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!
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