Description
There may be zydeco on the soundtrack and "Let the bons temps rouler" on the menu at this Hayes Valley restaurant, but otherwise, the stylish Boxing Room largely avoids Cajun and Creole cliches. Louisiana-born chef Justin Simoneaux sticks to the Southern palate he grew up with, but plays down the butter and cream, plays up the vegetables, and references butcher-chic with homemade sausages and a "boucherie" (butcher's plate) of the day. Though the food doesn't always make the leap from good to Jesus-that's-good, Simoneaux respects the quality that makes Louisiana food great: time. In his slow-simmered chicken and sausage gumbos, jambalayas, and stews, the flavors come at you all at once, spiky and deep, shifting so quickly it's hard to tire of them. The wine and beer taps number in the dozens (with Abita, of course), and if you don't order the boudin balls to start, you're going to need to return.
