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Toutant, 437 Ellicott St. $$ (they take reservations) Buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits. Mashed potatoes, bacon, cornbread and sweet potato p…
Margaret Dowling
Toutant
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I'm kind of torn on how I feel about Toutant. I really want to like it, but it does have a large share of drawbacks for me personally. First off is th…
Makefile
Toutant
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Bartender made me a fabulous NA cocktail (I'm pregnant). Housemade sausage was delicious. Had the crab cake but wasn't too special. Would try somethin…
Lisa
Toutant
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Toutant is open for Casual Dining. Toutant serves Southern dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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deliverytakeaway availableindoor seatingno alcohol availableReviews
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7 Reviews on “Toutant”
Toutant, 437 Ellicott St. $$ (they take reservations) Buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits. Mashed potatoes, bacon, cornbread and sweet potato pie. The buttermilk fried chicken was well seasoned, extremely juicy. Collard greens tasted like pure vinegar, not my favorite. The shrimp was shrimp, the grits were interesting, larger than processed or instant grits, and were gone quick. The cornbread was bitter from the char on the pan and wasn’t very pleasing to the palate. Mashed potatoes were crazy good. Creamy, chunk for texture, scallions were perfect accoutrement and the sweet potato pie was surprisingly mild yet flavorful and the burnt whip on top gave it the perfect amount of sweetness. Drinks are strong and made to order. 4 out of 5 stars, they took the cornbread off because we didn’t like it and substituted the mashed for the collard greens so we didn’t pay extra.
I’m kind of torn on how I feel about Toutant. I really want to like it, but it does have a large share of drawbacks for me personally. First off is the layout. Opens into a very small and narrow bar area, and not much room for overflow. I do like the asthetic of the decor though and the bar itself, just not a great space. The upstairs dining room is not ideal but not a huge issue since I have two legs and am able to walk up two flights of stairs. I’m sure it’s a problem for some with disabilities or older guests but they do have some seating on the first level for this reason I am imagining. The view out the windows once you’re upstairs is abysmal to boot, it overlooks what looks like a derelict yard with trash strewn about.Service was decent, not exceptional though. Cocktails were pretty good, can’t complain there. Also a nice draught list. The food is my big problem here. I didn’t enjoy any of the starters (Hillbilly, pork cracklins). Entrees the jambalaya was good, a little too spicy I thought but nice flavor and texture of the rice. Not overcooked to hell like some places. My BBQ roasted half chicken had nice flavor but was small. Did not like the cole slaw at all. Sides of smashed potatoes and carrots were good but very small, especially given the price. The softshell crab was also very small portion. I feel like they try a little too hard with all the flavors, and whatnot, especially for what’s supposed to be Creole cuisine. It’s a little too exploratory for me. There’s also little value in dining here given what you get for your money in my opinion. I’m glad I tried it but I’ll almost certainly never be back. Shango wins in every department by a mile when it comes to the best Creole/NOLA inspired restaurants in Buffalo.
Bartender made me a fabulous NA cocktail (I’m pregnant). Housemade sausage was delicious. Had the crab cake but wasn’t too special. Would try something else next time. I enjoyed the drum fish, a lighter option on the menu. Must really be in the mood for Creole. Will be back again to try more.
When you’re expecting gold and you get silver it’s what you get. Everything was good and some great, but it’s not what I expected. Southern is hot right now and they do it right but it’s missing something. You will not be disappointed but don’t go with outrageous expectations. As far as southern goes though shango is much better.
Had late reservations on a booming night. Service was professional and kind from the host to the bartender to the servers. The gulf shrimp appetizer was so tender and delicious. The andouille jumbalaya spice #3 was perfect for me, hot but not too hot, perfectly diced and served in a small skillet. Fried chicken dinner and greens were on point. Desserts were presented nicely and were very tasty. I was wowed for a place that just opened, was clearly slammin all night, and were still able to execute a great service to our 10:30pm reso on a saturday night. Cant wait to try brunch next.
Better work the kinks out!. Had 8:30 pm reservations, was still very crowded, but was seated in a reasonable amount of time. experience nose dived from there, waitress came to table and it wasn’t hard to see she was completely overwhelmed. we had just came from the bar so we placed our appitizer order. quite some time later I ordered another drink, I inquired twice about the drink and was told that it’s a complicated drink, really? finally after 40 minutes I had to ask a different waitress, she did get my drink, and I was told it was a technical glitch, again, really? still no apps, finally received them, blue crab bisque was cold and tasteless, oysters rockefeller also cold and just ok, crab cakes again cold and very mediocre, cornbread was burnt. Then another lull, received our entrees, most of which was agreed that they were ok but far from special. but I will give credit where credit is do, the fried chicken was piping hot and amazing and the same for the shrimp poboy, which I tasted and was spot on! Wanted to try dessert but could risk being let down and being there an other hour. all and all we were very disappointed in service and quality of our night out, and at $220. For 5 people you can say we just expected better all the way around!
Not a good first impression. We arrived at Toutant at 5:30 on Saturday night and were seated on the second floor. At the time, there were people on the ground floor, but we were the only ones on the second. We placed our order for appetizers and entrees and then waited about twenty minutes to get the appetizers: cornbread and crab bisque. The cornbread, which we only ordered because our waiter raved about it, was *burned*. We had tickets to a show at 7:30, so we didn’t send the cornbread back; we went ahead and ate it but cut off the crust. The crab bisque was okay, but nothing to rave about. After finishing the appetizers it took another 20-30 minutes to get our entrees. My date ordered a salad special and received a plate of wilted greens with nothing on them. Again, we didn’t send it back because we had show tickets. I got the andouille sausage, which was good. We had hoped to have beignets for desert, but passed because we couldn’t wait another twenty minutes for them to arrive.We may give Toutant another chance, but not for several months as they clearly have a lot of kinks to work out.