Cajun Sites & Bites

South Louisiana is akin to a foreign country–the French language and culture are strong and widespread.  And eating really well is at the heart of the culture!

The river town of Natchitoches dates to 1714, making it the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase.  The Cane River is lined with several plantations, and downtown looks a little like New Orleans’ French Quarter.  Lovely & historic St. Augustine Catholic Church is the center of Creole life in the area.  Don’t miss the famous Natchitoches Meat Pie or Crawfish Pie, a turnover filled with ground beef, pork and onion or crawfish, at Lasyone’s Meat Pies–lauded by publications as diverse as Bon Appetit, the New York Times, and Gun & Garden Magazine.

Further south, we made Lafayette our home base for five days of dining on all things Cajun and seafood.  Cajun cooking is the rustic cousin  to Creole cuisine.  Gulf seafood, wild game, spicy peppers, onions, celery and bell peppers are key ingredients, along with dark roux, smoked sausages, and freshwater crawfish.  At the Blue Dog Cafe, loved the appetizer feast of blue crab stuffed mushrooms, grilled shrimp cocktail, blue crab cakes, and duck quesadillas.  The crab bisque was also delicious.  The walls of the restaurant are lined with a private collection of artwork by renowned artist George Rodrigue, the creator of the iconic Blue Dog.  T-Coons is the best breakfast spot in town–crawfish omelettes and biscuits top the list!  Poupart’s is the authentic French bakery next door that has traditional French pastries and breads–no doughnuts at this bakery!  For your doughnut fix, you can get beignets (French doughnuts) at T-Coons.  Walk-ons Bistreaux Bar is your typical sports bar, Cajun style with very good food; the Boom Boom Shrimp Poboy  was overstuffed with meaty, spicy shrimp on crusty bread.  The family who runs Johnson’s Boucaniere has been smoking meat and making boudin blanc (white)–sausage stuffed with ground pork, rice, and all the right spices–for 80 years, and it shows in the tasty food!  Outdoor deck seating only is available at this wooden, barn-like structure, where excellent music is played over the sound system.  Be sure to visit Vermilionville, which explores the living history of the Acadian, Native American and Creole cultures.  The lovely Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is the oldest church in the area, and a 5-century old oak sits beside it.  For history buffs, the Acadian Cultural Center is a wonderful museum on the Acadians’ tragic history and the colorful lifestyle they created, as a result, in Louisiana, i.e., the crawfish, rice, peppers, okra, pork and fish cuisine; the rhythmic French dialect; the extended family life; and the sweeping waltzes, with a hint of backbeat, played on fiddles and accordions.  And don’t forget dessert at the Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, their last freestanding scooped ice cream shop in the world.

 

In nearby Henderson, take an airboat ride through the Atchafalaya Basin, America’s greatest river swamp, from McGee’s Landing.  Afterwards, .lunch at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf for a crawfish or seafood platter or gumbo, while overlooking the bayou.

Tabasco pepper sauce has been made on Avery Island for 125 years.  The Tabasco factory is a terrific place to visit, detailing the processing cycle from pepper seedling to bottles.  Avery Island is a salt dome that extends 8 miles beneath the earth’s surface.  Above the dome is a beautiful sanctuary of flora and fauna, the Jungle Gardens.  Among other plants, gorgeous camellias and azaleas abound.  Wildlife ranges from alligators to snowy egrets to bobcats.

The Grand Derangement was the forced removal by the British of the Acadian people from the present day Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, & Prince Edward Island.  From 1755 – 1764, the British deported 11,500 of  14,100 Acadians to the Thirteen Colonies, Britain and France, from where many migrated to Louisiana.  There is a museum dedicated to Acadian history and culture on the banks of the beautiful Bayou Teche in St. Martinville, where you can see pirogues (wooden swamp boats) gliding by.  Longfellow penned Evangeline, a famous story about the plight of two lovers separated by the deportation.

Nearby Breaux Bridge has the delightful Joie de Vivre Cafe, where good food is served, staff is so friendly, and joyful Cajun tunes are played by children and adults.

Fezzo’s in Crowley, the rice capital of the world, serves all kinds of wonderful Cajun specialties but the crawfish bisque is outstanding.  Be sure to pick up some fresh and hot cracklins–salty pork skins–almost anywhere.  And last, but certainly not least, you must go to Hawk’s for boiled crawfish–the season is roughly February  to May.

 

For a USA location with a foreign accent, south Louisiana is magnifique!

Terrific Walks in and around London

London is such a great city to walk in!  For an initial feel, walk the paths near the serpentine lake in Hyde Park or take a rowboat.  Walk from Hyde Park to Harrod’s, a very nice large store with wonderful food halls on the lower level, stopping at Ennismore Arms for a pub lunch–a real hideaway tucked on a quiet street.

Or take the tube to Waterloo Station, cross the Waterloo Bridge and follow the Victoria Embankment (riverside walk) to Parliament/Big Ben, then cross St. James Park.  Charles I walked to his execution here, and Princess Di’s funeral passed near here.  End at Buckingham Palace and watch the ceremonial changing of the guard.  Then visit the very interesting Churchill’s Museum and Cabinet War Rooms.

