Coming this week to the International District: a restaurant that fuses the food cultures of Vietnam and Louisiana. Its name, naturally, is Crazy Pho Cajun. 

The first Crazy Pho Cajun opened in 2012 in Federal Way; the new location at 516 Seventh Ave South will serve the same lineup of pho and vermicelli bowls, alongside gumbo, po’boys, and red beans and rice. But the real excitement here are the hybrid dishes.

Owner Anthony Nguyen says the top seller at his first location is the Cajun crawfish pho, a noodle soup with Louisiana’s signature crustaceans, plus traditional Cajun elements like andouille sausage. Another hit: the Cajun fried rice.

On the off chance you’re not curious about Cajun-styled pho, the Nguyen should know his way around the traditional version: His mother and aunt opened Seattle’s first Pho Bac years ago. Nguyen’s girlfriend Thao Tran is a Louisiana native and the culinary mastermind of the nonpho aspects of the menu. 

Melding these two particular culinary styles really isn’t so random. A large Vietnamese population inhabits the Gulf Coast, and many of these residents have adopted the region’s native seafood into their own culinary traditions. I won’t pretend that my slim knowledge of this isn’t based on watching Treme and that one episode of Top Chef, so I’ll instead point out this excellent New York Times piece by John T. Edge as context. 

Crazy Pho Cajun's Seattle grand opening is this Thursday, October 30. Hours will be 11am to 1am. There’s no website just yet, but here's the Facebook page and, while I'm throwing links out there, here's a writeup on the original location of Crazy Pho Cajun from the Tacoma News Tribune.