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Best Bargain Restaurants: Cajun Bangkok

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Cajun Bangkok
Alexandria

This thai-cajun hybrid seemed bizarre when it opened five years ago, but it has established itself as one of Old Town's most dependable Thai restaurants and is, since the demise of Crescent City, its only remaining Cajun eatery. The link between the two cuisines is seafood and a fondness for hot peppers, both of which are on the menu in abundance. Appetizers are mostly Thai and main courses mostly Cajun.

An appetizer not found in other area Thai restaurants is meang kham, collard leaves cut into circles and used as receptacles for the condiments--coconut, ginger, onion, dried shrimp, peanuts, and hot peppers--served alongside in little dishes.

Crying Tiger, New York strip steak served with a hot lemongrass sauce, is one of the most attentively cooked and spiciest versions served locally. One of the best Cajun dishes is the roasted pecan catfish, catfish with a pecan crust topped with fried shrimp and a lemon cream sauce. Also worth trying are the Cajun chicken, a boneless chicken breast in a spicy tomato-scallion sauce, and the shrimp étouffée, Gulf shrimp in a nicely seasoned brown sauce.

Cajun Bangkok , 907 King Street, Alexandria; 703/836-0038. Open Monday through Thursday 5 pm to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 pm to 11 pm. MC, V. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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