In spring 2007, I noticed that Gerry O'Brien's had finally been replaced. The new tenant was Maxie's Southern Comfort and it looked inviting. I was leaving town, so I sent our Amy Schubert over to take a look. Last night, I finally got there myself.

Considering that I was among the first people I know to spot the place and that I drive past it nearly every day, I feel more than a little late. Especially when I learned that most of my friends had been there at least once and some on numerous occasions.

So, when I read Drew Olson's recommendation of Maxie's sweet potato fries yesterday, I couldn't wait any longer.

Despite not being an expert or eager fan of cajun food -- I like it, I just rarely seek it out -- I enjoyed every dish that arrived. We tried the peel and eat shrimp, which arrive on a bed of ice, and we devoured the cornbread that comes to the table first (sorry about the crumbs, cornbread and 2-year-olds perhaps don't mix too well from a neatness standpoint).

My wife tried the potato and bacon soup, but I didn't. I had the fried oysters po' boy, which was delicious, although it suffers from the modern restaurant sandwich and burger problem. It comes on bread so big that it's impossible to eat without a knife and fork. But that's a negligible complaint, really.

We got the sweet potato fries, which were indeed fabulous, but the big surprise were the fried green tomatoes which arrived mistakenly (our waitress thought I asked for that when ordering the sweet potato fries) and which we'd never likely have ordered. But, encased in cornmeal breading these slices of tomato were sweet and satisfying and a real treat.

At 5:30 on a Thursday, Maxie's was in full swing with the tables inside not at capacity but not far off, a few people at the bar, a few more seated at outside tables, music rocking (I heard Son Volt!) and TVs broadcasting what looked like an MLS match.

Our server was attentive and friendly and basically said "pshaw" when we pointed out and apologized that what seemed to be half our cornbread was now in crumbs on the floor. The hostesses and a second server were friendly, too, and our food arrived so quickly that we suspect they might have toddlers at home, too (and know the value sometimes of speed in these cases).

While a few entrees are a little pricey for my wallet for everyday dining, the quality, the service and the atmosphere are included, so in this case, you definitely get what you pay for.