THE BAYOU
50 State St., Newburyport
(508) 499-0428
(Directions)

Restaurant reviewed 08/05/97 by Alison Arnett

THE BAYOU Type: Cajun Prices: Appetizers, salads, soups: $3.95-$10.95; entrees: $11.95-$18.95; desserts: $3.95. Good choices: Seafood gumbo; oysters Bienville; grilled andouille sausage; baked chicken Pitken; ginger and herb-crusted pork chop; Cajun jambalaya Lafourche; pecan-crusted catfish; pecan pie. Hours: Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday, lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; dinner, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday: lunch, 11:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.; dinner, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Reservations accepted. Smoking on third floor on weekends. Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover. Access: First floor accessible; restrooms on second floor.

New Orleans grips the diner's imagination as strongly as it does a music lover, and in much the same way. Lively flavors, a certain insouciance in the use of spices, a gaiety - the palate image matches the mental image one gets upon hearing Dixieland jazz or Cajun zydeco.

``The whole deal is a party, you know,'' says the young chef of The Bayou, a restaurant in Newburyport dedicated to New Orleans-style food. Kip Dixon came to this old New England trading port on the invitation of his childhood friend, Dr. Christian Mannsfeld, who owns the restaurant. The two grew up in Mobile, Ala., next door to the Crescent City.

On a warm summer night, when the streets of this old trading port are filled with visitors heading for a seaside concert or a seasonal festival, the party atmosphere fits like a glove.

The Bayou carries the festivity indoors. Dining in the casual first-floor bar/cafe area, one can watch the passing parade from the window, glance at the cooks working in the open kitchen, and listen to blues groups. Dixon decorates with sprinkles of red pepper, flecks of green herbs, and gratings of cheese so that each plate looks a little like Mardi Gras.

Dixon's food definitely hews to the Deep South. The best of his dishes gives one a succinct schooling in why New Orleans's cuisine is so beloved. His Cajun jambalaya, studded with spicy andouille sausage and topped with shrimp, is rich and bold, the grains of wild and white rice firm and distinct. There's nothing mushy or timid about this dish: one can taste the spices and taste the heat of cayenne pepper. The serving is boldly portioned, too, a mountain of jambayala, but still it was difficult to stop eating even when one's appetite was satiated.

The party atmosphere also shone in baked chicken filled with sausage, smoked gouda cheese, and artichokes. This was one rich dish, as even the list of ingredients reveals, and it's delicious. We've all gotten used to treating chicken as a diet dish, forgetting that the soothing flavor can be a perfect conduit for all this rich stuff. Maybe tomorrow would be time to go back to virtuous chicken dishes, but the savory contrasts in rich and smoky, smooth and sharp were irresistible By the time our party tasted the chicken, the thin pasta on the plate was ignored, an unnecessary filler. The Southern love of pork carried through in a pork chop with a savory crust of ginger and herbs.

Dixon has andouille sausage shipped from Alabama because he loves the quality and flavor. That smoky essence illuminates many of his dishes, from the excellent seafood gumbo with an andouille sausage roux (base sauce) to the jamabalaya. A simple appetizer of grilled andouille sausage was particularly appealing.

Pecans are another Southern staple well employed here. Mild-fleshed catfish comes heavily crusted with roasted pecans, giving a foil for the sweetness of the fish. Shrimp and artichokes is tossed with penne pasta, roasted pecans, roasted tomatoes and bacon, a dish that would have been better with a lighter hand on the sherry bottle when making the sauce. The sweet sherry taste rather overwhelmed the other elements, giving it a slightly metallic flavor. Another dish of penne with an abundance of portobello and shiitake mushrooms made a better impression with its bright tasting pesto of more roasted pecans and spinach.

Fried dishes needed a little more crispness and a little less breading to really sparkle. The coating on oysters Bienville, several plump oysters over wonderful brightly flavored mesclun greens, obscured the briny taste of the bivalves. The strong flavor of the alligator prevailed over its coating, and was quite good. But the accompanying catfish was completely lost in frying. And although the idea of crawfish fritters sounds great since it's such a great-tasting shellfish, Creole fritters, the crawfish mixed with cornmeal and herbs, proved to be rather soggy. The result was more like a heavy frittata than something crisp and light.

For my taste, a little less sweetness in the vinaigrette for the Bayou salad would be an improvement, although the Southern penchant for sweet-and-sour salad dressings is well-documented. The pecan pie was just right, sweet enough to holler dessert but not so sweet that one couldn't taste the rich roasted pecans. The texture was just right, too, without any of that gumminess that sometimes mars this most delectable of desserts. New Orleans-style bread pudding, however, was unfortunately too heavy and, yes, rather gummy in texture.

Bayou has a serviceable wine list but actually the separate beer list is almost as long and more interesting with many micro brews. The members of the young wait staff were cheerful and helpful, although a bit distracted on a busy weeknight, forgetting to replace silver and slow with the check. And on a steamy evening, the air conditioning was fitful, at times making the room pleasant, and then a few minutes later stuffy.

Food memories are one of the best aspects of eating out, though. To me, a return trip to Bayou for more jambalaya or that wonderful pecan pie would be a treat, an evocation of New Orleans.