Title: A Taste of Louisiana in Los Angeles: Discovering Harold and Bell's Creole Cuisine

As I stepped into the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. I had been to this joint before, and I knew that it was going to be a culinary experience unlike any other. Harold and Bell's has been in the same family for 47 years, since 1969 when Louisiana transplants Harold and Mary Bell Lego opened a DI bar serving up gumbo and PoBoy. It was a place where people would come together, and I was eager to taste the Creole cuisine that had been passed down through generations.

As I looked around the restaurant, I noticed the warm atmosphere and the aroma of spices wafting through the air. The owner, grandson Ryan, greeted me with a smile and invited me to try their famous gumbo. I couldn't resist, and I eagerly took a seat at the table. As we began to prepare the dish, Ryan explained the importance of using the right ingredients and techniques that had been passed down from his grandparents.

The gumbo recipe is one of my favorite dishes, and I was thrilled to see that Harold and Bell's was making it just like my grandmother used to make. The secret ingredient, according to Ryan, is the use of a special blend of spices, including filé powder, ground thyme, and dried parsley flakes. These ingredients give the gumbo its unique flavor and texture, which is neither too thin nor too heavy. As we added the chicken thighs seasoned with Creole seasoning, beef hot link, diced ham, smoke sausage, and blue crab to the pot, I could smell the aroma of spices wafting through the air.

The most impressive part of the dish was the addition of shrimp and crawfish towards the end of cooking. Ryan explained that this was where the magic happens, as the flavors meld together and the seafood adds a delicate sweetness to the dish. As we waited for the gumbo to finish cooking, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. Finally, the moment arrived, and Ryan presented me with a steaming hot bowl of gumbo.

The first bite was like a revelation – the flavors exploded on my palate, and I knew that this was something special. The spices were balanced perfectly, and the seafood added a depth of flavor that was both rich and creamy. As I continued to eat, I couldn't help but think about the importance of tradition and heritage in cooking. Harold and Bell's was not just serving food; they were preserving a piece of Louisiana culture in the heart of Los Angeles.

As I finished my meal, I took a moment to reflect on the experience. The food at Harold and Bell's is truly incredible, and it's clear that the owners are passionate about their craft. From the warm atmosphere to the delicious Creole cuisine, this restaurant is a must-visit for anyone who loves Louisiana cooking. And as I left the restaurant, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to experience a piece of Louisiana culture in Los Angeles.

The chef and Tara explained that the key to making great gumbo is using the right ingredients and techniques. They told me about the importance of using fresh seafood and spices, as well as the use of tomato soup and cream of mushroom soup to thicken the dish. As we talked about the recipe, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The chef showed me how they made the crawfish flavor by adding extra crawfish tails to the pot, and I was amazed by the depth of flavor that it added.

As I sat down to enjoy my meal, I took a moment to appreciate the attention to detail that had gone into preparing each dish. From the fresh parsley on top to the delicate seasoning in every bite, it was clear that the chefs at Harold and Bell's were dedicated to serving only the best Creole cuisine. And as I finished my meal, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to experience a piece of Louisiana culture in Los Angeles.

The reviewer, Kim Gardner, shared his first-time experience with real Cajun food, saying that it was an intensified shrimp flavor and a great meaty texture, similar to lobster. He praised the chef for sticking to traditional recipes while still upgrading them, celebrating the traditions of Creole cuisine. As I finished my meal, I couldn't help but feel grateful for Kim's words of praise.

