Blue Denim

Located at 217 South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, Blue Denim offers Cajun and Creole cuisine for lunch and dinner. Beer and wine are available, and there is occasional live music.

Since Devall’s closed and New Orleans ceased to be a good value, the cuisine of Louisiana has been sorely underrepresented in the Triad. Enter Jody Morphis, former chef/owner of Fincastles next door, who previously found success putting out an annual Mardi Gras menu. His latest venture, Blue Denim, offers satisfying, sometimes idiosyncratic takes on Louisiana classics.

Like many Elm Street eateries, Blue Denim is narrow but deep, not by any means large, but more capacious than the storefront suggests. The décor is a high-low mix. There are worn brick walls and butcher paper atop the tables but also some classy artwork and neat blue trim. The resulting look may not scream Bourbon Street, but it does stand out.

Our initial visit occurred a few days before Mardi Gras, so we got a chance to sample the annual recurring menu. Familiar gumbos and po boys hobnobbed with less expected fare like Chinese ribs and a sweet potato veggie burger. My fiancée and I settled on a starter of boudin balls followed by chicken and andouille gumbo and crawfish etouffee. All of the food delivered on both flavor and texture. The boudin played well with the accompanying spicy mustard, the gumbo’s dark roux was smooth and smoky, and the etouffee was creamy with a good amount of crawfish. None of the dishes was particularly spicy, but an accompanying house made hot sauce (with sweet carrot accents) filled in some missing heat.

Both service and pricing are favorable but not without blemish. Our server was attentive, and our food came out relatively quickly. The gumbo was initially served lukewarm though, an error that was quickly remedied. Given the respectable portion sizes, $14 for etouffee and $12 for gumbo seemed reasonable for entrée-sized bowls. The $8 charged for two boudin balls, however, was a stretch.

For a new-ish restaurant, Blue Denim is off to a reasonably auspicious start. Its concept and location are easy draws, but rather than rest on its laurels, it puts out satisfying and inspired food. If the rest of the menu was as well-executed as our initial visit suggests, a return is in the future.

8/10