San Diego Metropolitan Magazine

New Orleans native Bud Deslatte serves up a dish at his new restaurant, a handkerchief-sized eatery in Little Italy. (photo/alandeckerphoto.com)

A year ago in July I received an e-mail with the subject line “Bud’s moving back.” I knew instantly that it could only be Bud Deslatte, my favorite restaurant neighbor of yore.

A native of New Orleans, Bud Deslatte owned and operated Feelings Café, a very popular eatery in the Marigny, just outside the French Quarter, from 1979-1983. He also operated two restaurants in Atlanta before coming to San Diego and opening the very popular Bayou Bar and Grill in 1990. In 1995 he sold The Bayou to one of his key employees (he has sold every one of his restaurants to former employees), and moved to Portland where he opened two more restaurants, Creola Bistro in 1996 and Arcadia in 2002. Gee, do ya think Bud’s got the restaurant bug?

After nearly 10 years away, Bud and his longtime partner Rob Adams decided they missed the wonderful San Diego weather and wanted to spend more time with Bud’s grandchildren. The rest is history. Bud’s back, and of course he has opened a new restaurant, this time in the up-and-coming Little Italy area of Downtown.

Bud’s Louisiana Food Shoppe is a handkerchief-sized eatery offering both indoor and street-side dining that features traditional Cajun/New Orleans cuisine in a casual and comfortable atmosphere.

The two-page menu might look small, but don’t worry, all of your Bayou favorites are on it. The most important ingredient in making a truly authentic Po Boy Sandwich is the French baguette. Upon his return, the first priority for Bud, after securing a space, was to find the right bread. After months of tasting and research, he found a bakery in Vista that makes the perfect French-style baguette.

I’d always been a sucker for the Bayou’s “Fried Oyster Po Boy” ($8.95), so of course I had to try it here. Yep, just about how I remembered it. Hunky cornmeal crusted oysters slathered with jalapeño tartar sauce wrapped in a light and slightly chewy baguette. There are five other Po Boys to choose from including fried shrimp, BBQ shrimp, andouille sausage, roast beef and, of course, the famous fried catfish.

Other than seafood gumbo and seafood bisque, the starter list is limited. The “Shrimp Bourbon Street” ($5.95), cornmeal crusted shrimp deep-fried and served with a marmalade-horseradish dipping sauce, and the “Oysters En Brochette” ($7.95), the aforementioned cornmeal crusted oysters from the Po Boy, but this time wrapped in bacon and again served with jalapeño tartar. Both are very good, but pace yourself, this stuff is not light and you really want to get to the main dishes. After a cup of rich seafood gumbo you might want to have a small Caesar salad to cleanse your palate a bit before your entrées. FYI, the Caesar comes in a large size, too ($6.95), and for a small charge you can throw on fried oysters, fried shrimp or grilled andouille sausage.

Bud does specials nightly, and one of the most popular and frequent offerings is the “Bronzed Catfish” ($15.95). An 8-ounce catfish filet is seasoned with Creole seasoning, pan-fried, served over a shrimp and crawfish stuffing and finished with a smoked tomato beurre blanc.

The “Fried Catfish Plate” ($8.95) is a winner. Cornmeal crusted and flash-fried, it is served with jalapeño tartar and your choice of small Caesar or cup of red beans and rice. Go for the red beans and rice – they are slow cooked with smoky ham hocks and served over al dente white rice.

Other specialty dishes stand out, too, like the creamy, semi-spicy Crawfish Étouffée, the Shrimp Creola, and the spiciest dish on the menu, the Cajun Jambalaya. All these dishes come in a small or large plate size and are priced accordingly.

The desserts are all made in-house. Some of you may remember the fluffy peanut buttery “Cajun Velvet Pie” ($3.95), the “Creole Pecan Pie” ($4.95) or Bud’s famous bread pudding ($4.50) from The Bayou. Well, they’re here and I’m happy to report that after all these years Bud’s back, and better than ever.