I know I have been denying all my faithful readers the treat that is my great writing found right here on my very own blog. But do not fear the dance world has been keeping me very busy and I have a handful of road trip restaurants to fill you in on. Let's go back in time a few weeks to my trip to Austin, Texas. The stretch of I-10 between New Orleans and Houston runs right through southern Louisiana, also known as Bayou Country. Sugar cane and rice fields along with commercial crawfish farms dominate the scenery. Above the fields are billboards advertising Cajun favorites such as Boudin, Jambalaya, Andouille, and many other foods, which are made form recipes passed down numerous generations. The cuisine that comes from this area is what spawned my passion for food and cooking. So I rarely make a trip through here without stopping to hurt myself from eating like a bear about to go into hibernation. Minus the nuts and berries.
We stopped for lunch in Lake Charles, Louisiana at a restaurant that I had never been to, but is a favorite in the area. I did some web surfing before hitting the road and found that Southern Spice Restaurant and Grill has a reputation for great cajun style home cooking. Like most other diners in southern Louisiana they offer all the typical meals such as fried seafood platters, an assortment of seafood po-boys, and other sandwiches but I want to see what makes each restaurant a little different from the rest. So I asked our waitress what she felt was the best thing on the menu. Of course I got the usual answer which was "Everything is really good." But I kept on her until she fessed up that her personal favorites are the Crawfish Smothered Catfish and the Cajun Steak and Cheese Po-boy. And to tell you the truth those were the two items I had been eyeing up already so now the choice was easy. I went with the Catfish and Matt got the Po-boy.
We also both ordered a cup of gumbo as an appetizer. After all that driving and thinking about food we needed something to hold us over until the main course hit the table. If you are like me and order gumbo at every new restaurant you begin to notice how many different ways people make gumbo. What seems to be the trend in the Lake Charles area is thinner gumbo that resembles a soup consistency and use of a light brown roux. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my gumbo was darker than I expected which gives a richer flavor than lighter roux. The seasonings were a little light but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed with the bottle of Southern Spice brand hot sauce which is on every table in the diner. They do have a fair amount of chicken and sausage in this gumbo which is not apparent in the picture because it was all at the bottom of the bowl. I have definitely had better bowls of gumbo before (after all that is my specialty) but it is always fun to see how other areas, so close to New Orleans, have different ideas of what gumbo should be.
Now that my stomach wasn't so mad at me for neglecting it I could take my time with with this fantastic plate of food that had just been placed in front of me. A beautiful filet of farm raised catfish was hiding under a healthy helping of crawfish etoufee. This is my favorite way to enjoy etoufee. I am a big fan of rice dishes but nothing beats this cajun favorite served over a crisp fried filet of white, flaky fish such as catfish of trout. Just like the gumbo I felt the etoufee needed a little more seasoning and heat, but the consistency was perfect and the crawfish were not overcooked; two things that are usually problem areas when cooking etoufee. My dish came with red potatoes sauteed together with onions and peppers all seasoned very well and a perfect addition to the smothered catfish. A warm dinner roll rounded out the meal which was great for cleaning the last of the food off my plate.
Now as good as that may have sounded I think that Matt got the better end of the deal when he picked the Cajun Steak and Cheese Po-Boy. The concept behind this sandwich is simple. It's a Philly Cheesesteak with some extra seasoning on the roast beef slapped onto some of that famous New Orleans style Po-Boy bread. I could only talk Matt out of one bite, but it was enough to know that I was going to find a reason to come back and get one of those bad boys for myself.
After filling up on some very satisfying cajun fare Matt and I got back on the road headed to Austin Texas where I got in my weekly Hooters visit. I know the food isn't the greatest, but it's good enough to be washed down with some cold draft beer while enjoying the "atmosphere" of this fine establishment. Besides we still had to drive back through Cajun Country on the way home, so there was the promise of some really good food soon enough. There is a little place in Breaux Bridge Louisiana called Mulate's that is famous for great food accompanied by live Cajun music 7 nights a week. Unfortunately this was lunch time so we had to settle for just the great food. Also as unfortunate my camera had a dead battery so these descriptions come without visuals. I would really have liked the opportunity to show you the inside of Mulate's restaurant which resembles an old fishing camp down on some bayou in Louisiana. They also have a beautiful bar area where all the music making and partying goes on in the evenings. If that isn't enough to get you into this fabulous family run restaurant than let me just say that the food is some of the best, most traditional cajun grub found anywhere.
I was in the mood for some fried seafood now that we were back in Louisiana so I kept it simple and ordered a Seafood Platter. This is an incredible amount of fresh, golden fried seafood that could easily feed two with the addition of a small appetizer. Stuffed crabs, butterflied shrimp, thin strips of catfish, and gulf oysters all piled high and accompanied with a side of cajun jambalaya, which is a little different on this side of Louisiana. Just as I was telling you that gumbo changes as you travel east to west down I-10 so does jambalaya. In New Orleans tomatoes are often found in jambalaya which turn it orange in color. True Cajuns usually pick on us city folk for our orange jambalaya. Here it is usually brown from the meat that is slow cooked then added to the rice dish. I really cant decide which way is my favorite, and why try, when either style can taste fantastic.
Matt chose to go with the same dish I had ordered at Southern Spice, which was a fried catfish filet covered in crawfish etoufee. Mulate's got this just right. I have never tasted etoufee that was any better than this. Not that I expected anything different from such a famous cajun restaurant in the heart of Bayou country. To make things even better the catfish came with four sides; a twice baked potato, coleslaw, sauteed veggies, and a scoop of boudin. Now I didn't help Matt eat all his food but I couldn't resist stealing a couple spoonfuls of that boudin. I was in heaven, there is nothing better than authentic, rustic boudin from southern Louisiana. As far as I am concerned Mulate's should be on any traveler's or foodie's list of places to eat before you die.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment