THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Criolla's

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Criolla's Restaurant Review:

Criolla's serves Creole-Caribbean fare with a healthy dose of south Louisiana Creole spice thrown in. Owner-chef Johnny Earles hails from Louisiana, but earned some of his haute cuisine stripes working with such luminaries as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Charlie Palmer in New York. Garlicky New Orleans-style barbecued shrimp is a Criolla's signature. Fresh gulf seafood finds its way into many dishes, such as the sautéed Creole-spiced redfish filet served with a velvety oyster charlotte, finished with tomato cream and a side of rock shrimp cole slaw; or plantain-wrapped grouper with lobster-polenta-stuffed poblano. In season, the restaurant’s own prickly pears wind up in sorbets and other desserts, but the banana-pecan beignet---one of Earles' aunt's recipes---is the showstopper. The restaurant is decorated in warm tones with original still lifes on the walls. But locals who don't consider the setting quite right can have Criolla's chefs prepare dinner in their homes as a special service of the catering department.