Me-oh-my-a, jambalaya

>> New owners uphold the New Orleans tradition at La Louisiane

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

I wasn't born on the bayou, but I know Louisiana cuisine when I see it and I'm not talking McRib. I've been to New Orleans and I've tasted their food. Let me rephrase that: I spent every moment (and every dollar) of my time in Louisiana eating New Orleans Cajun Creole cooking.

Oysters and eggs for breakfast, po'boy sandwiches for lunch, jambalaya for dinner with bananas foster for dessert. Between meals I sampled crawfish and gumbo from as many joints as I could find. That was then.

This is now. I'm poor. I can't just buy a car and eat my way south like in the good ol' days. I've got to settle for what I can get on my own turf. When the owners of La Louisiane--the best Cajun/Creole in town--sold the place a couple of years back to open a new resto in a trendier locale, I thought I'd have to start saving up for a new used car, until I heard that the new owners are doing a fine job in keeping the Louisiana flame lit north of the border.

The restaurant is basically the same--thank the lord--because there was really nothing wrong. The interior is one big room and the open kitchen allows you to watch the cooks do their thang while you sip your drinks to a mix of N'awlins funk and jazz. We enjoyed a springtime pitcher of Bayou Brew, similar to Sangria, while we waited for our appetizers. This blend of red wine, bourbon, triple sec, soda water and fruit juices kept us refreshed between bites of spicy seafood Gumbo Ya Ya ($6) and a plate of deep-fried hushpuppies ($4).

Sometimes you taste a sauce so incredibly good that the meat you're dipping into it is only a polite way of getting the sauce to your mouth. The gumbo at this joint is this kind of sauce, except they also serve this tangy BBQ sauce in a big bowl topped with grilled shrimp and they give you a spoon!

The hushpuppies, spicy deep-fried cornmeal dumplings, really didn't need the accompanying BBQ sauce because we were dipping them into the gumbo, but the comparison drove home just how rich and delicious the gumbo actually was.

What Cajun/Creole feast would be complete without jambalaya? Ours ($14) was a luscious mix of seasoned rice with tangy andouille sausage (a New Orleans staple), ham and vegetables served in a pungent tomato-based Creole sauce and served with grilled shrimp and chicken. I couldn't figure out what blend of spices lent their flavour to the unique Creole sauce and the owners wouldn't divulge their secret. So I can't possibly tell you, which means you'll have to check it out for yourselves.

The crawfish tails ($18) from the daily table d'hote were perfectly sautéed and piled high with roasted shallots, grain mustard and tomatoes, all in a rich, velvety cream sauce. The generous heap of crawfish were shelled (for the lazy eater), but the dish was topped with three whole unshelled crawfish (for the adventurous), which I amateurishly tore apart.

There's only one way to cap off a meal like this one: double chocolate chip bourbon pecan pie drizzled with burnt caramel, topped with vanilla ice cream--need I say more?

Comments? foodspanky@hotmail.com

La Louisiane

Address: 5850 Sherbrooke W.

Phone: 369-3073

Hours: closed Monday; Tues-Wed 5:30-9:30pm; Thur-Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-11:30pm; Sat 5:30-11pm; Sun 5:30-9:30pm

Best features: authentic N'awlins food in an open kitchen with jazz and funk

Alcohol: Yes

Vegetarian-friendly: seafood

Wheelchair access: Yes

Credit cards: Yes

Price: $12-35 per person, before tax & tip

Rating: *** out of ****