Trending: The Big Easy

What’s new in eats around the city this season?  NOLA: New Orleans, Louisiana.  A crop of Cajun culinary experiences has started spilling over the levees, so read on to find your Pontchartrain perfection just in time for Mardi Gras.

Acadiana (901 New York Ave. NW) has been the city’s authentic southern Louisiana style kitchen for years. Technically, the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population, you won’t want to miss Acadiana’s turtle soup, deviled eggs, and trademark “grillades and grits” – or ask a Doubloon or Sezerac at the bar!

Regulars rave about the gumbo and fried okra at Bardia’s New Orleans Cafe (2412 18th Street).  Quaint and cozy with New Orleans jazz playing on the radio, this is a NOLA neighborhood spot to grab a side of cajun fries (regular or sweet potato) with your serving of soul food.

The Cajun Experience (1825 18th Street NW) is a Dupont den for beignets and other of the bayou’s best.  Truly an experience, the place offers ten kinds of poboys, crawfish and creole dishes in abundance, and Happy Hour Hurricanes from 11-7 everyday.

Bayou, formerly The Rookery, is one of the newest NOLA spots to laissez les bon temps rouler.  A full range of Abita beers, accompanies a menu of the bayou’s best – brought together by Chef Rusty Holman – and live jazz during dinner every Wednesday through Saturday night.


Hot N Juicy Crawfish (2651 Connecticut Ave. NW).  Crawfish, crawfish, crawfish.  What else is there to say?  Pick your seasoning and spice level and settle in for some tail.

*Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, is the last day of feasting before Lent on Ash Wednesday.  This year, Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, March 8, 2011.