A Creole King
Despite a low funky factor, Stevie's serves generous amounts of genuine Louisiana fare
By Richard Foss
I'm suspicious of Creole restaurants in Los Angeles, especially nicely decorated ones. This cuisine seems to deserve a certain noir ambiance - maybe a dark, seedy, crumbling ruin just barely on the good side of Dumaine Street in the French Quarter. Not that people in New Orleans don't dine in fine restaurants - they do. Still, some of the great meals I've had in the Crescent City were at true dives.
Really good Creole food is a rarity in California anyway, where Cajun restaurants of much spiciness and dubious authenticity are far more common. The few Creole places that exist here tend toward pretty decor but boring food, and the nicer the one the blander the other. It was therefore with some trepidation that I approached Stevie's Creole Cafe and Bar in Encino. Not only was the place located in a new-looking building, but it also had valet parking: generally a sign that an establishment's funky factor is on the low side.
It was, but it doesn't matter, because Stevie's has genuinely good food. The gumbo ($8) had several layers of flavor stacked on top of each other, the thick seafood and meat stock offset by a complex spiciness. I've had gumbo in L.A. that was just fish soup with hot stuff thrown in, but this was the genuine article.
I wasn't disappointed by my main course, a large portion of fried chicken ($14) that had been lightly smoked before frying, ordered because my server said it was one of the specialties of the house. Perhaps lightly smoking the meat reduces the grease level as well as imparting flavor, because this was among the best-textured fried chickens I've ever had. It was very tender and juicy, but the batter didn't come off in huge chunks, as it often does when the bird is too greasy. The sides were right, too - collard greens that had been stewed in a good chicken stock, and that old standard, red beans and rice with just a hint of heat.
On my next visit, I went for a more traditional item - a very fine crawfish and shrimp etouffee. It featured plenty of seafood in a creamy sauce that had just the right notes of paprika, green pepper, and shrimp stock. At $24, this entree might be something of a splurge, but not if you regard it as a meal for two - which would have been appropriate, because the portion was mountainous. I had planned on eating dessert, but after making my best attempt to devour the huge platter of seafood and rice, I was almost incapable of movement. Put the emphasis on "almost," because I did have another engagement. Had I remained immobile, I might've caught a performance by the R&B band that was setting up while I dined - Stevie's is also a nightspot that features live music several evenings a week. But I had to leave before hearing a single note.
Like any decent jazz bar, Stevie's has a large beer selection, though I didn't notice Abita, the best beer actually brewed in Louisiana. Instead I ordered wine from the small but well-chosen by-the-glass list and found the RH Phillips Chardonnay a reasonable complement to the spicy food. One thing you'll find here that you don't see in most jazz joints is a decent vegetarian selection; I may return some time to see if the vegetable gumbo can possibly be in the same league as the seafood version.
Given the rarity of Louisiana Creole food around here, Stevie's should be a pilgrimage for adventurous diners from all around L.A. I don't know about the band, but the kitchen is really cooking.Published: 10/29/2003
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