Serving up southern warmth and Cajun cuisine
Tucking into a meal at Big Easy’s Seafood and Steak House is akin to a trip down memory lane with Executive Chef Jessica Willis as your guide.
Be it the Louisiana gumbo, the blackened catfish étouffée or the blackened salmon Pontchartrain, the dishes on the Preston Street restaurant’s menu harken back to Willis’s childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her travels to through American Deep South.
The result is one of the truest creole and Cajun experiences this side of the 49th, tailored for the Capital Region’s palates.
“There aren’t very many restaurants that can give you that authentic experience when it comes to southern food,” Willis said. “It’s nothing out of a cookbook. Every recipe is handwritten by myself and drawn from my childhood.”
To keep the menu fresh, Willis heads south every couple of years for inspiration. There are some things that will never change at the restaurant founded by late CFL all-star, Val Belcher, in 2008, however.
Take the family style servings of some of Big Easy’s quintessential dishes. True to southern hospitality, Big Easy’s surf and turf platter, loaded with king crab, tenderloin tip, cornmeal crusted shrimp, creole mussels, and scallops, requires sharing and passing the serving spoon between guests.
“It’s not an individual portion. We want you to see everything we’re doing and the love and heart we put into the food,” Willis said. “It’s a big plate but it gives you a taste of everything we do.”
And everything Willis and her kitchen crew do is rooted in scratch cooking. There are no shortcuts taken, she said. Steaks are cut by Willis. Pasta is made fresh. Even spice mixes, including the za’atar and creole seasonings, are made in house.
Other dishes, including Belcher’s family recipe for dirty rice, and the salmon Pontchartrain are timeless calling cards to Big Easy’s.
“I’m not touching (the salmon Pontchartrain recipe). I love the dish myself,” Willis said. “It’s served on a bed of dirty rice. People come back for it.”
They also come back for the fresh East Coast oysters, arriving daily at Big Easy’s, the lump crab cakes seared on cast iron, and the biggest selection of bourbon in Ottawa, with up to 32 different versions of the spirit to choose from.
It’s all served with southern warmth that’s become Big Easy’s trademark as much as the food.
“When you walk through the doors, you’re not a customer, you’re family,” Willis said. “We’re going to take care of you like family and ensure everyone has the best experience.”
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There aren’t very many restaurants that can give you that authentic experience when it comes to southern food