I Visited Lexington's #1 Ranked Restaurant - Bourbon n' Toulouse

If you follow the horse race on our restaurants page, you already know Bourbon n' Toulouse has been sitting at #1 for a while now. I have been coming here for several years now and wanted my first food blog post to be about this place.

Where It Is

Bourbon n' Toulouse is tucked into 829 Euclid Avenue in the Chevy Chase neighborhood, right on the edge of the University of Kentucky campus. It's a cozy spot, not huge, and because of the location it can get busy. If you're planning to go for lunch or dinner, especially on a weekend, don't be surprised if there's a wait. It's worth it.

What I Ordered

I went with the half and half plate - half Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage, half Black Beans and Caramelized Corn. My go to is always the Southwest Etouffée with Crawfish, highly recommended. I decided to stray from the path this time and glad I did. At $10 for the combo it's one of the better deals in Lexington.

The Jambalaya is dirty rice with smoked andouille sausage, chicken, bell peppers, onions, celery and spices. It has a real kick to it. Not crying-into-your-napkin hot, but enough heat that you know you're eating something with personality. If you don't like spicy food, don't let that scare you off - they have plenty on the menu that isn't spicy. But if you do like heat, the jambalaya delivers.

The Black Beans and Caramelized Corn was the surprise of the meal. Caramelized corn, black beans and red bell peppers finished with a cream reduction. It sounds simple but the balance of sweet and spicy is genuinely impressive. I understood immediately why they call it their most popular vegetarian dish - it won me over and I am not a vegetarian.

The Hot Sauce Counter

Here's something I love about Bourbon n' Toulouse that you won't find anywhere else in Lexington. They have a large collection of hot sauces with some of the most creative and funny names you'll ever see on a bottle. We're talking "No One Touch Melina's Sauce," "McLovin' Handles," "Cajun Power Garlic," "Fire in the Soul Hot Sauce," and many, many others.

I'm a hot sauce person, so naturally I've tried most of them. I love them all. There's something genuinely fun about scanning the counter, picking a sauce with a ridiculous name, and then drizzling it over your plate to see what happens. Sometimes it turns into a flavor science experiment. Sometimes it turns into a heat experiment. Usually both. I'll be back there playing with sauce combinations and experimenting like I'm Tony Stark or Doc Brown. If I develop a combo with enough kick to send me back to the future or create propulsion you'll be the first to hear.

The Verdict

The flavor was absolutely fantastic. I left full, satisfied, and already thinking about when I'm going back. The portion sizes are generous - the half and half plate was more than enough food.

This is my favorite Cajun place in Lexington and I don't think it's particularly close. I have a soft spot for anything Cajun - my grandfather was Cajun and high jumped for LSU back in the day. So I know good Cajun food when I taste it.

My wife and I went to New Orleans one year and honestly, the crawfish etouffee I had there was not as good as Bourbon n' Toulouse. I am not lying, it wasn't. I guess we picked the wrong spot. If we hadn't had a cruise ship to catch I would have tried more places. It was a letdown. I plan to go back someday and do it right.

The food is authentic, the prices are fair, and the atmosphere is warm and unpretentious. It feels like a neighborhood spot that happens to be really, really good at what it does.

If you haven't been, go. And if you want to help them stay at #1 on our horse race, leave them a Google review while you're at it.

The Details

• Address: 829 Euclid Ave, Lexington KY
• Price range: $
• Best for: Cajun food lovers, spice fans, hot sauce enthusiasts, anyone who wants a great meal without spending a lot
• Order this: The half and half plate - Jambalaya and Black Beans and Caramelized Corn
• Heads up: Can get busy because of the campus location. Go early or be ready to wait.