Louisianne's Etc. — Restaurant in Middleton

Experience summary: Cozy atmosphere with live music, decent service, but overpriced unauthentic dishes.

Hi, As a disclaimer, I must admit I'm from Louisiana and lived over 25 years there between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Moved up to Madison/Middleton 5 years ago and have enjoyed this wonderful area very much, including its lovely people and food scene which was a surprise to me that there is so much variety and depth.

I typically avoid eating cajun or creole outside of Louisiana, but after many friends told me I HAD to eat at Louisianne's I decided to check it out with my girlfriend. The atmosphere was really nice and there was live music which is always a plus. Wasn't jazz like the site said, but enjoyable nonetheless. Service was friendly but rather slow, perhaps bc it was a busy night.

The first thing that struck me about the menu was that they seem to mix up cajun and creole food. These are two different cultures, two different peoples, two different cuisines. I'd expect this out of most restaurants outside Louisiana, but to be an upscale authentic cajun or creole restaurant and use these terms interchangeably is confusing to me. For instance, the "roasted shrimp" dish boasts "cajun seasonings" but then includes tomatoes. In general, creole food uses tomatoes, cajun food doesn't; that's the easiest way you can tell the difference between a cajun and creole jambalaya. There are exceptions (such as the cajun sauce piquant, which includes tomatoes as a key ingredient). This combination with a wine reduction and Parmesan cheese is out of place for gulf seafood. I could go on about the menu, but alas I'll just talk about what I actually ordered.

I had the pecan catfish which appeared to be a pecan take on catfish amandine, akin to the famous creole dish trout amandine à la meunière. Unfortunately, the blackened catfish was overcooked with a pungent sauce. I'm not sure if they were going for a meunière which is a classic simple french sauce (butter, parsley, lemon), or something else. My girlfriend (a Wisconsin native) got the étouffée as this is her favorite dish when she visits Baton Rouge with me. Unfortunately, she could barely finish half of it, as the roux was burned/bitter, the crawfish were tough, and perhaps she's gotten a bit spoiled down south. Almost forgot, for an appetizer we started with the barbecue shrimp. So, this is common mistake. Nola BBQ shrimp is sautéed in skillet with butter, lemon juice, creole spices, and Worcestershire. Ironically, it has little to do with BBQ. What we were served was shrimp with fancy barbecue sauce lol. Finally, a creole dessert menu without bread pudding... come on guys.

Anyway, I guess I've ranted too long. I just wish there was a more authentic cajun and/or creole place here in Madison/Middleton because it deserves much more, especially for the high prices they put on these spurious dishes! Overall, not a bad night though, we had fun and I finished my meal. I wouldn't say avoid the place or anything, just understand that from a local, the food appears rather far from, "The Flavor of New Orleans."

Laissez le bons...

Took my wife here for her birthday. We are both fans of cajun and creole food, New Orleans culture, and fine dining, so I assumed this would be an excellent choice.

It's tucked away downstairs and really does feel like a speakeasy in New Orleans. I did not know there would be live jazz and it was very well respected local musicians which was very impressive. Unfortunately there wasnt really anywhere to sit where you could still have a conversation at your table. We ended up sitting by the kitchen and the temperature was very, very hot. We considered leaving based on the temperature.

They have a large selection of appetizers and given that my wife LOVES crab and similar seafood, we tried the crawfish cheesecake, pecan crab cakes, and crab puffs. The cheesecake was served with French bread (think crab bread if you're not familiar with this particular New Orleans treat) and my wife loved it. I thought it was a little cheap tasting. The crab cakes were a little dry but paired with a wet slaw that complimented them well. The crab puffs were perfect.

For entrees we tried the crawfish etouffee and tasso and shrimp fettuccine. We found them both to be bland compared to the actual New Orleans versions-- I actually believe that, in Madison, New Orleans Takeout has better etouffee and Angelo's has better cajun fettuccine. The menu says they can be made hotter upon request but the issue wasnt just heat-- they were missing flavor. Same with the included gumbo, it was quite bland.

For desserts we sampled the peanut butter pie, creme brulee, and mocha mousse torte. They were all excellent although not particularly New Orleansy. Perhaps we should have tried the pecan pie.

The service was excellent, our servers were kind and very attentive.

My wife says she would definitely come back. I have mixed feelings. I am more critical than her, but she's also more of a gourmet foodee than I-- I just know what I like.

It was a memorable, affordable, quasi-fine dining experience. There are some cajun/creole dishes here you cant find elsewhere in Madison, but plenty of others you can find better...

It is difficult for me to write this review. Our server, Jamie, was incredibly wonderful. Most of the food was fabulous. The ambiance and Saturday night jazz piano were sublime. But, in all fairness, the problems we experienced were too egregious to ignore.

This venue is NOT friendly to those with disabilities. The entry stairs are steep, and many, with no visible alternate ramp or elevator.

We arrived just after opening. Our seating area was nearly empty. I immediately advised the server I could not eat hot, spicy foods and was assured they would adjust my preferred dish so that the Cajun spices were not added. We also ordered the appetizer sampler platter.

The platter took an inordinately long time to arrive, but was DELICIOUS! Our soups/salads were also top-notch. Then, we waited for our entrées ... and waited ... and waited. We became increasingly impatient, especially because most patrons who arrived after us were already eating their meals.

Our server did come round to apologize for the delay, but there was no offer of a complimentary drink, dessert, or discount. Finally, over an hour after we placed our order, the entrees arrived ... with an apology because Cajun seasonings had been sprinkled all over the top of my roasted shrimp!

Now, I could not eat my dinner. They offered a new entrée, but I didn't want to chance waiting another hour. Instead, I ordered a simple appetizer. They removed the charge for my entrée ... but added a charge for the appetizer, which I truly felt should have been complimentary considering all the problems. To top it off, it took approx 20 minutes or so for the appetizer to arrive. By then, my companions were finished with their meals.

Thus, while our server did an outstanding job, because of (un)timeliness and (in)accuracy, I give service a low rating. And while most of the food was amazing, I gave it a low rating for the same reasons. Not really what I was hoping for during my first visit.

Pictured: crab puffs, roasted shrimp, and appetizer...