Foundry on the Bayou, New space, new cuisine

Foundry on the Bayou is a newly renovated restaurant and bar area found in downtown Thibodaux.

Entering the Foundry through the large black door, I wonder what awaits me on the other side. Having not had the opportunity to visit this older Foundry when it was in business, the new space is home to multiple venues and my next dinner adventure.

Entering the large brick building, my eyes are greeted by a unique space that is an interesting mix of old and new. The industrial look of the Foundry carries into the dining area. White walls, unpainted brick and exposed ventilation give way to simply set tables with paper tablecloths.

The atmosphere of the Foundry can be described as contemporary in style with dim lighting and clean cut dining arrangements. Although the dining room only has about 20 tables, the Foundry as a whole is quite large and has different venues and bars for guests to enjoy.

Foundry on the Bayou’s dinner selection is a smaller, chef-inspired menu that has assorted appetizers, salads, gumbo, soup of the day, steaks and a variety of interesting dishes. With its seasonal dishes, the menu is an evolving, one-page list of interesting Louisiana favorites.

On the advice of my server, I get a half order of the barbecue shrimp and the duck leg appetizer, a seasonal special. With so many unique sounding dishes to choose from, my dinner company and I pick two dishes that sound extra appealing: Chicken Piccata and Grilled Free-Range Chicken and Waldorf salad.

As the sun starts to set on the bayou, our appetizers arrived hot and in good presentation.

The barbecue shrimp platter, made mild or spicy, includes six enormous shrimp served in shell on a dish lined with thinly sliced French loaf and topped with a spicy brown roux-style sauce. The shrimp and peppery roux sauce made for an amazing match. It was unique visually and in taste and left me wanting more.

The Duck Legs ($10) were impressively presented with colorful pedals atop a bed of lightly fried potato cut into long shoestrings. The drumstick-sized legs of duck were perfect; lightly crispy, tender and flavorful. Not only was the duck skin very tender, the mix of duck, potato and sweet ginger sauce was a great balance and made the duck legs my favorite dish of the night.

After thoroughly enjoying my appetizers, the server arrives with entrees in hand.

Originally made with veal, piccata is a dish that uses the natural flavors of food emphasized by butter sauce, which usually contains capers, chives, parsley and is accented by white wine or even beer. My chicken piccata consisted of a large, skinless chicken breast covered with butter sauce and capers. Although the chicken was a little dry, the pasta and butter sauce was very memorable.

The butter sauce was well balanced with wine and seasoning. And the smooth, delicious sauce was served in abundance with angel hair pasta and made for a great meal.

Waldorf Grilled Chicken Salad was an interesting pick, chosen for its name by my dinner company.

It features an assortment of mixed dark greens with chopped grapes and a fruity salad dressing.

The free-range grilled chicken was served sliced atop the salad. Having already been tossed in the dressing, the salad was well coated in the fruity, yogurt-style dressing and was mixed in with bits of grapes and apples.

Although the salad was tasty, the chicken was served cold and was light in flavor.

The mixture of greens, with such a sweet dressing, was definitely different and would be suggested for those who want a light summer salad.

With its newly renovated space and contemporary atmosphere, Foundry on the Bayou offers patrons a place to enjoy a unique and evolving menu of Louisiana cuisine. Entrees at the Foundry offer enough variety to satisfy anyone looking for traditional Louisiana cuisine or something a little different.

The Foundry on the Bayou 715 West 1st St. Thibodaux, LA 70301 Phone: (985)-387-4070 foundryonthebayou.com Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Saturday 5-10 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.