Since most of our friends had departed the city by Sunday afternoon, we headed out for the Vampyre tour around the French Quarter, and afterwards, took in the Halloween crowds along Bourbon Street. It was late (nearly 11pm), and we wanted someplace quiet where we could sit down and enjoy ourselves for a while without feeling swamped with the tourists that filled the French Quarter. We saw a simple sign that stated Remoulade and looked inside. There were only a few patrons that late (most people on the street were jammed into the bars), so we stepped inside.
The space is small, seating perhaps 70, with a huge beautifully restored mahogany bar that dates to the 1870s along one wall. The back wall of the restaurant is open-air, with a good view of the shiningly clean kitchen. As it turns out, Remoulade is the younger sister to an institution of Creole cooking, Arnaud's Restaurant. Remoulade features the more casual side of Creole cooking and has a more pocket-friendly set of prices as well. Proprietors Archie and Jane Casbarian maintain the same high standards in Remoulade that Arnaud's is known for. Chef Tommy DiGiovanni is the executive chef in both locations.
My friend has some interesting food allergies, so we had to choose carefully around those. For a starter, we choose the N'Awlins nachos ($5.75), a loaded plate of tortilla chips with tomatoes, cheddar, guacamole, sour cream, (we asked them to hold the jalepenos), and the touch of what makes them N'Awlins style - red beans and smoked sausage. It was a great starter and a generous portion.
Having grown up in New England and loving soup, I've always got to try the local seafood soups. Remoulade's seafood gumbo ($5.50) does not disappoint. However, be warned, the bowl is huge! But it's delicious, spicy, and tangy without being overpowering.
My friend choose a Southern staple as his main course - red beans and rice with smoked sausage ($7.25), while I went for crawfish pies ($10), which had been a tough choice over the crawfish etouffe ($13)! The pies were fantastic - local crawfish tails combined with vegetables, rice, spices, and fried in a pastry. Some zesty garlic cheese bread ($3) completed the meal, although neither one of us could quite finish it because we were so stuffed!
While Remoulade features N'Awlins favorites like po'boys, jambalaya, shrimp Creole, blackened catfish, and turtle soup, they also have items for the less adventurous, such as pizza, burgers, hot dogs, and salads. They have a full-service bar, including their own "Bayou Potions," which they say are "guaranteed to ward off alligators." And, if you've saved any amount of room after cramming down all their other goodies, they do offer a short dessert menu featuring items like mom's brownie, pecan pie, and colossal ice-cream cones.
Remoulade is open 7 days a week, 11:30am to midnight.