bayou

mediocre. i will admit that once we arrived, this place definately had the atmosphere we were expecting, including a live jazz band with dinner!
service was prompt and courteous (we had reservations) and were seated very promptly. what really let us down was the food.
i will admit the cheese biscuits that started the meal were quite yummy (warm, moist, and full of flavor). everything else we had just seemed to be missing a little bit.
we had the crawfish and andouille sausage cheesecake for an appetizer because it sounded interesting and we wanted to try something different. i generally expect andouille be a little bit smokey and quite a bit spicy. this andouille was neither. the dish itself was well conceived, but it just a needed a little more (the tobasco on the table helped).
for our entrees, i had the jambalaya and my wife had the shrimp and grits. the jambalaya was again nothing spectacular. the shrimp was slightly overcooked and the andouille (as stated earlier) was bland. having had true low country shrimp and grits, i was greatly disappointed with the ones that came out. the cheese grits were very liquidly, way too much cream. cheese grits for shrimps and grits should be more 'sticky'. the shrimp was again slightly overcooked. the flavor was there, but just needed a little more umph.
i will also give credit to their cocktails which were quite nice.
so in summary, i didn't dislike the food, but it was not good enough for me to give it a "like".

i like true spicy cajun food. the food didn't meet that for me. the staff was friendly and it was a great environment they had a band. nice place to hang out and have drinks

well as a southern louisiana girl, i'll admit to being skeptical, but bayou impressed me and i'd definitely return. give it a try for a taste of southern la.

satisfied my creole craving. grade: b+/a-
since i heard about bayou, i wanted to go there. very glad that we did. the interior was reminiscent of places seen in the french quarter - as is the food.
it was evident that the gumbo started with a good roux. red beans and rice were done legitimately. the fried green tomatoes were incredible and beautifully presented.
what got me was the po' boys. it's a sign of dedication that bayou gets its bread from leidenheimer's bakery in new orleans - the place that makes the rolls for every po' boy in the crescent city. both the shrimp and oyster renditions were excellent, with fresh, wonderfully fried seafood. loved it.
i'll be back!

bayou blues. if you're looking for an anita this is the place. the food how ever is only so so. the tasty jambalaya is a bit watery but had only 3 (flavorful) shrimp. the gumbo is more like a bowl of gravy with a few bits of sausage and shrimp. no okra to be found anywhere. the biscuits are good. not bad but not nawlins food. slightly better than mediocre at 3 out of 5 stars

great food and hot when it came to the table but very delayed service -- the waitress was really nice but seemed overwhelmed. the manager was great and very attentive to the room.

excellent service. wonderfully friendly staff. shrimp and oyster po boy was excellent. the red beans and rice was flavorful but a bit watery. same thing goes with the collard greens. i will be back!

excellent service but the food could do with some refinement.

we had brunch and it was delicious. blackened steak and eggs and fried green tomatoes eggs benedict. everything was awesome and the service was excellent. will be coming back for one more.

i had the fried green tomatoes, jambalaya, and bread pudding. everything was amazing!

it was a festive atmosphere at bayou, which is right on pennsylvania between where foggy bottom ends and georgetown begins. being too hot for a patio brunch—though they do have a lovely patio indeed—we grabbed the biggest table inside, underneath the draped mardi gras beads, colorful chandeliers, and various new orleans knick knacks.

good take on po'boys. best po' boys i have had in dc. i have been a few times and had the half catfish/shrimp po' boys and the shrimp and grits. the sides needs some work. as a new orleans native, i would take locals and visitors here, but not anyone from new orleans.

new orleans: now, now. one of the things about having spent a lot of time in the big easy is having over-indulged on the food that new orleans has to offer. i am always open to trying new orleans cuisine in other parts of the states, but there are only a few that comes close and those are in chicago where there was some migration from new orleans. dc? bayou has all of the presentation and intentions, but the food tastes perfectly primarily for a tourist's palate. fried green tomatoes heaped with a fancy salad. not in new orleans. dirty rice prepared more like rice pilaf. not in new orleans. big ups on the blackened catfish. and i shall not leave out the delicious bread pudding in a bourbon sauce with vanilla ice cream that made it all right.

wow. this is not new orleans. boudin balls taste like salmon cakes. red beans and rices taste out the bag. the crawfish and andouille sausage cheescake was good though. dont expect real nawlins food.

a slew of new restaurants have opened up in dc offering new orleans-style cusine within the past year.