Gagnier’s Creole Kitchen will satisfy yen for Louisiana fare.

Gagnier’s Creole Kitchen has the misfortune to be on the second floor of a Santa Monica Promenade food court, where it’s rather in the shadow of a Wolfgang Puck Cafe. But it’s a determined, hard-working place and offers a long list of specials, including a bargain-priced halibut dinner and Cajun popcorn platters for kids.

It serves a rather personal interpretation of Louisiana food--the celery seems to be left out of the stewed dishes--but it’s a handy place on the Promenade, and some of the regular menu dishes are great.

For instance, the red beans and rice ($3.95 vegetarian, $2 extra with sausage) have a satiny texture and an intriguing herbal aroma. The jambalaya is a generous plate of rice mixed with chicken, shrimp and lots of sausage, both hot and smoked. There’s a nice tangy tomato sauce on the chicken breast Creole.

The very best things are the po’ boy sandwiches. These people know their frying--the oysters and catfish are lightly breaded and cooked a point.

I wouldn’t say everything is good here. I find the roux in the gumbo kind of sickly, and the crayfish in my crayfish etouffee were past their prime. But the greens and yams are good, the thinly sliced cole slaw so light it’s practically Californian. And Gloria’s bread pudding (the only dessert) has an appealing dash of spice and a nice rich whiskey sauce.

BE THERE

Gagnier’s Creole Kitchen, 1315 3rd St., Santa Monica; (310) 319-9981. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Street and lot parking in vicinity. Takeout only. MasterCard and Visa. Lunch for two, food only, $11-$21. What to Get: jambalaya, oyster po’ boy, bread pudding.