The summer I spent in New Orleans was a three-month-long seminal moment in my life. I'll spare my dear readers the litany of self-discovery and personal growth, but for the gastronomic: the beignets, po-boys, fried oysters, red beans and rice cooked by Kermit Ruffin and served at intermission, chickory coffee... the list goes on and on.
So I was estatic to try Acadiana, where they serve Louisiana southern-style cuisine and friends have returned from with rave reviews. We started off with drinks at the bar - C had a mojito and I a Pimm's Cup, my newfound summer fave. (Our 9 o'clock reservation was delayed, because I didn't want to sit in the table we were originally shown. How lucky am I to have met someone who humors my eating quirks - if I'm going to bother eating at a restaurant, I believe all elements of the experience should be taken into account, including the comfort and location of the table. So we got a booth by the window.)
The meal began with a trio of demitasse soups - classic turtle soup, smoked chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, and roasted sweet corn and blue crab soup. The gumbo was pretty benign, but the other two were winners: the corn soup had enormous chunks of crab and lots of flavor, and the turtle soup was seasoned with the perfect splash of sherry. The restaurant also served fresh biscuits and a butter mixed with honey and hot peppers - delicious!
The drama started with the entrees. I ordered red snapper amandine, with the fish grilled and coated with brown butter meuniere and served with swiss chard and sweet corn pudding. Delicious. Nothing not to love about snapper, especially with a butter sauce. The corn pudding was fine, nothing special, and the greens were pretty tasty. Overall, the plate lacked visual interest; could have been solved with a slice of red pepper, perhaps.
C got the bbq grilled swordfish. And the ugly food envy set in. The perfectly grilled fish, criss-crossed by grill marks, was topped with blanched fresh peach wedges and a tomato chow chow. Perhaps the most amazing fish I've ever sampled, and served with a side of "yaya eggplant fries," which were these also-perfect little finger-sized, melted eggplant in a slightly spicy batter, dusted with powdered sugar.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
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