Looking for a taste of Louisiana in LA

[wanderlustre]

Hey hounds, just stumbled on this website about three hours ago and I'm completely hooked. I got back from Southeast Louisiana a few months ago and am just craving the food I had down there. I'm talking catfish, crawfish and crab boils, red beans and rice, etouffes (spelling?), the good stuff. Anybody know any places around LA? I'm willing to drive. Oh and anybody know a good place I can get some brisket? Cheers!
Kenny

[jauntygirl]

My guy and I like La Louisianne on Overhill in Inglewood. It's dive-y and there is NO AMBIANCE, but the food is good.

[aching]

I love Harold & Belle's, but I also have had good meals at Bourbon Street Shrimp (especially on Tuesdays, when it's two for one).

-----
Bourbon Street Shrimp & Grille
10928 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

[Diana]

There's Stevie's Creole Cafe on Ventura in Encino-but I can't vouch for the food, I've never been.

[Steve2 in LA]

I've been. Don't go. It's overpriced and underseasoned. Kind of like an homage to Louisiana cooking without the "Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler".

[Diana]

good to know..thanks!

[MeAndroo]

I don't know if it'll satisfy all your cravings, but there's a crawfish festival happening just this weekend in Long Beach.

http://www.longbeachcrawfishfestival....

[Woolsey]

Actually, there's a yearly festival here called the LALA Festival - it's for Louisana to L.A., and it's a celebration for the large Louisiana expatriate/immigrant community here in the city. It's usually held around Mardi Gras in Leimert Park. More info can be found here:

http://www.latola.org/

[maudies5]

I love the Gumbo YA Ya at the Ivy. Don't know how authentic it is, but it sure tastes great.

[SIMIHOUND]

If you are put this way Simi Valley has a great restaurant catering to the Cajun food lovers called La Louisianne Express. It doesn't look like much but give this place a chance; you will be won over with the food and charm of this place.

1854 Cochran St-next to 7-11
Simi Valley
[phone]

[slacker]

In addition to some of the above, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. They have a full service restaurant and a cafe. I've only done the cafe since I'm always in a rush to get back to Fantasyland. Great beignets!! also really like their red beans and rice, and gumbo wasn't too bad, not nearly as good as Bayou Grille or Harold and Belle's.

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Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
1590 S Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802

[rickaldridge]

Harold and Belle's, 2 miles west of USC on Jefferson Blvd, (probably the best in LA), and La Lousianne's on Slauson, near La Brea Ave, both in Los Angeles. New Orleans Cafe in Long Beach on Atlantic blvd.
Good eatin' !!!!!!!

[petradish]

We enjoy Harold & Belle's gumbo, catfish, and red beans & rice. Some pics from Friday night (my camera doesn't like the lighting in there!):

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=c...

[gsw]

Never been to Uncle Darrows, but their catering kitchen did an event I attended and it was very good.

[young_chower]

Here is a list from the LA times. They had an articel about all the displaced Hurricane Louisiana citizens and where they like to eat that type of food in LA:

Bayou Grille, 1400 N. La Brea Ave., Inglewood, [phone]

Creole Chef, 3715 Santa Rosalia, Los Angeles, [phone]

*Harold & Belle's, 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, [phone]

*New Orleans Fish Market, 2212 W. Vernon Ave., Los Angeles, [phone]

Uncle Darrow's, 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd., Marina del Rey, [phone]

I've never been to any of these places, but they are on my list.

[slacker]

the file gumbo at the Bayou Grille is gooood.

I got the small gumbo at Harold & Belle's, it's so rich, the large one would have done me in.

[mattesq]

I second the Palace Grill. Soft shell crabs are epic.

[Suebee]

I always get the Louisiana itch! A couple of suggestions: For some odd reason, Hermosa Beach has more NOLA spots than all of LA!

As Nicole mentioned, the Ragin Cajun in Hermosa Beach is fun, pretty decent grub, and loaded with fun New Orleans ephemera. We've only been once, but were pretty satisified.

http://www.ragincajun.com/main.html

Also, two more in Hermosa (we've never been to either but their on our list), Cafe Boogaloo just down the hill from Ragin Cajun, a blues club with full Louisiana-style menu

http://www.boogaloo.com/menu.html

Then there's the New Orleans Cafe, also just down the street from the other two. Never been, but maybe it's good?

http://www.foodnow.tv/nawlinsmenu.htm

Good Luck!

PS, We just went to the Palace Grill in Santa Barbara and had a most fabulous time. It's so festive in there and they really get into NOLA sounds, sights and smells.

http://www.palacegrill.com/

[Nicole]

In Hermosa Beach, we have Rajun Cajun cafe, on Pier Ave. I've actually never been, but others have told me that it's good.

[TravelPath]

Rajun Cajun can be very good...it is as close to LA(the other one) you will get in SoCal...Louisiana family run, the gumbo is almost as good as mine and the seafood dishes are bountiful and reasonable!

[Xericx]

uggh...i hated that place....everything was deep fried....badly!

mushy etoufee.....(they have these combo plates)....

although they do have voodoo beer....

[Norm Man]

For a taste of Lousiana, try

The Creole Chef
3715 Santa Rosalia Drive
Los Angeles
[phone]

or

the more upscale
Harold & Belle's
2920 West Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles
[phone]

I have read some positive Chowhound reviews of crawfish boils served at some restaurants in the Little Saigon area of Garden Grove area. One of these restaurants is:

Boiling Crab
14241 Euclid St., #C116
Garden Grove
[phone]

Elmomonster's review of Boiling Crab:
http://elmomonster.blogspot.com/2006/...

[frank828]

they just recently opened a Boiling Crab location in Alhambra(much closer to LA).

Went last week and its just as good as the garden grove location.

742 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91804

[ns1]

love the fish + sweet potato fries at the creole chef!

don't particularly enjoy their rendition of gumbo though

[blacksab67]

Nothing wrong with the Gumbo Pot at the Farmer's Market.

A happy hour pitcher of Fat Tire from the 360 Bar and the GP's red beans & rice is all I really need...

[Woolsey]

WHAT?! Everything's wrong with The Gumbo Pot at the Farmer's Market! The étouffée is black and watery with no tomato when it should be thick and over rice. The jambalaya has tomato and is soupy. All of it is overspiced, like the cooks are trying to mask the flavor of poor ingredients. My mother and her family are from south Louisiana, and I know Louisiana food, and The Gumbo Pot's food is to Cajun and Creole food what Taco Bell is to Mexican cuisine.

Harold & Belle's scratches my itch well enough when I don't want to make it myself.

[slacker]

I haven't been to the Gumbo Pot in a long time, but from what I can recall, it was good enough. Far better than the hyperboles you're flaming it with.

[Woolsey]

There are no hyperboles here. It's horrendous stuff. The dishes had no resemblance to their true counterparts. Étouffée is not a black soup. Jambalaya is not runny tomato rice. It all tasted like those terrible packets of spice mixes sold to tourists in the French Quarter. Maybe it's good enough for people who don't know their Louisiana food, but it was three-quarters of a plate of inedible food into the trash for me.

I crossed paths with customers walking away with po' boys when walking through the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago, and they have some mighty skimpy portions of seafood on them there.

[slacker]

It's not Taco Bell to me. I have absolutely no claim to truly knowing Lousiana food; I've eaten around New Orleans a couple of times, but I don't think that counts. I thought what I had at the Gumbo Pot was fine for what it is. Maybe it's not the true blue, but it wasn't exactly horrible.