The interior of TruOrleans; grilled oysters with garlic-butter sauce and Parmesan. Photographs by Emma Patti
Slideshow: A Slice of the Big Easy
Washington’s Cajun craze landed on DC’s H Street when TruOrleans, a bi-level 216-seat restaurant, opened July 15.
Co-owner James “Tru” Redding—also a partner in Arlington’s Sushi Rock and the Dupont Circle spots Public Bar and Lupe—teamed up with Hans Christensen and Brad Howard, who expanded their Washington recycling business to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The space reflects their time in the French Quarter with an open roof deck surrounded by wrought-iron railings, and bottles of Tabasco and “Slap Ya Mama” Cajun seasoning on every table.
The menu has classic Big Easy options, such as andouille-studded gumbo, plenty of fried seafood, and crawfish etouffee. The beverage list reads like a bar crawl down Bourbon Street: Abita Purple Haze beer on tap, Sazeracs, Midori-laced "green grenades," and, of course, three varieties of a Hurricane cocktail that range from a mild level 1 to gale-force 3, which is topped with 151-proof rum.
Chef Andre Miller (formerly of steakhouses Ruth's Chris and the shuttered Nick & Tony's in Cleveland) will add lunch service next week, with nine po'boys and a fried-catfish "reuben." Brunch and breakfast are also on the way.
TruOrleans. 400 H St., NE; 202-290-1244; truorleans.com. Open Monday through Thursday 4 to 10, Friday and Saturday 4 to 11; late-night appetizer menu available until close.
Click the menu to view at full size.
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Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
