Prime rib, shrimp po’boys, and oysters at Catahoula. | flipsh0t A taste of the Bayou takes root along the Anacostia River on Thursday, May 14. New Orleans-styled Catahoula opens on the scenic waterfront site that housed All-Purpose pizzeria (79 Potomac Ave SE).  Rustic Louisiana cooki ng married with French techniques takes shape in a reinvented dining room that resembles an old-school Parisian brasserie in New Orleans (think: Emeril Lagasse’s iconic flagship in the Warehouse District). A patio stamped with a big fleur-de-lis is covered in a canopy of glowing red bulbs, matching the color of the crawfish that’ll blanket brown-papered tables with bright corn on the cob.  Named for the state dog of Louisiana that’s known for its leopard-like spots, Catahoula has much more than crawfish boils in store. The menu also spotlights Creole Cajun cuisine with Vietnamese twists — a type of fusion that’s popular in New Orleans and Houston. Think: crispy okra flecked with lemongrass salt; pork neck skewers covered in a caramel fish sauce glaze; and double-bone Mangalitsa pork chop topped with the same pickled carrot and daikon salad in a banh mi. The team’s connections to the Bayou runs deep: Executive chef Thomas Malz lived there for some time, and beverage director Rachel Sergi has been a frequent visitor since 1992. “The whole thing is a love letter for both of us, to [New Orleans] food, culture, camaraderie, and hospitality,” Sergi tells Eater.  Catahoula marks a homecoming of sorts for Malz, who taps into his extensive butchery background, including time at the Partisan in D.C., by making his own boudin (Cajun sausage).  Menu highlights include raw and broiled oysters dressed in Herbsaint cream; carved prime rib à la Prudhomme (named for the legendary chef who made Cajun and Creole cuisine famous in the ’80s); giant po’ boys; seasonal gumbo; and wok-fried alligator. Catfish stars in a tomato-based seafood stew alongside Louisiana rice and rouille. The upstairs terrace – a prime alfresco fixture during All-Purpose’s days overseeing the Frederick Douglass Bridge – nods to Bacchanal in New Orleans with a fridge full of wine bottles, its own bar, umbrellas, and slick red stools. Serendipitously, the state tree of Louisiana – the bald cypress – sits right out front. “It feels like you’re not in Washington,” he says. Another Easter egg: A framed portrait of Francois L’Anglois, a Frenchman who is ironically related to Malz (his 15th-great-grandfather), hanging up near a jazzy wall of trumpets and clarinets upon entry. Malz turns to his connections in the South to fly up Louisiana crawfish, a rare commodity on D.C. menus. When its season (November to July) ends, he’ll combine Cajun flavors with the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay. Malz’s sweets swing from powdered beignets to a 12-layer carrot cake to a summer version of a bûche de Noël or baked Alaska made with trade spices sailors would have brought to Louisiana. “We’re really trying to explore all the different corners of the state,” he says.  Of her cocktail list, vet D.C. mixologist Sergi says, “We wanted to represent, not copy” New Orleans, and simply “give you a freaking great cocktail.”  A blue daiquiri made with Curacao is inspired by a late blue-eyed catahoula owned by Malz’s great aunt, who lost her house in Hurricane Katrina. French Quarter favorites include a Sazerac, Hurricane, and Ramos gin fizz made with Old Tom gin, a French 75, and an Old Fashioned with chicory bitters, plus frozen drink machines churning out neon-green Hand Grenades and Irish coffees.  To shorten the gin fizz’s notoriously long shake time, the bar is equipped with a green cast-iron Tanqueray cocktail cranker that cost Catahoula a pretty penny.  Other bells and whistles on-site include an old-school steak broiler, similar to one you might find in the Big Easy or Big Apple, tasked with cooking prime rib and the meat for its steak frites. “We went through great effort to find the old red light that kind of feels like the heat lamp,” he says. The broiler is named Artemis, in honor of NASA’s NOLA workforce that played a part in the rocket program, all spelled out in a gold plaque. Designer David Anthony Chenault dedicated an entire corner to all sorts of oddities and voodoo elements, with shelves lined with skulls, torn pages from NOLA literary greats, and apothecary jars filled with neon liquids. Crystal chandeliers with flickering bulbs offer a haunting element NOLA is known for.  “It should be the kind of place where you feel like you’re opulent, even though you’re wearing a T-shirt and flip flops,” he says. Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner, with the kitchen closing at 10 p.m. ...read more read less