Foodie News
Less Ragin', still Cajun: Houston's new LA Bar channels New Orleans casual notCali pretentiousness
"You know how in New Orleans you have places you can walk in wearing flip-flops and still get a great meal?" says Dominic Mandola. "This is that kind of place."
Dominic, along with his father Luke Mandola and his brother Luke Mandola Jr. quietly opened LA Bar last week on Richmond Avenue next door to the original Ragin' Cajun.
"It's just a casual, New Orleans neighborhood joint," Dominic Mandola says.
It's a project that has been in the works for more than six months, before Mandola's Liquor Store shuttered in October. Originally the expansion was intended to seat large groups as part of the restaurant's booming catering operation, but Dominic says the idea for a more refined restaurant came together as they worked on the space.
"The catering business took off — we're not just catering crawfish boils or serving fried catfish and shrimp etouffee," he says. "We're customizing menus and can cook anything on-site, and we wanted to show that we aren't just Ragin' Cajun.
"That's why we went to table service — to present our food in a different way and show our customer base we can do more."
LA Bar is named for Lake Arthur, Louisiana, the hometown of Dominic's mother Joan Benoit Mandola. The space has a relaxed yet refined vibe, with exposed brick wainscoting, chandeliers that compete with neon beer signs and a 30-foot bar for both serving drinks and shucking oysters.
Just over half the LA Bar menu is comprised of Ragin' Cajun favorites (the two concepts share an expanded and updated kitchen) with the addition of new grilled entrees like pan-seared salmon with orange ver blanc, pork chops with pineapple bourbon sauce, barbecued shrimp and some new steak and pasta options, plus homemade tres leches and beignets.
"It's just a casual, New Orleans neighborhood joint," Dominic Mandola says.
