ACADIAN GRILLE

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑

Cajun Cuisine & Smoked Meats

Standout Dishes: Blackened Shrimp Po Boy; Jambalaya; Scallop Cakes

At the intersection of French, Caribbean, and Southern soul food lies Cajun cuisine, a cooking style that results in depth and layers of delicious, heavily spiced flavor. It’s a difficult cuisine to master, which may explain why Omaha lacked any standout Cajun restaurants until the mid-2010s.

But once Omahans got a taste this robust, rustic food, they couldn’t get enough of it. And there’s no better place to experience Cajun and Creole food than Acadian Grille.

The restaurant was an immediate hit from the moment it opened just off 114th and Dodge in 2016. The menu features all the Cajun classics, from jambalaya to etoufee, fried catfish, and red beans and rice. But the scratch kitchen also offers some creative spins of Cajun dishes, such as Gouda Mac & Tasso, Bayou Cioppino with Soft Shell Crab, and Cajun Meatloaf.

At the heart of Acadian Grille is its memorable blackening season, which makes a glorious appearance in many of the restaurant’s dishes.

“I just love blackened food, and it’s very hard to find,” owner Dan O’Brien said on the Restaurant Hoppen podcast. “Our blackening seasoning has four different types of pepper in it, along with oregano and thyme; onion powder, garlic powder. When I think of Cajun food, I think of why I love it so much, I’m really into blackened seafood and other proteins, and you can really do whatever you want from there.”

O’Brien’s infatuation with blackening seasoning shines throughout the menu, and no dish showcases it better than the Black Cat. A large piece of catfish is rubbed liberally with the blackening spice, giving it a nice crust and a solid peppery heat. It’s cooked to a tender flakiness, then placed atop a bountiful bed of savory, hearty dirty rice. A tangy Acadian mustard drizzle adds the creaminess to tie this delicious dish together.

Another great way to experience the blackening spice is through Acadian Grille’s various po boy sandwiches: catfish or shrimp can be grilled, fried, or blackened. While all versions are excellent, the latter sticks out, especially on the Blackened Shrimp Po Boy.

The shrimp are the star, as the blackening season creates a light crust that adds texture and a touch of spice while allowing the middle of the crustaceans to remain tender and juicy.

The shrimp are drizzled with a creamy, sweet/sour remoulade and piled onto a crispy baguette with crisp vegetables and a sprinkling of agave nectar. The result is a sandwich that allows you to continually unpack new flavors as you move through it, and the spice, sweetness, and acidity are in perfect balance.

The blackening seasoning also shows up in the Five-Pepper Cream with Blackened Chicken & Pappardelle. The pepper-forward spice balances the creaminess of the sauce, and the thick pappardelle noodles are tender, cooked just short of al dente. The dish is a bit sauce-heavy and rich, but it’s impossible to stop digging in for bite after bite.

Delicious as its blackening seasoning is, Acadian Grille isn’t a one-trick pony. There are plenty of great takes on traditional Cajun dishes that the wonderful seasoning doesn’t touch.

At the top of that list is the Jambalaya. Though the chicken gets a bit lost, this savory rice dish receives pops of spice and fat from delicious andouille sausage and a slight tanginess from its tomato base.

The Shrimp & Grits are exactly what you’re hoping for when you order this classic dish. The grits are creamy, buttery, and fatty, which pairs nicely with the fresh, tender shrimp. Acadian kicks their offering up by peppering in small chunks of fried tasso ham, which adds a little more fat and a crispy texture to break up the overall soft texture of the dish.

The Traditional Gumbo sounds simple, but it’s a complex dish. This rich, hearty stew features a brilliant dark rous, a healthy dose of rice, and chicken and andouille sausage to create a culinary symphony.

Seafood plays a supporting role in many of Acadian Grille’s dishes, but it can shine when it’s allowed to star. The crab on the Softshell Crab Sandwich features a juicy, sweet flesh that’s accented by a light, flavorful batter and a delicious Cajun mustard. Better toasted bread would send this sandwich over the top.

At most restaurants, the fish or crab cake dishes feature as much filler as seafood. Not so at Acadian Grille, where the Scallop Cakes‘ forefront flavor is the subtle sweetness of the scallops. Creole mustard adds a bold zing, and the grilling of the cakes creates great texture.

Acadian Grille’s menu trots off the Cajun path at times, to varied results. The Poutine would floor any Canadian, as this is nothing like the classic cheese curds/gravy/french fries dish our friends north of the border adore. But just because it’s not authentic doesn’t mean it’s not delicious. The Cajun fries got soggy in the gumbo gravy, but the rich flavor of the gravy made the lack of texture worth it. Plus, this dish is flowing with melty cheese and hunks of peppery andouille sausage. This was more gumbo chili cheese fries than poutine, but good luck not crushing the whole plate.

The Taco is a total miss, however. Puffy tacos are delightful, as the fried shell adds airiness and crunch, but this shell isn’t fried enough, leaving it soft and a bit chewy. And the beef/pork combination promised by the menu is almost completely absent.

Any order at Acadian Grille should include a side of Cornbread. The buttermilk provides a pleasant tang that keeps the hearty bread from becoming overly sweet, though you can add honey if you want to amp up the sugar.

Due to its scratch kitchen nature, wait times at Acadian Grille can be a bit higher, though not in a restrictive way. The servers are friendly and work hard, and Dan O’Brien himself is often seen delivering dishes to tables.

The restaurant’s atmosphere is casual and laid back, yet also refined. There’s an air of welcoming Southern hospitality that permeates the restaurant, which makes any potential extended wait times from the scratch kitchen pass by quickly.

Cajun cuisine requires a lot of time and expertise, which is why you don’t see many restaurants offer it. But if you want to take your tastebuds to Louisiana, Acadian Grille is the place to do so.