Bourbon Street Bistro, NOLA Comes to LaPorte

THIS RESTAURANT IS NO LONGER OPEN - John has moved to The Bistro On the Greens in LaPorte - A review of that is coming soon. In the mean time enjoy this blog as an intro into Moultrie's world. 

There is little need to fly down to New Orleans in order to catch the NOLA vibe. Simply get in your car and drive to Bourbon Street Bistro located at 701 Lincoln way, La Porte, Indiana. 

You will be welcomed by deep, rich woodwork, tin press ceilings, antique slot machines, open staircase, and an over-sized pot belly stove. Let yourself be lulled by a vintage Creole atmosphere.  Be transformed and transported to a by-gone era. Tennessee Williams couldn’t have designed the scene any better. Imagine Vivian Leigh and Brando crying out over the banister and streetcars rushing by you as you await the first course. There is a spirit of the past that has been preserved in this Vaudevillian theatre formerly known at Etropal and John Moultrie’s sense of style and flair ensures that spirit of yesteryear is pervasive throughout his establishment. 

A word of warning: Don’t come to the Bistro if you think you are going to be watching calories. Be ready to indulge and treat yourself to a homegrown Mardi Gras. Moultrie’s homegrown recipes hail from a rich tradition in Cajun cuisine, seasoned with love by his ancestors. Couple that with his vast experience in the culinary industry and voila it combines to make the experience memorable and delish!

We began our gastronomical journey with a Hurricane Rum Punch, a NOLA tradition. Next, by recommendation of the staff we enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes, which were perfectly fried and evoked comments including “mmm, nice, mmm, yes! Shall we place another order?”

Next came my order of Gumbo Ya Ya, which was very savory and delightfully rich with all the traditional Cajun ingredients of onions, celery, sausage and chicken in a traditional broth.  My fellow diners feasted on Blackened Salmon, Kitchen Jambalaya, and my dish was Bourbon Street’s soon to be famous Bourbon Street Smothered Chicken. Each entrée came with a superb corn bread mini-loaf. All in all the food was prepared fresh and served up hot and fast.

John Moultrie’s commitment to excellent and a desire to bring high quality entertainment, food and overall experience to the people of La Porte and surrounding areas deserves a huge round of applause. The next time I go I will have to find a way to save room for the Bourbon Street Bread Pudding. I have often said, you can tell the truest culinary ability of a restaurant by how good their bread pudding and other house made desserts are, next to that is their soup. It might be time to add cornbread to that list.

Bourbon Street Bistro offers live entertainment on weekends. While they do not take reservations, one can always try by messaging the Bistro via their Facebook page. Don’t wait too long to get in there on the weekends, it fills up fast!

Bourbon Street Bistro is currently open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.  For more information, call (219) 575-7261 or visit facebook.com/bourbonstreetbistro.