ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996            TAG: 9601170082
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES 

BAYOU COMES TO BLACKSBURG

Graduating from college doesn't necessarily mean pursuing a career in one's field of study. Some people just continue working in an industry they know.

The Ames brothers collected Virginia Tech diplomas, then started Boudreaux's Cajun Restaurant in downtown Blacksburg in mid-September.

With 78 seats - counting bar stools - the lunch and dinner eatery features Cajun cooking, adjustable to personal taste.

"All our food is made to order," Greg explained, "so we can make an entree a little milder or hotter if someone requests it."

The Cajun slant actually came from their stepfather, John Cote, who grew up in southern Mississippi. Greg and Jeff thought it was a grand idea and traveled to Louisiana and Mississippi on a recipe mission.

"Chefs came out of their kitchens with pages of recipes," Jeff said. Others gave names of suppliers, and still more donated some of the Cajun theme posters on the restaurant walls.

Cajun cooking can be good without being expensive. According to Greg, they would like Boudreaux's to be known for "real good food at real good prices with really good service."

Greg, 25, and Jeff, 22, worked in restaurants since teen-age years, so opening their own place fell right in line with their experience.

When Jeff moved back to open Boudreaux's, he brought along chef Joe Little from the restaurant where they were both working in Virginia Beach.

Decor is clean, simple, appealing. Real plants, track lighting, theme posters and an original four-piece abstract painting 20 feet wide reflect greens, mauves and light gold. Local art student Ryan Sykes created the abstract and helped with colors and placement of the wall adornments.

The CD juke box is about to be replaced with piped music - appropriately jazz, blues and zydeco. The close-captioned television behind the bar provides a "little distraction if someone needs it." Greg said they plan to have candles on the tables, glass racks at the bar, frosty mugs, exotic beers and more specials.

"We're starting out slowly," he said, "so we can manage what we're doing in the start-up phase." Hey, this guy's using his economics degree, after all. And Jeff, a management major, no doubt uses some of his book learning in the business, too.

So here's a place to expand your eating experiences, with gator bites, for example. This Louisiana alligator tail, lightly battered and fried, is one of about a dozen appetizers. Seafood gumbo, stuffed jalapenos and blackened chicken salad are a few others.

Two of the three most popular entrees have pronunciation assistance right on the menu. Jambalaya is a colorful mixture of shrimp, crawfish, chicken and andouille sausage in a mildly spicy tomato Creole sauce.

Etouffee contains chicken, shrimp or crawfish sauteed with peppers, onions and celery served in a thick Cajun sauce. Blackened catfish and blackened Delmonico steak dinners come with corn bread, maque choux (sweet corn with red and green pepper bits and Vidalia onions) and your choice of dirty rice, new potatoes or pasta salad.

A milder entree, and one of the top three in popularity, is chicken pecan, an unusually sweet and moist breast of chicken finished with a rum butter sauce. Red beans and vegaletta sandwiches are there for vegetarians.

Chocolate walnut chess, bourbon pecan pie and lemon berry jazz - a meringue, cheesecake and blueberry affair - add a sweet ending.

The alligator logo is decidedly Cajun, but what about Boudreaux? Well, it comes from Cajun fairy tales and is the Cajun equivalent of ``Bubba.''

Boudreaux's Cajun Restaurant

Address: 205 N. Main St., Blacksburg

Phone: 961-2330

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-11 p.m. Closed Mondays

Specialties: Jambalaya and etouffee; Cajun-style cooking

Beverages: Full bar

Price range: Lunch, $3.75-6.95; dinner, $6.50-8.95

Reservations: Recommended on weekends

Other: Smoking only at the bar; handicapped accessible

LENGTH: Medium:   82 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  ALAN KIM/Staff. Greg Ames is a co-owner of Boudreaux's 
          Cajun Restaurant in downtown Blacksburg. He and his brother, Jeff, 
          would like the restaurant to be known for "real good food at real 
          good prices with really good service." color.