I am hungry just thinking of writing this post.  We recently partook of the newest restaurant to grace downtown Leesburg:  The Cajun Experience.  It definitely was an Experience!  If you don’t look out of the window to check your bearings, your fast-pasted DC metro life becomes irrelevant and slowly melts away.  Don’t look now; you are in slower pace Louisiana now and the only things that matter are your family, the food in front of you and the company at your table (and possibly surrounding tables).  Owned and operated by native Louisianans, the Experience offers traditional Cajun (not to be confused with creole) dishes: etouffee (pronounced A-Too-Fay), gumbo, po-boys, etc.  Being from Louisiana, Lafayette to be exact (and about as Cajun as you can get!), I really, REALLY like my husband’s etouffee.  The Experience’s etouffee makes my husband’s etouffee taste like a Chef Boyardee right-out-of-the-box knock off (I hope he is not reading this!).  The etouffee is rich, flavorful and served with a side of potato salad.  As it is seasonal, order the etouffee as long as you can!  First-timers, don’t be shy with the potato salad.  Go ahead and mix it with the etouffee; your taste buds will thank you!  I also recommend the beignets and coffee, both of which are reminiscent of a certain New Orleans cafe.  Needless to say, I cannot wait to try more dishes (red beans and rice, chef’s special and pecan pie?) during the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival this weekend.  By the way, last chef’s special was blackened Talapia on a bed of etouffee.  C’est tres bon!

The Cajun Experience is located at 14 Loudoun Street SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 (and they are hiring!)