Acadiana Renovations Completed in Mt. Vernon Square

901 New York Avenue, NW

From a press release:

“Anchoring the prominent corner of New York Avenue and K Street, Acadiana, Passion Food Hospitality’s classic Louisiana fish house, has come of age since opening in 2005, with an interior renovation that ups the glamour, energy, and polish of the popular establishment.

The creative makeover represents a close collaboration between Passion Food Hospitality partner Gus DiMillo and Gensler, the international architecture and design firm behind the distinct interiors of District Commons, Burger Tap & Shake, Fuego Cocina y Tequileria, and the lounge expansion of Ceiba. The 225-seat restaurant has emerged with an expanded lounge and an atmosphere that retains its Louisiana whimsy, but with a completely refined sense of casual elegance and Louisiana charm.

Gazing across the main dining room, the eye takes in the most striking view of the new design elements: carpet with subtle black and taupe strié pattern grounds the vast dining area; two massive supporting pillars sheathed in silvery “alligator-embossed” paper; and two feature booths clad in reclaimed barn wood, whose faded color is keyed to the existing Impressionistic murals of Louisiana swampland. The overhead chandeliers are over-sized black organza drum shades “dripping” with hundreds of smooth crystal droplets, and the sconces that punctuate the walls with light are a corresponding model, with demi-drums of white.

Upholstery on the banquettes and booths is replaced by burnished coppers and regal yellows, amped-up with velvety blacks in patterns ranging from diminutive flocked diamonds to an explosion of black-and-gold brocade. Soaring windows along the K Street side are dressed in Roman shades of crisp white silky material; Two prominent accent walls paneled in light wood are hung with a striking arrangement of mirrors in a variety of heavy, natural wood frames – reflecting light and movement and evoking an air of historic Louisiana elegance.

Acadiana’s mezzanine level has become an expanded bar/lounge space, befitting the cocktail culture of New Orleans. In a dramatic palette of rich honey tones, burnished coppers and deep blacks, it features new furnishings not only fully lounge-worthy, but decidedly Louisiana in feel. A long banquette upholstered in black and copper is served by white stone-topped tables on metal bistro bases. Love seats with tufted backs and shapely saber-legged chairs offer a flexible variety of seating configurations, and small sculptural Brancusi-esque tables dot the area.

A little dressier and more powerful with a punch, the new design responds with a resounding “Oui, oui!” to the current cocktail culture, while linking the overall aesthetic of the space more closely to its Cajun heritage.”