The couple dish up Cajun, Creole and soul food entrees, side dishes and desserts seven days a week in their New Orleans-themed restaurant. Most of it is homemade, and that shows on many selections. Both natives of Louisiana, Chuck Lizana said he learned to cook at the side of relatives who owned a restaurant there. "And my mother was a cook by profession," he adds.

Those looking for home-style cooking should come to Chuck's hungry - the portions of barbecue ribs, Po Boy sandwiches and macaroni and cheese are enormous. The half-slab of barbecue ribs, for example, hung over both sides of a rather large plate, leaving us to shudder at what a full slab would do.

It's not necessary to dress for dinner at Chuck's, but the dark, cozy Mardi Gras-themed eatery is not all casual. The restaurant had live music the Saturday night we visited; the Lizanas say that will be a regular feature.

In fact, it's easy to forget that Auburn Hills isn't the Big Easy with jazz on the sound system and Mardi Gras purple, gold and green on the walls. Add a tall, cold Hurricane Punch ($2.75), which is nonalcoholic, and the drink - all the rage among Cajuns, although it's served with booze in the Bayou - will sweep you away. The sweet, brightly colored drink served in a curvy glass is worth the money; I had to wrestle it away from my friend more than once.

It was a perfect accompaniment to deep-fried Carnival Crab Cakes ($6.99), served with a kicky rémoulade sauce. The cakes were perfectly crisp and not at all greasy, with a mellow spice and lots of crab meat. My only complaint is that the rémoulade - a traditional French, mayonnaise-based sauce - was served in a plastic cup which seems a bit déclassé. Still, we were glad we chose them from a list of many interesting-sounding appetizers such as Jazzy Wing Zings and Zydeco Crawfish Tails.

Service seemed a little slow at Chuck's, leading to a long lull between courses. While our waitress seemed inexperienced and unfamiliar with many menu items, she did recommend the aforementioned barbecue ribs, which were outstanding. Large, rich and incredibly meaty, the ribs were tender and coated in a tangy sauce. Of course, after filling up on fried cornbread, red beans and rice and mashed sweet potatoes during the wait, I could only finish about half of the half-slab ($12.99). I also sampled my friend's entree, the juicy fried chicken ($8), served with rich and creamy macaroni and cheese, a variation that tasted almost as good as my mother's. The chicken was crisp and moist but it was accompanied by a hard, cold roll. After learning that most of Chuck's desserts are made in-house, I chose peach cobbler ($3.50) with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream ($1.50), which was a letdown. For starters, the cobbler was served cold, although heat might not have improved the mushy texture of the canned peaches or the syrup-soaked crust. However, the lemon pound cake ($2.50) was much better with a light texture and a sweet, yet pleasingly tart, taste. For those who miss the old Chuck's, you'll find that same style here, and for newbies who want some New Orleans ambiance, it's here, too. We can only hope that come Fat Tuesday 2003, Chuck and Lorraine Lizana will really show us what they're made of.

**** Outstanding
*** Recommended with enthusiasm
** Very good
*Good but routine