Dinner at Acadiana

Last week was Restaurant Week in D.C., so a couple of friends of mine decided to try out Acadiana on New York Avenue over by the Convention Center. Acadiana is a part of the restaurant group that owns Ceiba, DC Coast, and Ten Penh. I have not eaten at DC Coast (I know, I know, I need to), but so far, this one might be my favorite. The cuisine of Acadiana has a New Orleans-style influence, which I love.

Overall, we had a great experience, minus my drink at the bar. Speaking of which, Acadiana has a nice big bar and if I was to go back, I wouldn't mind just eating right there as the restaurant feels a little vacuous -- they've done their best to make the space inviting, but it's tricky with such tall ceilings (if you go, ask to be seated in a booth).

Our evening started with cocktails and I ordered a Mint Julep that was just okay (Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, fresh mint, simple syrup and a splash of soda water). With the Wild Turkey 101, I was expecting a kick in the butt, but the soda water diluted the cocktail a bit too much -- even the mint, though there was quite a bit of it crushed in the drink, was muted. My friends had better luck with their spirits. I'm blanking on one of the cocktails, but the one I remember was the Sazerac (dash of Absente, equal parts Angostura and Peychaud’s Bitters, simple syrup and Old Overholt Rye Whiskey) and my friend loved it.

For my appetizer, I ordered the trio of deviled eggs. Each was topped with something different: crabmeat ravigote, shrimp remoulade, and louisiana choupique caviar. I enjoyed the different flavors on top of the eggs and thought they paired nicely with the taste of the salty deviled yolks.

For my entree, I ordered the grilled gulf redfish with a seafood jambalaya risotto and smoked red pepper sauce. Loved this. The fish was grilled perfectly and practically melted in my mouth. The risotto was a nice spin on jambalaya (though I would have liked it a tad spicier) and the red pepper sauce was a lovely complement to the dish. My server suggested a Sauvingnon Blanc to pair with my meal (Sancerre, Chateau de Sancerre, Loire Valley, France, 2005), which was a good choice.

Friends' entrees included the red snapper amandine (second photo below) with a brown butter meuniere and sweet corn pudding (v. tasty, I had a bite!), and the New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp (first photo) with garlic butter, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and warm French bread. I'm not sure which dish I liked better -- mine or the bbq. shrimp -- both were fantastic. (I actually have a bbq. shrimp recipe from K Paul's cookbook that tastes very similar to this dish though a little spicier.)

For dessert, we tried the warm raisin bread pudding with a butterscotch sauce and Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Quite good, but by then we were all so stuffed, no one could finish it!

In short, these were damn good eats. I left with a happy, full tummy (no portion control on this evening!), and look forward to a return to this place.

Post-it: August heat and misc. seafood tidbits

This weekend as I was sitting in a crab boat with the mid-morning sun beating down on my head, doing my best not to be a total fuss pot after being woken up at 6:30 to go out crabbing for our family's annual crab feast, my cousin uttered a few sage words: "August is God's way of reminding you to be thankful for fall."

I couldn't agree more.

I just checked weather.com to see what the temperature is by my house and it's 101 degrees. This triple digit absurdity makes me look forward to feeling a cool September breeze on my face. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to rush summer out or anything. I love summer. But when it gets this hot, I get very sluggish and tired. Then again, maybe that's because I'm not getting enough sleep. Sigh.

I have a post about a recent recipe that I tried, but for the moment I just feel like writing random stuff. (It's my blog and I can do that.) I think I'll label these type posts "Post-its."

There is an interesting article in the Washington Post today about Tilapia and how it's consumption has gone way up among the average shopper, but that chefs are not big fans. Snooty Bob Kinkead, chef-owner of Kinkead's in Foggy Bottom and Colvin Run Tavern in Vienna, called it "insipid," "spongelike" and "inferior." "Not in my restaurant," he declared. "Never sold it, won't sell it." Whatever, Bob.

In other D.C. seafoody news, the owners of Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place) are planning to open up another restaurant in Old Town Alexandria on King Street in September. Will be looking forward to checking that out. They make a Lobster Roll sandwich that is out of this world, not to mention the oysters there are always fab. Here's hoping the new place is a little bit bigger.