Cajun Queen Strikes Several Notes

Restaurant an Elizabeth staple since 1985

The jazz band starts playing at around 6:30 p.m., three white-haired fellows under a sign that reads The Seventh Street Gator Band. The band’s been performing here, with different members jumping in and out, seven nights a week for 28 years. They’re upstairs at the Cajun Queen (1800 E. 7th St., 704-377-9017), the old home-turned-Cajun-restaurant that’s been a landmark in the Elizabeth neighborhood since it opened in 1985. On the entrée menu, you can create your own meal. It’s simple. Pick a meat: There’s crawfish ($18.95), shrimp ($17.95), or chicken ($15.95). And pick a flavor: There’s spicy étouffée, tamer Creole, and laid-back Diane. Mix and match any way you want. Or, have all three kinds of meat ($19.95). That’s 12 different possibilities to strike all kinds of delicious notes in Charlotte’s house of food music.