A few weekends ago, the Husband and I met some friends out for a birthday party.  We were headed to Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen in Noda.  The Husband had been to the Blacksburg, VA location near Virginia Tech and was looking forward to checking out one of his old favorite’s here in the Queen City.  I was looking forward to seeing what food from Louisiana was about.

Our friend had made a reservation for 14 for her birthday and called that day to change the number to 12.  Unfortunately, when we arrived they didn’t have a reservation for us!  When the hostess flipped through a a three-ring binder filled with notebook paper to search for the reservation, we somewhat understood why – quite a low tech reservation system Luckily, we were willing to wait and they expected they’d be able to seat us about a half hour later.

Right off the bat, I knew I was going to have a Hurricane, a famous liquor filled drink from Louisiana.  The menu offered all sorts of options.  The Boudreaux’s Signature Hurricane increased in Category (like a real hurricane! my emergency management interest got a kick out of that) by adding a shot per level.  There were also a number of Hurricanes named after famous ones.  I went with the Hurricane Katrina which also donated $2 to a charity supporting continued Hurricane Katrina relief.

It had Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum, Bacardi Orange Rum, Southern Comfort, Hurricane Mix, ginger ale, and grain alcohol.  Yum! :-p

They also had a good beer selection including a variety straight from Louisiana.  The Husband enjoyed an Abita Jockamo IPA and an Abita Golden Lager.

Once the group was settled with drinks, we got a few appetizers to share amongst the table.  I was most excited to try Gator Bites.  They were fine – not as amazing as folks had claimed.  A little bit more tasty than small chicken nuggets.

The table also shared Crawfish & Spinach Dip.  I don’t believe I tried any of this, not realizing what it was.  I imagine it was good!

The Husband ordered a cup of the Gumbo Ducharme which included shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage, and crawfish.  He really liked this gumbo, but the cornbread was dry.

As usual, it took me a long time to decide what to have.  There were so many things I hadn’t had before that I wanted to try! I finally decided on an Oyster Po’Boy. This hit the spot! I’ve been wanting a po’boy for a while now and this one exceeded my expectations.  Definitely recommend this!

The Husband ordered the Low Country Shrimp and Grits.  It included adouille sausage, celery, onion, and bell pepper in a white wine, lemon and butter sauce.  It wasn’t quite what he was expecting (perhaps he didn’t read the menu? ) but he enjoyed it.

While it was frustrating that the reservation was lost, I’m glad the group stuck around and didn’t have to wait long to be seated as I’m glad I got to experience what Boudreaux’s had to offer.