Whenever I go anyplace that serves the food of New Orleans, I have two dishes I always use as a point of comparison: jambalaya and bread pudding. I’m happy to report that the Louisiana Territory scores with both. The jambalaya ($3) comes with healthy chunks of andouille sausage and quarter-sized whole shrimp with rice in a spicy tomato-based sauce that’s thick enough to eat with a fork but no so thick that it’s pasty. The sausage had a strong flavor but was not at all chewy, the way some inferior andouille can be. They got the spice level of the dish just right for me. It was strong enough to warm the back of my mouth even after I finished my bowl, but not so strong that the heat level was all I thought about.

The bread pudding (also $3) was outstanding, with light, fluffy pieces of bread soaked through with custard and sprinkled with not just raisins but also blueberries! It had a warm creamy sauce, and they’re more than happy to give you extra if you ask for it.

In fact, Louisiana Territory has fully embraced the New Orleans tradition of lagniappe, or a little something extra included with your purchase. Each time I went, I got a little bonus with my meal, ranging from an extra helping of bread pudding to a wax paper-wrapped praline that I didn’t touch for a day-and-a-half but still tasted delicious.

The day I got the praline was the day I ordered the blackened chicken po boy sandwich ($5). It didn’t come on the traditional hoagie roll; instead, the mixture of spicy chicken, sweet tomato, grilled peppers and onions, and a remoulade that was creamy but had a distinct tang, were stuffed inside half a hollowed-out baguette.

You got the crunch of the baguette crust and then the spice of the chicken and the richness of the remoulade all in one bite. Plus, the baguette kept the dripping to a minimum.

I found one downside to the po boy. It was not designed for slow eaters. All of the stuff that would drip out of a traditional sandwich soaks into the end of the baguette, so if you don’t eat it fast enough it can get a little mushy.

Finding the Louisiana Territory is actually fairly easy. It has a couple of regular locations, including directly behind San Jose City Hall on Fifth Street on Fridays. Plus, it posts all of its locations on its Facebook page. You can also sign up on its Web page for updates or follow its on Twitter.

Trust me, your first bite of bread pudding will make that few minutes spent searching the Web well worth it.

-Mercury News Review

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