The first hint is the music pulsing over the cafe’s sound system. Forget your Top-40 rock or Muzak; leave your country tapes at the door. The Blue Bayou Cajun Cafe jumps to the jubilant sounds of Cajun and Zydeco. Here, on the outskirts of Brewer, you can sop up your gumbo to the sounds of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, savor your jambalaya and blackened sole along with the Alleyboys of Abbeville.

“When I decided to open the restaurant and lounge, I wanted something different,” explained owner Sherry Sullivan as we sat over morning coffee. “You just don’t see much Cajun in Maine. The food is great; it offers such variety, lots of choice. And I love spicy food.”

The food may be hot, but inside hanging fish nets and bright ceramics hint at Gulf breezes. Small lamps at each table create an intimate glow after dark. The table coverings are cloth, but none of them match. Neither do the lamps. Or the wall art. Or most of the furniture in the knotty-pine room.

The effect, Sullivan said, is intentional. She combs secondhand shops and discount stores, alert for the colorful and the funky. At our table, the sugar packets and Tabasco sauce are guarded by a small pink ceramic pelican. Similar knickknacks grace the surrounding tables.

“The staff laughs at me!” Sullivan said, grinning. “They never know what I’ll come back with next.”

She believes there’s a certain circular historical logic to having Cajun food and music in Maine. The Cajuns of Louisiana are the descendants of the Acadian French driven out of Canada by the British in the 1700s. Some settled in Maine while others, like Longfellow’s Evangeline, journeyed south to Louisiana to mix with the French, Creole and African cultures there.

Cajun food may be exotic, laced with crawfish, shrimp and Caribbean peppers, but the music has a familiar sound to those who have heard a Nova Scotian reel.

According to Bayou’s chef, Carol Wiswell, the basic components of Cajun cuisine are generous amounts of cayenne and black pepper, onions, hot sauces and garlic. Andouille sausage is a house specialty and shows up in many of the recipes. Boiled, spiced crab is another signature dish and, like Maine lobster, is best enjoyed outdoors with lots of napkins. Sullivan intends to add an outdoor terrace next summer so patrons can indulge in proper style.

“Down South, they boil up a huge pot of crabs and lots of spices, cover the tables with newspapers and dig in!” she said. “We’re planning a Mardi Gras party this summer — I know it’s really this time of year, but in Maine? It’s just too cold!”

Sullivan and Wiswell offer this classic Cajun soup recipe to get us through the last of a long Maine winter.

Blue Bayou Gumbo Combine: 2 gallons water 3 tablespoons chicken base 1/2 cup Red Hot sauce 1 No. 10-can diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon black pepper 3 cups diced, uncooked chicken breast 2 cans okra 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped Dice and add: 2 leeks 1 onion 1 green pepper 4 ribs celery 4 carrots

Bring soup to a boil and cook until vegetables begin to soften. Add 3 cups uncooked long-grain rice and cook until rice is done, about 15 minutes.

The Blue Bayou Cajun Cafe is located at 603 Wilson St. in Brewer. For information, call 989-7899.