Talk about perfect timing. This new French Quarter-themed bar and restaurant by the folks behind Cullen’s seems to be hitting its stride just in time for Mardi Gras.
Like its Irish sibling across Southport Avenue, Blue Bayou eschews kitsch for class. Walls are painted in rich earth tones and covered with New Orleans-themed prints and photos. Chandeliers hang from the pressed tin ceiling (along with a few TVs–this is Wrigleyville, after all), and there’s plenty of dark wood in the bar, booths and tables. A staircase near the entrance will eventually lead to a second-floor dining room and bar (we were told it’s still under construction).
The menu runs the gamut from basic bar food to earnest interpretations of Southern classics like gumbo and etouffee to ambitious, vaguely Cajun entrees that top out at $26.
We started off with fried green tomatoes, the house specialty. They arrived hot and crispy, topped with a remoulade sauce full of chunks of shrimp. Delicious. Other starters include the equally tasty Cajun “popcorn” (crawfish tails coated with spicy breadcrumbs, fried and served with cocktail sauce and two types of remoulade sauce), peel-and-eat shrimp and oysters by the half-dozen. The gumbo measures up but needs a dash of Tabasco (provided).
Burgers come not with the usual ho-hum fries (this is the Big Easy, cher!), but with a baked potato loaded (if you want) with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon and scallions. In addition to the classic burger, there are a few Cajun interpretations, including an andouille burger topped with the spicy sausage and provolone.
We also tried the shrimp and andouille po’ boy sandwich, served with a “pickle stump,” corn-studded coleslaw and a handful of house-made potato chips (more on that later). Not bad, but a little heavy on the remoulade. The house combo plate features red beans and rice, greens, crawfish etouffee and jambalaya with corn muffins. Of the high-end entrees, we tried the sea bass meuniere, also tasty, served with just-sweet-enough mashed sweet potatoes and corn salad.
For dessert, stick to beignets or the bourbon pecan pie. We ordered vanilla bread pudding, expecting a rustic comfort-food treat. What we got was a prissy little trifle that was too “nouvelle” for our tastes.
If you crave a bayou-style buzz, the menu offers 20 specialty cocktails, from standard hurricanes to scandalous-sounding concoctions like Billy Blue Balls (raspberry-flavored Bacardi rum, peach schnapps, blue curacao and pineapple juice) and the Dirty Turtle (Southern Comfort and pineapple juice). We initially balked at paying $8.50 for a hurricane, but no one would blink at paying that much for a martini, and this potent drink contained just as much booze. There are also 14 beers on tap, including Louisiana-brewed Abita.
One quibble: On our visit, we sat at the back of the dining room, near the semi-open kitchen, where plates appear in the window, and are finished before being delivered to tables. A word to the staff: Remember, open kitchens keep no secrets. Use tongs instead of your hands to pile potato chips on plates. And if you get hungry during your shift, hide out of sight if you want to chow down.
Blue Bayou
3734 N. Southport Ave.
773-871-3300
