(August 1, 2008) I like to look at the Evangeline Café as a gift to south Austin: a bountiful plateful of Cajun delights from a Louisiana foodie named Curtis Clark. The restaurant draws its name from the heroine of Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline." While Evangeline Bellefontaine herself was a fictional character, the Acadian culture and cuisine she embodied is very real and alive and well at this little joint on 8106 Brodie Lane.

Owner: Curtis Clark

The first time I walked in the door of Evangeline Cafe four years ago I felt as I had been transported to some little dive on the edge of the great Atchafalaya swamp. All that was missing was some swamp music and about a ton of crawfish.

And then someone handed me a platter of the Oysters Contraband and the deal was sealed. Jeffrey's has a dish similar to this that's geared more to upscale dining. The Contraband at Evangeline is decidedly downscale, but with the fried oysters atop homemade chips and a lovely remoulade, no less delicious. And the Frog Legs cannot be passed by. They are served deep- fried Louisiana-style with just a touch of batter. The flavor just rushes out at you cher! Another classic is the Stuffed Pistolette. You can choose between shrimp or crawfish stuffed in petit French rolls and absolutely imbedded in a creamy cheese sauce. Mon dieu! And you want Gumbo? Evangeline's has Gumbo baby. The roux is a little strong for my tender sensibilities. But the chicken and sausage go nicely together.

Crawfish Macque Choux

Probably the most ancient of all the recipes at Evangeline is the amazing Crawfish Macque Choux. Corn lies at the base of this dish. The crawfish is sautéed and served on streamed rice with a Creole corn chowder (the macque choux). The fact that its high in butter, heavy cream, and corn should give you some idea that it's not exactly a low-carb dish. But the counterpoint of that is rich, and amazing flavor. To me that's no-brainer.

And the Crawfish Etoufee is quite literally another show stopper. Done in my favorite blonde roux, it has a wonderfully subtle flavor with the requisite back bite that characterizes good renditions of this dish. And do yourself a favor and try the Gold Band Creole. You start with deep-fried butterflied jumbo shrimp served over a bed of fettuccine and a creole sauce along with a Cajun aoli and the gold band, a layer of parmesan cheese. There are variations of this dish with oysters, but this is the best one I've seen using shrimp.

The sandwiches, burgers, and the obligatory Po Boys round out the offerings at Evangeline's. My favorite of all? The Cheeseburger. Curtis alleges that this recipe is so coveted in Louisiana that people have been killed over its possession. You will have no such fate when you eat this: the only kill you'll see is as a metaphor for good taste.

And oh yeah? The music! Well you can catch them on the weekends and weeknights as well. I came out here on a recent Saturday night and the joint was jumpin'. The band leader had on a shiny, transparent emerald blue suit that was almost like a vision. And they had this foot stomping, pulsating, irresistible vibe going on that rivaled the food. Like I said: this place is a gift, hand wrapped by Curtis Clark. And on behalf of Austin foodies, let me be the first to say thank you.

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