Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Creole'.
Found 9 results
-
Carlos recognized me almost instantly. I thought he looked like he'd put on a few pounds. But there was no mistaking the man running the front of the house at Louisiana Kitchen, which opened last Saturday in the former New Orleans Bistro space on Cordell Ave. The menu is almost exactly, exactly the same as that of the now-departed Louisiana Express. They even managed to carry over the phone number from Louisiana Express: 301 652 6945. The only accidental omission, Carlos admitted, was the "Cajun pizza". They're going to try to run without it for now. Prices seem to be very slightly higher...a quarter here, fifty cents there, maybe a buck on a few of the apps. But the setting is now fresh and shiny, with new furniture, dishes and flatware, and finally some room between the tables. Yes, the spicy fries are back! Running the kitchen is co-owner José Blanco, the long-time chef at L.E. The two of them managed to hire many of the former staff from L.E., although I didn't see any of them on this Thursday afternoon. Several locations for the venture were considered from Silver Spring to Frederick, but when the former New Orleans Bistro space came available, everything clicked into place. The space came broom-clean with none of the decorations, so the interior re-do has been limited to a new floor, some paint and wallpaper, new fixtures, and the addition of a window from the dining room to the back of the rotisserie. There aren't that many clichéd doohickeys on the wall yet. José's in-laws are helping with some ongoing tweaks to the interior, but otherwise it's up and running. There's also a little blurb on their website regarding the passing of Peter Finkhauser, the owner of Louisiana Express. -
I always get excited at the possibility of good Cajun/Creole food. For years, I worked at a place in the Atlanta suburbs called Comeaux's - the owner was from Lafayette and the food was amazing, and it set my expectations pretty high. I have yet to find crawfish etouffee (outside of Louisiana) that matched the version I would routinely eat after my shift. So, Jason and I visited Po Boy Jim last Friday night, and I worked pretty hard to temper myself. The two-story space is nice - we ate at the bar upstairs. Service was good - the staff seem pretty enthusiastic about the restaurant and its potential. The beer list was pretty lackluster (only 5 taps, 3 of which were not very good for summer), but the bartender actually took time to listen to our suggestions and jot down some notes - again, they really seem like they want to hear feedback and implement positive changes. The food was quite good. We started with a "flight" of wings - 3-4 each of three different flavors. The wings themselves were somewhat small, but they were pretty meaty and the sauces/rubs were tasty. I liked the dry Jerk version the best, and hubby liked the Carolina BBQ. We each had an oyster po'boy - I got the original/classic, and Jason got the Buffalo version. They were both delicious. The bread was really nicely grilled, which gave the whole sandwich an almost smoky note. The oysters were plump and well seasoned/fried. The onion rings were awesome - big and thick, which is my preference, but also crispy and well-salted. Fries were less impressive, but still hot and tasty. Jason raved about the buffalo sauce - he was sopping up every last drop with the fries. Some people have complained about the prices, but considering the large portion sizes, I thought they were fine. The chef (and owner, I think?) came out to apologize for our wings taking longer than usual, and to ask what we thought about the food, which was nice. It's definitely not a diet-friendly place to eat, but I can see us going back to try more of the menu choices.- 4 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- H Street Corridor
- Atlas District
- (and 4 more)
-
This Saturday, a group of us will be down by the waterfront and will need a place to go for lunch where we don't have to be dressed up -- in fact, we're likely to be sweaty and perhaps even slightly dissheveled. We will be close to Cantina Marina, and I had heard decent things about this place when it first opened, but nothing in recent years. So, any opinions one way or the other? -
Clifton Chenier version, Walking to Louisiana! -
I thought we had a topic about this, but I can't find it. As heretical as this may sound, many people who aren't familiar with Louisiana (which even has a separate Wikipedia entry for "New France") use the terms "Cajun" and "Creole" interchangeably, usually just saying "cajun" for any cuisine that seems like it might have some New Orleans influence. Do we have any experts here that can compare and contrast these terms (using "Acadiana," maybe even "Baton Rouge," somewhere in the explanation) for those of us who don't have a clue? I'd say our average reader (which, in this case, would include me) is familiar with both terms, but doesn't really have a notion about or historical basis for their true meaning. I began having this conversation as a PM (private message) with one of our members, and quickly realized that it might be of great benefit to others. I've put in the Wikipedia links as a starting point, but don't know where to go from there. Incidentally, this thread would not exist had MC Horoscope not started this thread on "The Back Door." Take note, Herschel: This is how things happen here - what seems like a dead thread will slowly expand over time, creating others, and perhaps even exploding into a torrent of activity. There are no wasted posts here.
-
Dean Street is the friendly and charming corner neighborhood restaurant that other cities do so well, and DC does not. Walking into the bar room, taking a seat at a round corner table awash with morning sunlight, you want to belong here, to have the staff know your name. You can just envision coming in mid-week, having a beer at the bar, chatting with the bartender, and maybe watching some of the game on TV. If every customer was within a 6 or 7 block walk, I wouldn't be surprised. Now let's not get overblown, the food was good but not great. But one doesn't really care. It's about being in the neighborhood. The menu skews southern/New Orleans: gumbo, shrimp & grits, and lots of biscuits. Crawfish, Andouille Sausage, Cream Cheese Omelet with Home Fries (they could work on their home fries) was a tasty mess. The sort of thing a hangover cries out for. The Bloody Mary was top notch, also hangover worthy. The biscuits topped with poached eggs and mushroom gravy was perhaps too rich, and the sweet potato hash topped with eggs was enjoyed by the vegetarian contingent. If Dean Street was a couple blocks from my apartment, it would be my local.
-
One of the first cookbooks I ever had was Louisiana Kitchen. I learned a lot from that book and would make the fat-laden dishes for special occasions. Making blackened redfish was always a challenge-- especially in terms of ventilation! I wish I had the chance to go to K-Pauls, but I did go to Commander's Palace for an over-the-top brunch once. Anyway, sad to see him go. He was a man who knew the meaning of "roulez bon temps!" -
Reopened as Bistro on U St, at 928 U St (via PoPville). -
The New Orleans-ification of DC continues. Looks to be across the street from Ethiopic. Grand Opening weekend July 15. website Photos up on Facebook
