Located “35 steps from the corner of Taylor Street and Broadway,” Ellington’s combines the down-home comfort of New Orleans with a stylized version of Cajun and Creole cooking. On Friday and Saturday nights (and starting soon on Mondays, as well), there is live jazz and blues. The staff is about as friendly as they can be, and you’re likely to be greeted at the door by co-owner Henry Bolton, comfortably dressed in sweater and blue jeans.

The place is so comfortable, and the food so filling and tasty, that you find yourself settling in for a long evening, even if you intended to act like a damn Yankee and hurry through your meal.

The decor was chosen to achieve just that effect, according to head chef John Pennington.

“We wanted people to feel really comfortable. The candles on the tables, two fireplaces, low lighting, it’s all meant to make people feel at home,” Pennington said.

“I wanted a place that wasn’t the ordinary place you find on the South Side,” Bolton said. “It’s classy but not stuffy. We’re like a family.”

Actually, it’s a lot nicer than my home, but that’s not Ellington’s fault. The restaurant is in the site of several recent former restaurants, which served German and Cajun cuisine, respectively. I think there’s a joke there, but I’m not sure I’m up to creating it.

Adding to the excitement on a recent visit was that the restaurant reviewer for a certain local newspaper had just left the premises a few minutes before. The tell-tale pile of stained and crumpled napkins and half-gnawed chicken wings had not yet been cleared from the floor, so we knew the staff was telling the truth.

In addition to the food, which we will drool over in a moment, Ellington’s has arguably the best background music in the city. Classic R&B, New Orleans jazz, soul and blues softly fill the restaurant when the bands are not on-stage.The music is from Pennington’s own CD collection, and his taste in music is as good as it is in food.

The boast here is this is the only place in town at which one can order an authentic Hurricane, a rum-and-juice drink that is the reason so few people ever remember their trips to New Orleans. Oddly, the Hurricanes are one of the few things I can remember from a trip to New Orleans a few years ago. After drinking two or eight I wandered down Bourbon Street about 2 a.m., and saw things I still don’t understand.

Ellington’s is divided into three parts. The band stand is near the front windows, surrounded by tables. A second dining area is located behind a low wall, for diners who still want to see and hear the band, but not close up. The unique double bar opens to a third, smaller dining area, a non-smoking section in which you can still clearly hear the live music.

The menu is a fusion of Cajun and Creole, featuring the flavors and spices of those cuisines often adapted to non-traditional recipes.

“I concentrated on bringing new life to some very basic Cajun and Creole food,” Pennington said. “Cajun and Creole isn’t about flames shooting out of your ears after one bite (that’s for the Hurricanes: ed.); it’s about great flavor that makes your mouth come alive and heat that warms you up inside.”

Taking this advice to heart, we ordered a sampler platter of voodoo wings, sweet guitar strings (sweet onion strips batter dipped and fried), bayou stuffed peppers and dip stix (fried cheese), served with two dipping sauces. The voodoo chicken wings were perhaps the best I’ve ever had, more flavorful than merely hot.

Constant Companion had the Shrimp Jambalaya, one of the blatantly authentic Cajun dishes: fresh herbs and spices, chopped onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, green peppers and bacon. I had the Catfish Walker, a large piece of catfish grilled with Cajun seasonings. Each was excellent and filling, which should please any restaurant reviewer worth his or her tabasco sauce.

Dinners come with a choice of two sides: we had southern chips, dirty rice, baked sweet potato and grilled veggies. The chips were thin and crispy and the sweet potato was a real treat to northern taste buds.

Desserts change weekly, and I chose the peach cobbler, sans mode. At the risk of being redundant, it was perhaps the best I’ve ever had: home-made and not overly sweet. This not really being home, I was not offered seconds, although I could have eaten them. Other desserts available include cheese cakes and various tortes.

Judging by the mountains of take-home containers on the other tables (and ours), there is absolutely no way you can leave Ellington’s without a really full tummy. And a really good feeling.

Also good:

Caesar’s Jazz — salad with romaine and other lettuce, tossed with bowtie pasta, bacon, parmesan, homemade croutons, tomato, topped with garlic-spiced grilled chicken. $6.95.

Chicago Blues Club — honey ham and smoked turkey piled on toasted cracked what bread, with bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and cheeses. $5.95.

Big Mama’s Burger — topped with Swiss or American cheese. $4.95.

Creole Shrimps — green onion, garlic, tomato, sautéed together, with the shrimp added later to ensure flavor, served on a bed of dirty rice. $10.95.