Nola Creole Kitchen & Music House
12402 118 Ave.
780-451-1390
Licensed: Yes
Price range: Mid
Rating: ****1/2  

At one time, the area west of the Muni on 118th Ave. was iffy at best. However, gentrification has reached even here if Nola is any indication.

The Creole kitchen delivered succulent, spicy southern gumbo ($10), crawfish fritters ($12) and crab cakes with Cajun aioli ($12) along with a luscious Fabre Montayou malbec from Argentina ($10). The Louisiana tapas was delightful, and we ate far more than our fair share of firecracker-hot starters.

But the jazz – ah, the jazz. We walked in on the Davis and Coltrane rhythms of ABTrio, then stayed for the Fab Tif Hall’s entire set. The service was terrific, and the ambiance of a French Quarter nightclub – seedy but sensuous and informal – was all about us.

The lunch menu is less expensive, but my money is on a night out at a jazz club where the only thing missing is a haze of cigarette smoke cloaking the musicians in mystery.