 

 

A great way to spend a day is a walk through Southwark.  Follow signs to the Millennium Bridge, pausing at the north end of the bridge for a view of St. Paul’s Cathedral (at some point, visit this super crowded cathedral for a climb to the Whispering Gallery/365 ft high). Pass the Tate Museum–free entry, except for special exhibitions.  Pass the Globe Theater–first thatched roof allowed since the  Great Fire of London; April through October is the performance season.  Continue to stroll east along the Thames to the Dickensian Clink Street, the famed prison, before zigzagging to Winchester Walk for a peek in The Rake,the pub voted London’s best for its 100+ encyclopedic bottled beers.  Continue down the block to Southwark Cathedral, London’s 2nd best Gothic building, behind Westminster Abbey; a stained glass window commemorates Shakespeare, whose brother was buried here in 1607.  In addition, John Harvard (university benefactor) was baptized here.  Onward, to Borough Market  for food stall grazing.  Nearby Neal’s Yard Dairy  is great for wonderful cheeses and Konditor Patisserie for delicious orange lavender slab cake.  At 9a St. Thomas Street, you will find the old Operating Theater Museum, a 19th century operating room that pre-dated anesthetic and antiseptic surgery–not for the faint hearted.  Stop by 500 year old George Inn for a pint of its namesake ale or Anchor Pub.  Head toward the Thames for Hays Galleria, skipping the kitschy London Dungeon.  Tea clippers once crowded this former wharf lined with Victorian warehouses, now home to bistros and stores.   Traverse the Galleria to join joggers and roller bladers  on the Thames Path.  Just past egg-shaped City Hall lies Potters Fields Park, the perfect spot for views of Tower Bridge.  With luck, you might see the arms parting to make way for tall ships!

 

Head to Picadilly Circus to Fortnum & Mason, London’s oldest department store.  After shopping, watch the clock on the outside of the building on the hour, when Mr. Fortnum and Mr. Mason come out and nod at each other.  Pack a picnic basket with goodies from the bottom floor market.  Stop by nearby Lilly White for shopping.

While in London, don’t forget to visit the Houses of Parliament; Westminster Abbey, where all official functions happen, including weddings, funerals and coronations; the London Eye; Tower of London, with its famous Beefeater guards; Trafalgar Square; and Tower Bridge, which houses a terrific museum on the construction of the bridge.  Covent Garden was once a medieval garden, then a Victorian market and now has market stalls, street performers, shops & cafes.  The British Museum, National Gallery, and Museum of London are all quite nice.

 

 

The area surrounding London has some not-to-be missed places!

Take the tube’s Northern Line and disembark at Chalk Farm Road.  The Camden Lock Market, by the canal, is  a great place to find quirky crafts.  The nearby Camden Stables Market sells wonderful alternative fashions.  Walk along the footpath lining Regent’s Canal or take a boat ride or sit along the lock to enjoy a beer or hot chocolate while people watching.  The Bucks Head has excellent food and brews.

 

 

Take the tube to Tower Hill.  Connect with Docklands Light Rail (DLR) at the Tower Gateway Station across the street (near the Tower of London).  Take the light rail to Island Gardens, then walk thru the foot tunnel beneath the Thames to Greenwich.  You will emerge next to the Cutty Sark, a beautiful tea clipper.  Don’t miss the National Maritime Museum/Royal Observatory to check out the prime meridian and Harrison’s four clocks.  See the splendor of Painted Hall at the former Royal Naval College and the gravity-defying tulip staircase in the 17th century queen’s house.  Lunch on awesome food at the 150 year old Trafalgar Tavern on the waterfront.

Catch the train from Victoria Station to Canterbury.  Visit the impressive cathedral.  The Canterbury Tales Museum is kitschy but pretty entertaining!  There is a pleasant rowboat ride down the small river/canal in town

 

 

Hop the tube to Kew, then take a 5-minute walk to reach the Royal Botanic Gardens–300 acres and 15 miles of walking paths.  The giant glass house has lots of blooming things, and the treetop walk is a great way to view the area from above.  Dine near the station at “The Glass House” or in the station’s pub.

Brighton makes a fun day trip.  The 53-minute train leaves twice an hour.  Wander along the seafront to the Brighton Pier.  Traverse “the lanes”, a collection of small side streets with lots of quirky shops and many places to get good, non-chain restaurant food and drink.

 

 

Either take the train back to London’s Paddington Station or head straight to Oxford.  Skip the tourist info at the train station and walk directly to the Oxford Tourist Info Center–200 yards down St. Aldate’s Street from Carfax, the main intersection.  Take the 2 hour university tour, or pick up a self-guided walking tour map (10 pence), or take one of the excellent guided walking tours (the stupendous option we chose).  The Oxford Botanic Garden is very pretty and on the banks of a scenic river.  See the Stone Tower at the Church of St. Michael @ Northgate, from Saxon times.  Peruse the shopping stalls at Covered Market (at Cornmarket @ High), from the 13th century.  There are several good restaurants, and we had Lebanese.

Take the evening train to Bath.  Approximately 70 miles from Oxford, or 120 miles from London’s Paddington Station, is Bath.  Take the free guided walking tour departing from the Pump Room; we had an excellent guide who toured for 2 1/2 hours but most are 2 hours.  Visited the Roman baths and Temple complex (allow ample time); Bath Abbey; and walked along the Avon River.  You may want to sample the famous buns at Sally Lunn’s (still baked to 1680 recipe and dry-looking but historically correct–pretty bad tasting, in my opinion!).   Walked along the city’s signature crescent, rimmed with handsome Georgian townhomes, starting at 1 Royal Crescent.  The Bath Museum and British Folk Art Collection are worth seeing.

Money Saving Tips: Check out the London Pass on arrival–60 attractions & transportation.  Check official ticket box office for reduced price theater tickets (located at bottom of Leicester Square).  If planning to use tube (subway), purchase Oyster Card at any tube station and pre-pay some amount; you can add money, as needed.  Pubs are everywhere, and the food is quite good.