Troy Gagliardo’s adventurous concept wins over taste buds
WHEN I WALK INTO WU’S CAJUN SEAFOOD on South Boulevard, I have a lot of questions. Red, Asian-inspired, gaudy tiles line the ceiling from the entrance to the back booth, with silver chandeliers and gold mural archways. But the menu emphasizes the restaurant’s Louisiana-style boils, from craw‚ fish to shrimp to snow crab.
Wu’s, part of Bottle Cap Group—the restaurant team behind Whiskey Warehouse and Brazwells, among others—is one big contradiction, and admittedly confusing. It’s as if I’m in a Chinese palace that was haphazardly dropped in Louisiana. Yet on the plate, it works.
Gumbo and ramen, Chef Troy Gagliardo explains to me, is the inspiration for the much of the menu’s harmonious blend of Cajun, Asian, and seafood cuisines.
I’m stubborn, though. A hearty stew steeped in creole seasoning and stock just doesn’t sound like it should mesh with ramen’s slender noodles swimming in a thin broth. Yet Gagliardo marries the two in a dish with risky texture that’s almost curry-like, and bold flavors, from his own spice blends.
As executive chef, Gagliardo based Wu’s menu on this unlikely combination, developing the concept for Asian-inspired-Cajun seafood into 33 stand-alone dishes, plus the boils. Chef de Cuisine Paul Warren has translated Gagliardo’s cooking style to the plate since Wu’s opened in June on South Boulevard, in the space where Nan and Byron’s once was, and where Vinnie’s Sardine Grill & Raw Bar stood before that.
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