Bite Club: Cajun Breakfast Joint is great any time of day

• He opened his first restaurant, Seafood Boil NC, in North Carolina in 2020 and moved to the Valley to open Cajun Breakfast Joint last year.

State of play: Tempe Eats, at Mill and Southern avenues, closed in January after about 11 months and was slated to become an events venue.

Yes, but: The closure was short-lived, and the food hall reopened last month.

• White hosted a Mardi Gras event at Tempe Eats in March, and after trying the food, owner Teresa Nguyen reconsidered her plans for the space, per the Phoenix New Times.

Best bites: "Breakfast" may be in the restaurant's name, but you can get meals for any time of day.

• I ordered the spicy crawfish etouffee over cheesy grits, which comes with a choice of pork or turkey sausage. I went with the pork.
• They also gave me a piece of their "world famous" praline cornbread.
• The etouffee was delicious, packed with flavor and just enough heat to notice. It was balanced with the rich, creamy grits, and the praline cornbread was a sweet treat.

My thought bubble: As longtime readers know, I'm always on the lookout for good Cajun food and often griping about the need for more in central Phoenix — though CC's on Central is great. So, I'm more than willing to drive across town to try a new place.

• The bottom line: Cajun Breakfast Joint was worth it.

Zoom in: If you're craving Cajun food in Chandler, you can still go to White's former location at Dobson and Elliot roads and try Creole Bowls to Go.

• And you can take some Cajun flavor home with his spice blends, Jax Seasonings.

Zoom out: If you want something else, there are other options at Tempe Eats — along with an array of pour-your-own beer taps.