In conclusion, Harold and Bell's Creole Cuisine is a must-visit destination for anyone who loves Louisiana cooking. From the warm atmosphere to the delicious dishes, this restaurant is a true gem in the heart of Los Angeles. Whether you're a foodie or just looking for a unique dining experience, Harold and Bell's is sure to impress. So come on down, and taste the magic of Creole cuisine for yourself!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enyou know on Triple D we have featured just about every type of food you can imagine but one that we don't do nearly enough Creole and cinjun so guess where I'm at I'm in Los Angeles California in the Jefferson Park neighborhood to check out a joint that I've been to before and you're going to love this is Harold and bells one jum just totally unlike anything else you'll find an LA have catfish nuggets for the gentlemen if you want a touch or a taste of New Orleans Harold Bells is a place to come this restaurant has been in the same family for 47 years going back to 1969 when Louisiana transplants Harold and Mary Bell Lego opened a DI bar serving up gumbo and PoBoy now five decades and two Renovations later grandson Ryan's still cooking up the Creole all four of my grandparents are from New Orleans I have a very Creo last name Lego l g Au X the only people that have X in their name are people that come from Louisiana I don't find much K Creole food in the west coast so when I came here and I met this guy and I tried the food I'm like you're the real deal brother large gumbo the gumbo is one of my favorite dishes sausage chicken crab when I think of making true gumbo I'm thinking of all the goods all right buddy fired up Seafood stock okay what we're going to do next is put in our Trinity in the French cooking you have mepa which is the onions and celery and the carrots and in Creo cooking you have the peppers the celery in the onions have you ever heard the term fil gumbo this is the ground up sassa fras Leaf creel seasoning uh ground thyme okay ground basil dried parsley flakes more black pepper we had some in our Creo seasoning already we like more more granulated onion more granulated garlic okay I'm going to let that cook down and then we're going to add our R thicken it up all that in there most of it the r is the key baby next up some boneless skinless chicken thighs seasoned with aald and bells Creo seasoning beef hot link dice pit ham smoke sausage really key you know a lot of recipes in New Orleans they use andou which is like a combination right spicy and smok so we just do it with two different sausages blue crab this is another key for the flavored we going to let this cook for probably about 45 minutes in the last 15 minutes before service we'll drop the shrimp drop the shrimp in there okay oh it looks fantastic all right guy you ready for some gumbo do it make sure you get you some blue crab and some shrimp on there a little parsley look at this gumbo it's not thin like like stock it's not heavy like stew that's fantastic you pick up that Seafood even though there was just a little bit of that blue crab you get velvety texture coming over your tongue from that sassafras getting it from that R oh I just sit here and eat it all day a small fet gumbo the gumbo is amazing the spices the flavor this is Tara and Cara Tara's on The Culinary team for Guys Grocery Games and this is Cara who's actually one of our editors and helps develop the show so since you both have such wide range knowledge of the food take it away so the gumbo here has two types of sausage and one's light and fluffy and the other's got like a nice bite I love both having a little bit of so and a little bit of spice in the heart of La is a nice balance Jefferson Park area was a stopping off point for a lot of people that have move to Louisiana and Harald and bills was kind of a an anchor for people to come together it's like a little Hidden Gem in a neighborhood yeah I wouldn't even know when it was here good buddy of mine WT one of our camera guys on Guys Grocery Games tell me what you think of the food it's incredible crawfish at ready shrimp and crawfish smothered in this beautiful Gravy Sauce okay now we're into the a right we start with the RO canola and olive oil once our oil is hot we're going to stir in our flour we want this Ro to kind of be a brownish color kind of like color of peanut butter when the roof is at the temperature we want it at we're going to add our Trinity our red and green GRE bell peppers our onions and our celing correct Herald and Bell's Creo seasoning ground baay leaves some minced garlic hot sauce granulated garlic some more paprika cayenne pepper not too much we have some ground basil okay some parsley flakes some black pepper wishes shower yes sir little bit of extra preo seasoning and we're going to stir it all in the RO starting to tighten up we're going to add some tomato soup I don't know that I've seen tomato soup but I'll give it to you shrimp stock okay let this simmer for about an hour and then we're going to add our crawfish oh it's going to work for me let that cook down get the Crawfish flavor get in there about a half hour is all you need for that then we're going to add the cream of mushroom soup and that's how it was made 40 years ago this is old school right here we cool it down and then heat it up to order cuz if you held it hot it would just sit there continue to cook down extra crawfish tails our a is nice and hot going to put it in a bowl for you guy we'll just put a little parsley on there tight but not too tight my buddy Kim Garder and this dude's caging Kim what's up buddy uh and he the first time I had real AET and there's so much flavor going on in this all the spices I mean you just talking deep and rich and creamy and you get nice little tender crawfish inside of it crawfish is an intensified shrimp flavor and a great meaty texture kind of like lobster you'll love this shrimp and crawfish ATU really really incredible crawfish it's spicy but not too spicy it always delivers every time you come here sticking to the Traditions you're upgrading the program where you can and you really embody this you really celebrate it fantastic this guy\n"