The French Quarter is packed full or places to eat. They range from street carts to high end a la carte restaurants. In the middle of that range is the Le Bayou. From the exterior of the building you can tell that it's not a cheap dive. That statement might sound funny to someone who has never been to Bourbon Street. Anyone who has visited Bourbon Street knows exactly what I am talking about.
Wedged between run down heaps, strip clubs, dive bars, and sex shops you find nice dining locations like this one. It has a classic French Quarter look, with tall windows, iron banisters, and outdoor fans.
The food is classic New Orleans fair. You'll find an offering of poor boys, red beans, catfish, and other similar offerings. The pricing lands in the 12 to 20 range for most of the entrees. We grabbed the red beans and rice. They served it spicy sausage and fried chicken. All of it was decent quality. The only thing that stuck out to me was the chicken. It wasn't really fried chicken. It was generic chicken tenders. They just tossed them in a fryer to heat them up. Other than that, it was an excellent dish.
We grabbed some of the fried cheese cake for desert. It was warm, rich and creamy. With a nice graham cracker exterior and strawberry compote on top, this was worth saving space for.
Le Bayou also offers a number of beers on tap. A few of them are nice local beers. They normally offer a number of different kinds to meet all tastes, including a local IPA, Stout, and a few Ales. The prices are higher than you'd normally pay, but it's the typical Bourbon Street up charge.
The atmosphere of Le Bayou is nice, but if you want to do it right, ask to sit on the balcony. They will take you to the second floor, and walk you through a large window. Just remember to duck as you go through if you are over five foot six.
As you sit outside you can watch people go up and down Bourbon Street. It's a classic experience that anyone who likes to people watch should do.
The view is decent and at night it really takes on a new feeling. From the photos below you can see how odd Bourbon Street can be. The decent Le Bayou is next to a cheap eatery and across the street from the Hustler sex club.
