Troy Bijeaux always had a passion for cooking. He learned everything he knew from his mother – in a most unusual way. “As a young child, I was very defiant,” he admits. “I stayed on my knees a lot in the kitchen. So when Mama thought I was just sitting there – I was actually punished – I was watching her cook.”

The strong-willed child grew up to be a hard-working adult, starting in the oil field and then the flooring industry. But, he could always cook, and decided to fulfill his dream.

Twelve years ago, Bijeaux and his wife, Melissa, who owns Flowers Etc. in Lafayette, launched a meat market and plate lunch spot in Sunset. On Sundays, they offered made-to-order barbeque plates. “I was one of the few people in town who actually made your plate in front of your eyes, and you got your sides fresh,” he says proudly.

After two years, the couple decided to convert the meat market into a full-fledged restaurant. But, they wanted to make sure that it was unlike any other eatery. “Cooking was always a passion because there’s so much food that’s just blasé,” Troy shares. “But if you’ve eaten at Josephine’s, you’re gonna know. If it don’t punch you in the mouth, well then I didn’t do my job.”

Troy credits Melissa with coming up with the restaurant’s moniker, Café Josephine, as a complement to its location on Napoleon Street. He created the menu on his couch at home. “I really wanted to inspire people with different foods that you can’t get every day at every restaurant,” Troy explains.

Café Josephine offers the freshest fish, serving whatever is delivered that day. Troy’s crab cakes consist of solid crabmeat with a touch of béchamel – but no filler. The soft shell crabs – when available – are caught that same morning. “When I opened this restaurant, I knew quality was going to be first no matter what, because no matter what you do, if you don’t start off with a quality product, how can you expect a quality end result? You can’t,” Troy explains.

Bijeaux serves only prime beef from Chicago. His steaks are so good that Café Josephine recently won Best Steakhouse in the Times of Acadiana Best of 2020. “When we started, my biggest fear was steaks,” he confides. “But I can have 40 steaks on and not miss one.”

The restaurant also boasts a cozy bar with specialty drinks and an interesting wine list, and an oyster bar. “We needed a ‘Wow’ factor, and nobody was doing oysters on this end of town,” he recalls.

When Bijeaux started the oyster bar, he had never shucked an oyster in his life. But he learned quickly how to cull the finest bivalves. All oysters served at the café are farm-raised, hand-picked and consistently sized. On Tuesday and Wednesday, all oysters are $1, with your choice of raw or charbroiled with parmesan cheese, garlic butter and Chef’s special sauce.

Bijeaux attributes Café Josephine’s success to quality and consistency. “Without consistency, we wouldn’t be here today,” Bijeaux insists. This reputation for quality draws repeat customers from Alexandria, Bunkie and Lafayette who don’t mind the drive for Café Josephine’s unique cuisine. “At first it was a dream to be in Lafayette. Now, I’m blessed to know that I’m not in the big city,” he confides. “I am a destination place. People do have to make reservations.”

And it’s worth it. The menu includes Bijeaux’s creations like Crabmeat Stuffed Eggrolls (two eggrolls “exploding” with Louisiana jumbo lump crabmeat, fried and topped with pecan pepper jelly, spicy mayonnaise and sriracha), Zydeco Shrimp, Oysters or Combo (fried and topped with spicy mayo, pecan pepper jelly and sriracha, Cajun Tuna Steak (sesame seed-encrusted pan-seared sashimi grade tuna served rare) and Prime Ribeye Cap. When describing the ribeye, Bijeaux says, “Every bite of the ribeye cap is the best bite.”

Even the salads are special. Made with hydroponically-grown lettuce from Breaux Bridge, the Josephine Salads include your choice of toppings: grilled chicken, tuna or shrimp or Zydeco Shrimp. There’s also the Filet Mignon Steak Salad with house-made bacon, shredded carrots and tomatoes topped with fried onion rings, and the Lump Crab Meat and Boiled Shrimp Salad drizzled with Meyer’s lemon olive oil.

Be sure to save room for the biscuits, described by patron Donna Guillot as “clouds of heaven.” Made with flour, sugar, cheese and heavy cream, these puffs are rich but pleasantly airy. “This is one of our very top sellers,” Bijeaux says.

On the lunch menu are specialties like Sunset Monte Cristo (house-made ham, Tasso, bacon, Swiss, pepper Jack and American cheese drizzled with spicy mayonnaise, stuffed between bread and fried, with raspberry sauce for dipping), grilled burgers ground fresh daily, po-boys and sandwiches, Romaine lettuce cups or soft tacos and Paninis. Bijeaux highly touts the Grilled Tuna Tacos, filled with sashimi grade (rare) seared tuna, topped with coleslaw, spicy mayo, pecan pepper jelly and sriracha. “I only use sashimi grade tuna, triple A,” he says proudly. “We push the quality – that’s what it’s all about.”

With all of these delicious choices, it’s hard to decide what to order. But, Bijeaux suggests the Special of the Day. “You never know what Mr. Troy’s cooking, what he’s ordered, what’s come in fresh,” he teases. “So there’s always a surprise when you walk in the door.”

But, the number one thing at Café Josephine is service. “People should make a special trip here because we’re unique and different and we truly strive for quality and service,” Bijeaux boasts. “Service is number one.”

MUST HAVE DISHES

Kiss My Grits

One of Café Josephine’s most popular items is the Shrimp and Grits, creamy cheese corn grits topped with succulent sautéed shrimp. “We put so much love in our grits,” Bijeaux promises.

Crab Happy

Customers love the Eggplant Crab Dinner – three deep-fried eggplant medallions layered with grilled tomatoes and topped with crab dip and Louisiana jumbo crab meat. To top it off, the delicious dish is served with three fried shrimp. This is truly seafood heaven.

Just Desserts

Café Josephine’s incredible bread pudding is made with potato bread and heavy cream and topped with praline sauce. But, the main focus is the bread itself. “The sauce should be the accent, not the main part,” Chef Troy explains.