In preparation for the opening of his Bayou Bakery in Arlington, owner and chef David Guas got all tatted up. The New Orleans native inked his left bicep with a silhouette of Louisiana superimposed with a fleur de lis, which is, after all, the official symbol of the state.
The eatery passed its mechanical inspection last week and is expected to have its soft opening later this week, maybe as soon as Friday. Y&H will have more details on the bakery later in the week. But if you insist on a small taste now, here are some of the dishes you might see on the opening menu, all house-made unless otherwise indicated:
- beignets
- buttermilk biscuits (with an option to turn them into breakfast sandwiches)
- croissants
- muffins (apple crumble or banana/chocolate chip)
- chicken and sausage gumbo
- butternut squash soup
- muffaletta on a round specifically made for Bayou Bakery by the French Bread Factory in Vienna
- Grilled pimento cheese sandwich on Texas toast
- “Creole Pilgrim” sandwich (shaved blackened turkey, arugula, smoked Gouda, and Dijonaise)
- Catahoula hot dogs (the all-beef dogs, made by Jamie Stachowski, are boiled in beer and served with Creole mustard and Vidalia-onion marmalade)
- stove-top puddings
- lemon ice box pie
- seafood jambalaya
- fried porkchops
- blackened turkey meatballs
- Andouille sausage made by Stachowski
- “porkorn” (salty caramel popcorn with Benton’s bacon)
- deviled eggs
- spiced pecans
- cupcakes (red velvet, chocolate and caramel, and lemon)
- Counter Culture coffee (including a bean that’s blended with roasted chicory)
- beer (mostly Abita)