Authenticity Creates a Cravin’ for Cajun

Cafe N’Awlins is a narrow, brightly lighted cafe in downtown Burbank. It has five plastic tables with assorted lawn chairs to sit on and nothing for decor but a few Mardi Gras masks nailed to the wall. It is also the most attractive smoke-filled restaurant in the city.

I’m not referring to cigarette smoke, of course--we all know there’s none of that in restaurants anymore--but to the sweet smoke of spice-rubbed fish blackened on a red-hot pan.

Chef Mark Antoine Foster uses red snapper in place of the all-but-unobtainable Mexican Gulf redfish in his “very blackened red fish.” Snapper isn’t as flavorful as redfish, but just taste this spice-crusted wonder. It puts other versions of blackened fish in this town to shame.

Foster, a young New Orleans native, has impressive credentials. Introduced to Cajun cooking at a hotel called Maison Dupuy by Paul Prudhomme himself, he then honed his considerable skills at two well-known New Orleans institutions, the Court of Two Sisters and Commander’s Palace. He’s good enough to revive the Cajun food craze all by himself.

It’s unthinkable to begin a meal here without a bowl of the gumbo, which is literally the best I’ve ever tasted. The color of cafe au lait from a slowly browned Cajun roux, it’s rich and buttery and full of shrimp, shredded crab meat and chunks of a spicy sausage; it’s thick enough to stand up a spoon in. The sneaky kick of cayenne lingers long after the first couple of spoonfuls.

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Gumbo would be just the beginning of a N’Awlins-style feast here. You might also have shrimp Creole (possibly the Southland’s best), crab cakes, that incredible blackened fish, N’Awlins’ unctuous version of red beans and rice, or other dishes according to the season.

The only appetizers are gumbo and shrimp cocktail, so let’s just proceed right to the main courses, all of which come with a creamy yellow potato salad and vegetables du jour, such as sweet corn or okra.

The dish I found myself craving most after a recent dinner was shrimp Creole, a spicy stew of shrimp with tomatoes and more of that good brown roux, all served over rice. There must be about 18 medium shrimp to an order, and it’s hard not to finish them all.

Crab cakes are another dish that redefines the standards for me. In California, most crab cakes are pan-fried with a firm crumb crust, but Foster’s are soft and yielding, all claw meat. They’re rich and buttery, which makes them easy to mix up with rice, the best way to eat them.

For the smooth, creamy red beans and rice, the beans are sauteed with onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic and a bit of wine. What Foster calls “my jambalaya” is a mixture of shrimp, chicken and smoked hot sausage in a semi-spicy base of rice and diced tomatoes. And there are always etouffees, deep brown stews made with chicken, shrimp or Louisiana crayfish. I had a chicken model, and it was the most interesting chicken and rice dish I’d had in a long time.

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This is a bare-bones restaurant and Foster is continually running out of things. One evening, the waitress told the five of us we’d have to wait for him to come back from the store. When he got back, we found the kitchen was still out of shrimp au gratin, pecan pralines and that New Orleans trademark, chicory coffee. “The machine is broken,” he said apologetically.

There are three desserts: a sweet potato pecan pie with a crunchy top crust, a rich bread pudding topped with brandy sauce and something called French chocolate silk pie, a crumb-crusted pie with a creamy light chocolate chiffon center. All three are homemade and taste it, and as a final touch the chef whips a heavy cream topping as you watch.

Don’t even think of coming here if you are counting calories, but otherwise don’t miss out. The Cajun craze may be long past, but a chef with this kind of talent can flame things up in a hurry.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Cafe N’Awlins.

* WHERE: 122 N. San Fernando Road, Burbank.

* WHEN: Lunch and dinner 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 1-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

* HOW MUCH: Dinner for two, $15-$26. Suggested dishes: Cajun seafood gumbo, $4; shrimp Creole, $7.50; very blackened red fish, $9.50; sweet potato pecan pie with Chantilly cream, $3.50.

* FYI: No alcohol. Street parking. Cash only.

* CALL: (818) 563-3569.