Acadiana is located on New York Avenue, right near the Convention Center and just blocks away from the heart of Gallery Place.

Due to its proximity to the Convention Center and the fact it shares a building with two large law firms, it is usually crowded regardless of time or day of week. Reservations are a must for lunch, and I would recommend reservations for dinner since the Gallery Place area just keeps getting more and more crowded. Great for the DC economy!

I’ve been here frequently for lunch with my father, as it’s one of his favorites in the city. It is definitely on the pricer end and provides a leisurely dining experience. Service is prompt and attentive, but it is the type of place to sit and enjoy food instead of grabbing a quick bite.

The interior of the restaurant is really gorgeous. It has a very modern feel to it, especially with the overhead light fixtures and a huge open bar. There are regular tables and also some out-of-the-way booth seating for a little more privacy. The booths are right in the windows, but not to fear, the windows are tinted, so no curious passer-bys can intrude on your meal :)

There is an outdoor seating section as well, but it is on the sidewalk amongst other lofty office buildings, so it is not the most scenic. I think the interior is great and really adds to an excellent dining experience, so I would opt for inside, even on those gorgeous DC nights.

And now for the most important aspect – the food! Warm biscuits are served to start off the meal. They are literally fresh out of the oven, served with a side of crawfish butter and are my comfort-food weakness. If you happen to be seated in the way back of the restaurant, do not fear, as you have a pretty good view of the chef madly making and baking biscuits. It smells really delicious. Careful not to fill up on too many (a mistake I have made more than once).

The food is Southern-themed, which isn’t one of my favorite cuisines…that should give you an idea of how good the food is! There are lots of fried options with loads of butter, so it can lead for a rather heavy dining experience, but it is well-worth the calorie overload. The menu is very seafood oriented, but there are also plenty of “real” meat options.

The fried green tomato appetizer is good – 3 lightly fried slices with a shrimp garnish. The soups are too heavy for me, but I hear really great things about Acadiana’s offerings. My father raves about the chicken and sausage gumbo and the blue crab soup.

My personal favorite is the beet salad with pickled beets and spiced pecans (I usually get it without the goat cheese). Really flavorful and not too filling.

For lunch, the blackened tilapia is wonderful. I order it without the crawfish butter, and didn’t miss it at all! It comes with a sweet corn-cake that just melts in your mouth – it is SO good! I’ve also had the southern shrimp and grits without the ham (vegetarian!) which I really enjoyed. It was a bit too heavy for me, but it was delicious. The food is flavorful and has that certain taste that can’t quite be put into words.

I have yet to eat dinner here, but the menu looks just as good – additional dinner items include bbq shrimp, blackened mahi-mahi, and seared sea scallops.

I haven’t ever left enough room for dessert, but I plan to on my next visit! Some options include white chocolate creme brulee, pecan tart, and warm raisin bread pudding.

Side-note, Acadiana is one of four in a “family” of fantastic restaurants, considered to be some of the best in Washington, DC – the others are Ten Penh, Ceiba, and DC Coast, all located downtown. They all specialize in something different (Ten Penh is Asian cuisine). I highly recommend all of them.