Acadiana

I can't stand the dead of winter. Worse than that, I hate summer's sweltering heat and humidity. I would not make it through either season without Restaurant Week. For those unfamiliar with the joy of Restaurant Week, here's the run down: for one glorious week in August and February, 180 of DC's best restaurants offer three course meals for $20.09 (lunch) and $35.09 (dinner), not including drinks or tip.

I decided to celebrate Mardi Gras early at Acadiana. It's consistently rated as one of DC's best restaurants and has even received national press. It is also a Jeff Tunks' restaurant, and I love DC Coast and Ceiba. So, I was curious whether Acadiana would live up to expectations.

Acadiana has a great ambiance. It's not hushed, yet not too boisterous either. The decor is sleek. But quirky touches like its jeweled chandeliers, keep the atmosphere light-hearted.

The Restaurant Week menu was excellent. Unlike other restaurants that provide only two or three options for each course, Acadiana gave Restaurant Weekers access to all their entrees and most of their soups, salads, and desserts.


Since it was Sunday night, we were also able to take advantage of their half-priced bottles of wine. The wine list was impressive, and it was difficult to chose a wine. Fortunately the server suggested a light, crisp French Chardonnay that went well with everyone's meal.

I started off with the smoked chicken and andouille sausage gumbo:

The gumbo was was spicy, but not exciting. While it was good, I don't agree with the Washingtonian that it was one of the restaurant's best dishes. I tried some of Liz's roasted sweet corn and crab soup and John's classic turtle soup (snapping turtle, traditional garnishes, and a dry sherry splash), both of which were far more appealing.

Next I tried the grillades and grits (sauteed veal medallions and creamy jalapeno cheese grits covered in mushroom pan gravy):

I cannot resist anything with jalapeno cheese, so this was dish for me. The grits were creamy and well worth the mushroom gravy compromise. (If you are like me and do not like cooked mushrooms, you'll be pleased to know that the mushrooms are easy to identify and sequester on the side of the plate, allowing you to enjoy the gravy without the fear of eating slimy mushrooms.) The veal medallions were succulent and flavorful. I am picky about red meat; for me, bleeding meat is a reminder that the animal was once alive, it does NOT add flavor. But Acadiana's veal was savory without freaking me out.

Other dinner entres: Liz tried the grilled gulf redfish with the seafood jumbalaya risotto and smoked red bell pepper sauce. She loved it and I could see why when I tried a bite. John and Anna had the New Orleans style barbeque shrimp with garlic butter, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and warm bread. This is Acadiana's signature dish and USA Today declared it one of their top 25 dishes in 2005. Anna and John thought it lived up to the hype and I was impressed with my sample. I thought the barbecue sauce would be too overpowering for shrimp, but it was a perfect blend of butter, rosemary, and Worcestershire.

I finished up with the decadent chocolate doberge cake with espresso ice cream:

Overall, this was an excellent dessert. The top was a bit crispy, but the cake itself was rich and a perfect balance between cakiness and fudginess.

I tried some of Liz's warm raisin bread pudding with butterscotch sauce and Tahitian vanilla ice cream; the flavors complemented each other well and it was a fun choice. Anna's white chocolate creme brulee with citrus marmalade was exquisite.

The service was fair. Our waiter was accurate, helpful, and didn't do anything glaringly bad. The bread server did not impress. He asked if we would like more biscuits and we eagerly said that we did. We waited, but biscuits never came. Then he took away our bread plates so quickly we couldn't ask where our bread was! If this seems trivial to you, then you have not tasted their buttery biscuits. They are heavenly. Not to mention, at a restaurant of this caliber, I expect more from their wait staff than I do of my server at Busboys.

Overall, I really liked Acadiana. I'm not sure it's one of the best restaurants in the country, but it is definitely one of the best in the city. It is a fun restaurant with consistently good food and I recommend it.