Bayou Bakery - New Orleans In Arlington

With French Quarter-style window shutters hanging from the walls and gumbo ($4) simmering, Arlington's new Bayou Bakery is like a quick trip to New Orleans.

Here, pastry chef and Louisiana native David Guas has built a tribute to the Big Easy, serving the best regional specialties in a space filled with Louisiana-inspired art and design accents.

Guas, a master at classic Southern sweets like red velvet cupcakes ($2.75) and snappy chicory-coffee pralines ($3), has also developed excellent savory dishes.

Start the day with a fluffy buttermilk biscuit ($1.75) filled with eggs and Benton's bacon ($3.50), turkey sausage ($3), or a sausage and cheese ($3.50).

For lunch and dinner, Guas presses sandwiches, including the Arm Drip ($7), which is piled high with roast beef and gravy, and the Muff-A-Lotta ($6), a riff on the classic muffaletta sandwich that layers thin slices of ham, salami and Provolone with olive tapenade on crusty French bread.

Finish a meal with a French press of woody, roasted chicory coffee ($3)–which was custom-blended for Gaus by Counter Culture Coffee–and a plate of hot, softball-size beignets (pictured; $3) doused in powdered sugar.

Bayou Bakery, 1515 N. Courthouse Rd., Arlington; 703-243-2410 or bayoubakeryva.com