Mardi Gras Every Day at Lousiana Purchase

Gator by the Bay is this weekend, but Louisiana Purchase, North Park's premiere Creole fine dining restaurant, features the flavors of the Bayou every day. 

The atmosphere of the restaurant is chic, yet practical, offering plenty of space and fresh air for patrons to enjoy their meals and let the good times roll! 

During the pandemic, LP has updated their dining room to include partitions between each table to offer not only safety but privacy between guests. 

Let's get to the best part, the food! Chef Quinnton Austin hails from New Orleans, and serves up some of the city's finest treats, with some SoCal flair thrown in on the weekly specials menu to give some nod to his new home.  

We started with garlic cheddar biscuits served with a honey butter and strawberry jam. These biscuits are so tender and delicious, and huge! These are great to start out a meal or as a side for eating with their amazing entrees. 

Our other starter was the Acme char-grilled oysters.  These are cooked well done, so a great option for those who don't really do the raw oysters, but also an amazing, surprising appetizer for any seafood lover. Covered with parmesan and served with bread, they taste like New Orleans. 

The drinks are one of the best things at Louisiana Purchase. The bar is fully stocked and their featured drinks are reminiscent of a party in NOLA itself. We chose the Pimmp's Cup and the Skull and Bone mojito for this visit, but all of the drinks are skillfully and thoughtfully made. 

The Pimmp's cup is a play on the classic Pimm's cup drink, with Pimm's, ginger, Orange Crush soda, and cucumber. 

The Skull and Bones mojito is a twist with rum, passionfruit, mint, lime, and club soda. 

The shrimp and grits is a classic Creole dish, and LP serves this dish its due, but manages to make it original with a very spicy tomato and onion sauce and cheese grits. 

 The ribeye with garlic herbed butter was huge and incredible.  The meat is very tender and cooked perfectly with lots of great flavor. 

Sides are ordered separately at LP, and with the steak, we chose the maple roasted brussel sprouts and the gouda mac and cheese. 

The mac and cheese was probably some of the best I've had, with a rich texture and pronounced cheese flavor. 

The brussel sprouts were roasted with maple syrup and cooked to perfection, with a crispy outer crust and tender inside. 

Louisiana Purchase offers the flavors of New Orleans right in San Diego. Open Wednesday through Sunday with a late night menu on Fridays and brunch on Sundays. Check them out!