The Cajun Foodie

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Posts Tagged Louisiana

Cafe’ Dominique

Feb 25

Posted by Cassafrass in "Down the Bayou" restaurant | 15 Comments

cafe dominique Cafe Dominique

So my girl friends gather once per month for what we like to call “girls night out.”  One night to break away from our husbands, work commitments, healthy eating (yeah right!) during the week.  Tired of the same old local favorites, we decided to try a new restaurant in Houma, Louisiana  – Cafe’ Dominique.  The actual place was warm and inviting.  I felt as if I were in an old New Orleans style restaurant.  The menu has an array of unique items ranging from your basic steak to unique and tasty fish dishes.

We began our 3 hour dinner with wine and appetizers.  I had the salad, which was delicious — cold, crispy, fresh lettuce (which was also chopped, an added plus for me because I hate big leaves of lettuce), topped with crispy bacon, blue cheese, and a very light and creamy buttermilk dressing which did not take away from the bold flavors of the bacon and cheese.  Another friend had the tuna ceviche which was just as delicious as the salad.  Yet there was one item that surpassed them all — THE SEARED SCALLOPS.  They were absolute perfection — buttery, plump, and just melted in your mouth.

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Sauce made famous by the guy and his dog that sell chicken fingers

Feb 25

Posted by Tommy in Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 14 Comments

If you don’t know who I’m talking about, then

  1. you don’t live in South Louisiana,
  2. you did NOT go to LSU in the past decade,
  3. your cholesterol level is most likely in much better condition than those of use that did attend LSU in the last decade, and
  4. despite you thinking that having low cholesterol is a good thing, you have (at least up until reading this post and making this sauce) missed out on one of the better things in life.

I’m not really a “recipe” kind of guy, in fact, I don’t think I can replicate anything I have ever made with any specific certainty.  However, if may boast for a minute, people generally dig my food.  Some really dig it…. So if you see a recipe on here, it will not be the “1 tsp of salt, dash of marjoram” type of thing.

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The Bayou Bar

Feb 24

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | 3 Comments

The Bayou Bar

The Great Harvest Bread Co. is a franchise, which I am normally not a fan of, but go there and you will see why people are willing to pay them to use their name (and some of their recipes). My understanding of the concept, which is highly touted amongst franchisees, is that you buy in and they pack you off to Montana for a week or something like that to learn how to make bread. Then when you return to your store, they send or provide you with the basic bread mix and give each owner the freedom to make any particular breads or items they want.

The couple that runs the store in Lafayette do it right. Breads such as Cinnamon Explosion, Dakota, 9 Grain, and Woodstock line the cooling racks after coming out of the ovens every morning. Every one that I have ever tried (with the exception of one which shall go nameless) have been excellent.

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Apple Pie goodness

Feb 24

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | 1 Comment

Apple Pie goodnessSo you’re saying to yourself, why is this guy posting a pic of a pile of mushed up apple pie? My answer, this loveable lump of leftovers is all that made it in front of the camera because my mouth intervened.

This was my first sample of an apple pie from the Creola Cafe in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Now Grand Coteau has some good food and neat shops, Catahoula’s and the Kitchen Shop being among my favorites. Creola Cafe was a new one on me, but I will be back. I was told they do lunch on weekdays and Saturdays, so be forewarned, I am coming.

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Paul’s Pirogue

Feb 24

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | 3 Comments

Pauls Pirogue Pauls Pirogue

This is first of many posts that I will probably regret, but hey, Forrest forgot to say how disappointing some of the selections are when he said life was like a box of chocolates. I’m that man that eats the chocolate covered orange brandy nougat things without spitting them out, and still wants to talk about them.

I’ve been scoping out Paul’s Pirogue in Carencro for some time now. I’m a big fan of places that look like converted old time grocery stores (please stay open forever Roberto’s!) and when I first stumbled across the Paul’s Pirogue website I was pumped. The articles on the site (circa 2001) from the Times of Acadiana and Southern Living magazines spoke of piles of lump crabmeat at ridiculously cheap prices amongst other delectable items. On top of that, they promoted and sold their own homemade mayo, which makes you a winner in my book. As we pulled up, my salivary glands were pumping. Old time grocery store facade, nice lights, hand painted signs touting their food…oh yeah.

