Newly open as of Saturday is BAYOU CREOLE KITCHEN AND ROTISSERIE in the Mission. It’s in the former Young’s BBQ space and is from Garcon’s Jerome Rivoire and chef Arthur Wall, a New Orleans native. It’s meant to be a casual and authentic place, no-frills but still mindful (Wall described it as “a po’boy shop on steroids”). It’s also designed to be affordable, with most menu items ranging from $10-$20. They expect to do a lot of takeout, delivery, and catering.
Wall is excited to be cooking his native dishes. You’ll find a menu (here’s the preliminary menu, subject to change!) of po’boys (from fried soft-shell crab to oysters to boudin, served on Leidenheimer rolls he’s flying out from NOLA), seafood or chicken and andouille gumbo, broiled oysters gratinée, shrimp cocktail, and some other classics like frog legs and a few slighty nicer entrées like sole (or flounder) meunière, crawfish étouffée, and filet mignon medallions with mushroom peppercorn sauce. There is also a rotisserie, which they’ll be spinning Creole-spiced chicken and baby back ribs on.
They have a close relationship with and will be sourcing their meats with Olivier Cordier of Olivier’s Butchery in Dogpatch (he grew up with Rivoire in Burgundy), and the seafood is from Louisiana and the Gulf (via Gulfish), including Gulf oysters, shrimp, catfish, and blue crab fingers. Look for some seafood boils when it’s the season, and you know they’ll have some specials for Mardi Gras.
There are wines by the glass, either an affordable $8 selection or you can spring for a Gigondas—it’s up to the guest how much they’d like to spend, but they want people to feel like there’s a lot of value. The dining room has 22 seats and features some eclectic artwork. It reopens for dinner this Wed, and soft opening service for now is dinner Tue-Sat. They’ll launch lunch either this weekend or next, when hours will extend to Tue-Sat 11am-11pm. Sunday brunch will be coming later. 3412 17th St. at Valencia.
You can’t miss the cheerful exterior of Bayou in the Mission. Photo via Instagram.
