catering operation, supplying regular meals to Stuller Inc., Westminster Christian Academy, and Ascension Episcopal School and Episcopal School of Acadiana. The dining room is open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check out its website for a list of daily specials and a savory peak at The Moody Moose’s variety of food moods.