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Boudin Balls at Billy Ray’s

Feb 20

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | 7 Comments

So there is this place in Opelousas on E. Vine St. People call it Billy’s, Ray’s, Billy Ray’s, or Billy and Ray’s. Whatever it is, they have the best boudin balls EVER. See, a lot of places in south Louisiana have boudin balls. Rice and basically dressing mix tossed together, packed in a ball deep fried. Billy Ray’s (as I call it) has them all beat due to one simple thing. Their batter.

They double dip their boudin balls in a mixture that can only be compared to the batter on Popeye’s fried chicken. Gnarly, crispy, crunchy goodness with a soft inside.

Now, as for the boudin, be careful. The place has such a complicated name because they sell two different boudins. Not just one spicy and one mild, but two different recipes. You see, they sell Billy’s (the spicier one) and Ray’s (the milder of the two). It is easy to be confused by which one is which because they have a big sign inside that says “Ray’s hot boudin,” but don’t be mislead. If you want spicy, the easy thing is to just ask for the spicy and they know what you’re talking about.

In fact, I think it is a mistake to order anything but the “spicy.” Ray’s boudin is bland to me, bordering on tasteless. Billy’s, the spicier one, is great, and is the stuffing for their boudin balls also. I’ve messed up before, ordering Ray’s boudin because of the sign saying it was the hot one, and I have ordered Billy’s and been given Ray’s. Now, I just say “spicy.”

To further ease the confusion though, just get yourself a boudin ball. Also, they have also have another location in Krotz Springs on 190.

Boudin Balls at Billy Rays

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Burger Day

Feb 20

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | No Comments

Okay, those are pics of another burger.  Another burger that I ate last night after having one for lunch.  No, I did not intend to have cheeseburgers for lunch and dinner, but this was happy surprise nonetheless.

I was watching the ponies at Evangeline Downs with my male in laws.  One was bringing back some drinks and asked if I at dinner yet, to which I responded no, and he replied “good I ordered you a burger.”

So after talking earlier in the day about the lack of grease in the Southside burger, this bovine greasebomb does the trick.  While the burger itself could use the spice, the bun, cheese, and burger combine to make a tasty melty package.  Strangely enough, the bun was actually a lot like Southside’s, with that Hawaiian roll thing going on.

I started yesterday with the intention to eat one burger, not two.  Life, as it seems had other plans, and as my father-in-law said when he hit a trifecta for a nice payout: “that’s awesome man.”

Burger Day

Burger Day

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Southside Bakery burgers

Feb 19

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | 7 Comments

Southside Bakery burgers

The wife and I did lunch at Southside Bakery in Lafayette today. The place bakes their own breads for their homemade burgers and hot dogs. The bun is kind of like a semi-sweet Hawaiian roll; light, springy and oh so good. If you don’t look at the picture hard enough, you may not notice that I went for the wheat version, same taste more fiber right?

The burger is thick and super juicy. If you’re looking for a greasy burger though, you might better off over at Judice Inn, but if you want a burger dripping with it’s own juices and thicker than most that you get in Acadiana, then Southside is for you.

Southside Bakery burgers

The Perfect Meal: Southside burger, Zapps, and King Cake

Southside Bakery burgers

I have to admit, I kind of went healthy here and got the turkey burger, but it was awesome. Next time though, I’ll be getting the homemade foot-long covered in chili, cheese, onions, and banana peppers. I did make up for it some with a side of king cake and Zapps potato chips.

Also, as the name implies, this place has some great baked goods. Cookies, cakes, petit fours… it’s all good at Southside Bakery. If going for lunch however, be warned, it’s a tablegrab at noon.

Contact info:

Southside Bakery

2801 Johnston Street

Lafayette, La. 70503

Phone: 337-233-8636

Fax: 337-233-8638

minilogo Southside Bakery burgers

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Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Feb 19

Posted by Tommy in The Cajun Foodie | 1 Comment

Welcome to The Cajun Foodie!  We’ve set up this blog a) because we like food, b) we like to talk about food, and c) we really like to talk about food.  The blog is run by three editors: one in South Louisiana, one in Acadiana, and the last in New Orleans.  We’ll cover a lot of area though throughout the cajun nation and we hope you enjoy our rantings and ravings.

There will be no rankings or ratings per se, just an honest and oftentimes comical review of whatever we eat.  We’ll sort them by location and food type(s), so if you’re in the area, look it up!

Enjoy!

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