Bardia’s New Orleans Café of Adams Morgan is the best casual Cajun place in the city. Without any peer, without even any near competition. But having said that, the hands down best casual Cajun outside of the city is Bethesda’s Louisiana Express Company. Which is better? I dare not speculate. There would probably be some kind of explosion or something.
The preeminent decorations inside this bare-bones eatery are awards. The walls are papered with them. And although a decade or more of Washingtonian readers could easily have been mistaken, this time they struck gold. The savory, spicy smell of jambalaya smacks you in the face as you enter, and ensures you your own seat on the metro when you leave .
I tried the shrimp bisque which arrived steaming and smelling of ripe tomato. AMG dove for a his iced tea at first bite, so I got to polish it off myself with a one of the city’s most perfect, buttery biscuits. The french fries, red with chili powder, were hot and good. Poached Eggs Creole came on a bed of fried grits and perfect andouille, and the catfish po’ boy was crunchy and moist and huge. The final bill…under $30.
Was it possibly better than Bardia’s? Better to not think about it
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29Nov
2 Responses
I love Louisiana Express, from the perfectly done food (the egg dishes at brunch are superb) to the vintage Abita ads on the walls.
Lousiana Express has been very hit or miss for me, to the point where I carry a takeout menu with items crossed off to never order again. I hated their etoufee. The cajun crab egg rolls sound good in theory — well, they did to me, at least. Their dirty rice is “meh.”
On the flip side, I enjoy their jambalaya and lurve their catfish beignets. And on the brunch side, I liked the Poached Eggs Louisiana Express, served over blackened catfish. Friendly folks, too. Haven’t been to Bardia’s, but I’ll add it to the list.