Aside from a few chains and places like Pearl Dive, the cajun food scene in DC proper is surprisingly lacking. Luckily, Catahoula has set up shop on the banks of the Anacostia with crawfish bibs, remoulades, and cocktails straight out of the French Quarter. Split into two zones, the fleur-de-lis-stamped patio and rooftop serve crawfish and seafood boils, and the fern-filled brasserie dining room is focused on po’boys and oysters. Just like Mardi Gras, it can feel a bit touristy, especially pre- or post-Nats games, but dishes like citrussy oysters evangeline, broiled with garlic butter and fermented chile, are worth battling the throngs of jerseys and cherry blossom hats.
photo credit: Thomas Rose
photo credit: Thomas Rose
photo credit: Thomas Rose
photo credit: Thomas Rose
photo credit: Thomas Rose
Start with the cornbread, shaped like little fish that you swim through honey butter and burnt scallion emulsion. For po’boy fans: you’ve got options. Eight, to be precise, but we like the peppery blackened catfish and ultra-savory debris, shredded beef slow roasted and topped with gravy. Some dishes, like the boeuf cru “mekong” with chile, nuoc chom, and benne bring in Vietnamese fusion. The drinks keep with the theme, including a version of New Orleans’s infamous neon green hand grenade, a frozen slushie made with melon, vodka, gin, white rum, and pineapple. Just be warned: the grenades at Catahoula pack the same explosive yield as their Bourbon Street counterparts.
Dining and Cooking