Hot off of one of the busiest restaurant months in Portland, Oregon, food and travel writer, Elizabeth Rose, tells us about a very special dinner she had. Make plans now to check out Acadia: A New Orleans Bistro and other Portland gems.

Louisiana barbeque shrimp made a great starter.

There are many benefits when a community organizes a dining week or month. And this year’s Portland Dining Month provided a great budget-friendly way to experience the Cajun and Creole cuisine of New Orleans, practically in our own back yard. Our choice for an outing was the cozy neighborhood eatery, Acadia: A New Orleans Bistro. And the price of a three-course Portland Dining Month dinner was only $33.

Chef Seamus Foran and Acadia Bistro

Chef Seamus Foran, a Portland native, cooked at Acadia alongside the former owner for a number of years before he had the opportunity to buy the restaurant in 2014. The focus remains the cuisine of Louisiana and New Orleans.

Supporting Gulf Coast purveyors, the restaurant serves domestic, wild caught seafood fresh from the shores of Louisiana. They also work with local Pacific Northwest farms and purveyors to provide quality local meats and produce.

Two of Foran’s dishes are found in the book, Portland Cooks. These are the ones I’ve enjoyed several times at Acadia… the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp and the Bread Pudding and ones that I savored on my recent Portland Dining Month visit.

Portland Dining Month Menu at Acadia Bistro

We chose an early dinner reservation, 5:30 p.m. because we knew Acadia would be crowded. We enjoyed a window table in this brightly painted small restaurant. The wait staff was efficient and friendly and said they had been busy throughout Portland Dining Month. Our server quipped,  “It’s because our name starts with A so they see us first!”

She suggested the Louisiana barbeque shrimp as an appetizer even though it was not part of the dining month menu. We succumbed, having tasted this marvelous dish on previous visits. Their huge shrimp, shipped in from Louisiana, swims in a rich barbeque sauce made, in part, with lemon, black pepper, white wine and butter. And of course they add a baguette because you just have to sop up the sauce!

We also succumbed to their excellent wine list and ordered glasses of Tempranillo to go with our meals.

The dining month menu had four entrée options: Louisiana Wild Catfish, Cajun Jambalaya, Louisiana Gulf Shrimp Creole and Smoked Pork Cheeks. The starter, a house green salad and the desert, their bread pudding, were the other two courses.

A cooling salad between courses.

After enjoying the marvelous, rich and spicy shrimp appetizer I was left wanting more so selected the shrimp creole. While we waited, the crisp fresh green salad with vinaigrette dressing was served.

Louisiana gulf shrimp creole.

We noticed the restaurant filling up and checked out what other diners were ordering. Everything else looked good too!

The Louisiana gulf shrimp creole didn’t disappoint. It was a traditional creole dish with small shrimp, black kale, button mushrooms, spinach and quite a bit of white rice. The sauce was just as good as I had experienced with the appetizer… zesty and rich. Since there was so much, I ended up taking half of it home and I have to say the dish heated up the second night was just as delicious.

We were quite full but couldn’t resist the dessert. When we were served the dessert, a hearty, sweet vanilla bean bread pudding with salted whiskey caramel sauce, I knew Acadia was the type of place that deserved their reputation. The food was consistently excellent, tasty and, I have to add, not low calorie.

Bread pudding at Acadia Bistro.

When You Dine at Acadia Bistro

Whether you are in the mood for a taste of the Gulf Coast or just want to experience a special Portland neighborhood restaurant, a visit to Acadia Bistro should be in your plans. Acadia Bistro offers special events at holiday time and, I highly recommend their Gumbo Weekend when you can enjoy a flight of different gumbos.

— Article and photos by Elizabeth Rose

When you go: 

Portland Dining Month takes place every March. It’s a great way to explore the culinary delights of this foodie city.

Acadia: A New Orleans Bistro
1303 NE Fremont St. Portland, Oregon
503-249-5001

To help you spend your time in Portland, be sure to read Elizabeth Rose’s review of the book, 100 Things to Do in Portland Oregon Before You Die.