*** Bud's has moved and is now Bud's Louisiana Cafe
Located on busy Kettner Boulevard, right next to that Little Italy landmark the Waterfront Bar(I'll save that for another day) resides Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe.
I've been to Bud's several times in the past, but recently, it occurred to me that the Missus had never eaten at Bud's, so we had to make sure to correct that oversight.
Bud's is a tiny, well lit, and clean little restaurant, and serves up some really good Cajun and Creole food.
We arrived right at 5pm and were seated immediately. I knew exactly what I wanted to start out with. The Jalapeno Cornbread Muffin(.50/ea):
Don't know what it is, well…..that's incorrect, I know exactly what I enjoy about these muffins; they aren't too sweet, have a nice, but not too overpowering butter flavor with whole kernels of sweet corn in them. Also, I love the added "zing" provided by the minced pieces of Jalapeno, that give the muffins a bit of an "edge". The Missus thought that he muffins weren't "grainy" enough, and too "oily", but I bought four more to go.
We started out with what I usually order when I'm at Bud's; the Fried Oyster Po' Boy($8.95). We split the sandwich and thought of it as our appetizer. Here's my half:
In what was a very astute strategic move by the kitchen crew, the Missus's half had twice the amount of oysters than mine. We both enjoyed the crunchy, gritty cornmeal coating, and the briney, oceany(fresh), oysters. The Jalapeno "Tartar" Sauce, was closer to a mildly spicy aioli, which balanced out the flavor of the Oysters instead of over-powering the Po' Boy.
The Missus ordered "A Taste of New Orleans"($15.95), which is a Catfish Filet over a bed of Crawfish Etoufee, and some rice:
One taste, and you'll know what makes this rich, velvety Etoufee work; it's the sweet Crawfish meat, nice balanced seasonings, neither too spicy, nor too meek, and most of all butta'! All started with a dark roux. Rich, yet so good. The Catfish was coated with a cornmeal batter, and was nice and moist, without a hint of muddiness.
The only thing that threw the Missus, was the "Converted" Rice, which I explained to Her is perfectly normal for the region.
I have always enjoyed the Gumbo at Bud's, and strangely enough, the Red Beans and Rice. I'm not a big fan of Red Beans and Rice, but the slightly smokey-sweet-rich flavor of Bud's version is my favorite. Since I had not had the Cajun Jambalaya at Bud's, but didn't want to give up my Gumbo, nor the Red Beans and Rice, I ordered the Cupa-Cupa-Cupa($11.95):
After tasting the Jambalaya, I told myself that I should have ordered the Fried Shrimp Po' Boy($7.95), with a cup of Red Beans and Rice($1.50) and a cup of Gumbo($4.95). The flavor of the Jambalaya was underwhelming, the rice dry, the bell peppers and celery undercooked. Even dumping several spoons of hot sauce on the Jambalaya really didn't help.
But as disappointed as I was with the Jambalaya, the rich smokey, and slightly spicy Gumbo, and the Red Beans and Rice came through to save the day.
In spite of the parking battleground that is Little Italy, Bud's is worth a try. The portions may seem on the small end, but the food is deceivingly rich. The food is also not overly spicy, but Hot sauce is provided should you need it; we believe you won't. Service has always been excellent and friendly, without being cloying. You can always get the food to go as well, but the fried stuff won't hold up for very long, so you might as well just have a seat, and have (More then) a few muffins.
Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe
2034 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours – Tues-Sat Lunch 11am-3pm
Dinner 5pm-9pm