When my boyfriend and I started dating, we were as dietarily incompatible as two people could possibly hope to be. He didn't eat vegetables, and I didn't eat meat. Consequently, I had absolutely no interest in the weekly postgame trips to Gumbo House with his coed E-league softball team, The Deciders.

Eventually, through a chain of events that would take too long to explain here, meat made its way back into my diet, and I recently paid my first post-vegetarian visit to Gumbo House, where I had previously limited myself to corn muffins and beer, which, along with beans and rice, constitute the extent of the animal-free options.

I had no idea what I'd been missing.

It seemed silly to visit Gumbo House and not order gumbo. I went with the chicken ($5.89 for a bowl, $9.99 for a "bucket"), which was dark and rich, aromatic with filé, the distinctive spice (made from sassafrass leaves) that gives gumbo its punch, and dappled with andouille sausage and bright green slices of okra. You can also opt for shrimp, oyster or "kitchen sink" gumbo ($7.29 per bowl, $12.59 by the bucket). My boyfriend went with his standby, jambalaya ($7.49 bowl, $12.59 bucket), which was thick, bright red and sweet with tomato.

 

We also ordered the barbecue pork po'boy ($8.99) to share. It was essentially as delicious as you could ask a pulled pork sandwich to be, although after a few bites of sweet shredded pork, pickles and mayonnaise, the gumbo seemed less flavorful. I wouldn't recommend the pairing. I also could have lived without the potato salad that tagged along with the po'boy. It just wasn't that interesting compared to the jumble of other flavors competing for attention.

Gumbo House doesn't mess around with a wine list, instead offering a selection of "house wines" -- possibly from bottles, but more likely, I'd guess, poured out of boxes. I picked the cabernet, which could just as easily have been the merlot or the pinot noir, but was perfectly serviceable.

A note on portions: Gumbo House's bowl is generous. Very generous. The bucket, I'm told, verges on kind of ridiculous. On the other hand, the super-friendly staff is more than happy to pack up your leftovers for lunch the next day. I finished up four inches of po'boy at my desk the next day. It was just as tasty after a night in the fridge.

Contact Maia Nolan at maia_alaskadispatch.com.