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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Rachael Café's Beaucoup Shrimp

Tried and true, it might seem difficult to shake up a Southern tradition like fried shrimp, but Rachael’s Café’s Beaucoup Shrimp is a welcome variation. The Dish of the Week includes fresh Gulf Coast shrimp, deveined, fried and drizzled with a spicy mayonnaise-based sauce. Served on a bed of crisp lettuce, the dish can serve as either an entrée or appetizer for $9.
Rachael’s Cafe is a family-owned and -operated Cajun restaurant, where owner Rachael Hebert works alongside her two daughters, Kellie and Tiffany, and her sisters, Phyllis and Stephanie. The restaurant offers daily plate lunch specials and a full menu featuring favorites like gumbo, sandwiches, fresh seafood and burgers. Mention EatLafayette today, Aug. 15, and receive a free homemade bread pudding with purchase of an entrée (the EatLafayette campaign ends today).
Rachael’s is located on 104-B Republic Ave. near Kaliste Saloom Road and is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and dinner from 5-8 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, dinner hours extend to 9 p.m.

To read The Independent article with recipe, click here.

Wine Pairing:

Lagneaux's

Lagneaux’s, the self-purported King of Seafood, offers filet of flounder stuffed with shrimp and crab — one of its
meals fit for a royal. Manager Sheila Green chose the Mondavi Private Selection 2010 chardonnay to pair with the flounder. Says Scott Holmes, the Mondavi representative for Republic National, “The concentrated citrus flavors of lemon, pineapple and peach complement this dish to accentuate the seafood flavors and provide a perfect balance to the dish.” Accompanying the fish is a red seafood jambalaya with ample amounts of shrimp flecked with pieces of diced red bell pepper and green onion; a baked potato; and an onion ring and a hush puppy — a meal fit for two stomachs. For EatLafayette, Lagneaux’s is offering a free bread pudding with choice of raspberry, rum or chocolate sauce with purchase of an éntrée. But you better get there quickly, as EatLafayette winds down today.
Lagneaux’s has been in business for more than 40 years and offers a diverse menu, along with a seafood buffet of local favorites. It’s also a meat market with specialty meats and take-home meals. Lagneaux’s has plate lunches Monday through Friday, is open for lunch Sunday through Friday, and serves dinner Monday through Saturday.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Fresh Ingredients

Village Café's Alligator Bites

Muscadines, which are native to the southeastern U.S. and thrive on the Louisiana heat, are much sweeter than other grape varieties and are popular in Southern wines. Though muscadine season is September and October, the above-normal summer temperatures may be a contributing factor in the earlier availability. At Village Café, Executive Chef Jeremy Conner has created a dish that highlights the muscadine in a bacon-chili glaze for his alligator sausage, with the sweet muscadine providing a delicious contrast to the savory sausage and salty bacon. You can make the jelly yourself, Conner says, but he highly recommends buying from a farmers’ market or grocer that stocks locally made products. “Lots of homemade jellies don’t set really well,” he says. “The local people who make them for a living really know how to get them to jell.” And besides, any store that sells the alligator you need for this recipe probably has a selection of jellies made from fruits that are in season now, like muscadines, he says. The recipe below makes four servings, or you can visit Village Café for the original preparation.

Grilled Alligator Sausage
with Bacon-Chili Muscadine Glaze

INGREDIENTS
2 links fresh alligator and pork sausage
1/2 cup cooked bacon, chopped
1/2 cup onions, small diced
1/2 cup green and red bell or marconi peppers, small diced
1T fresh cayenne peppers, minced
2 cups muscadine jelly or syrup

DIRECTIONS
In a medium skillet, sauté bacon pieces until their remaining fat begins to render. Add onions and peppers and sauté until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and add muscadine jelly. Stir well to incorporate and place in a container in the refrigerator.

Grill sausage to desired doneness on charcoal grill. Allow to rest, then slice and serve with muscadine glaze for dipping.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Coyote Blues' Churrascaria

Coyote Blues Fresh Mexican Grill prides itself on this edible artwork: churrascaria, composed of four different meats and a plethora of spices. This meal is enough to feed the hungriest of men, and offers tastes that should please all parts of the palate. The plate holds a skewer each of marinated chicken ribbons, beef tenderloin, jumbo shrimp and jalapeño sausage, all interspersed with red and green bell peppers and onions and cooked over a mesquite grill. The four skewers are arranged in a pyramid over a bed of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Chow down with the restaurant’s house-made tortillas, spicy chipotle cream sauce, roasted corn salsa, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo and Chimichurri dipping sauce. If your stomach can hold any more, mention EatLafayette and receive a free spicy beef taquito appetizer with purchase of an entrée. Coyote Blues Fresh Mexican Grill is located at 5741 Johnston St. and open Monday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

To read The Independent article with recipe, click here.

Cocktail Highlight:

Fresh Ingredients, I'll Drink to That

Indian restaurants are not known for their cocktails. Instead, they garner patrons with fragrant basmati rice and incredible spice blends that provide a foreign dining experience as well as excellent leftover egg omelets in the morning.
Masala Indian Kitchen, opened in 2006, is an anomaly. Bartenders blend drinks of traditional Indian fruits and spices and create cocktails that are a departure from the traditional margarita or martini. Masala’s owner, Shashi Gupta, has named multiple drinks after her grandchildren, and all utilize popular fresh ingredients found in Indian food. The house signature drink, the Yasho Mojito, is named after Gupta’s grandson and combines an in-house blackberry purée with lime, mint, rum and ginger ale, and is the most popular cocktail on the menu. Bartenders also make different mojitos with a changing offering of fresh purées, including strawberry, raspberry and mango. The Samartini, the first grandchild’s namesake, is a layered drink with infused citrus vodka, orange juice, lime and pomegranate liqueur. The Amar-rita is an almond margarita, and the Veertini is an in-house chili pepper-infused vodka with mango juice and pomegranate liqueur. “Veer means brave,” says manager Kenneth Babin, “so it’s a kick with the pepper. The Veertini is known for the spice, so it makes you feel like you’re getting an Indian experience.” The Mango Lassi, which is spiked with mango vodka for the adult version, is made from a mango pulp and yogurt made at the restaurant and is a traditional Indian drink. The Lychee Berry Splash features lychee berry juice, which is a fruit favored in India, mixed with raspberry vodka and the same blackberry purée as the Yasho Mojito for a lighter tasting concoction.
In addition to the cocktails and wine, Masala also offers two Indian lagers: The Taj Mahal, brewed in India but not served there, and King Fisher, an Indian-style beer brewed in the U.S. For EatLafayette, the restaurant offers a meal for two for $49.95, which includes one appetizer, choice of soup or salad for both parties, two entrées and one dessert. Eat during happy hour weekdays; on Mondays, mojitos are $5 and on Thursdays martinis are $5. — Elizabeth Rose

To read The Independent article, click here.

Breakfast Highlight

First Meal of the Day, It Does a Body Good

Proven to increase daily energy and have a long-lasting effect on weight loss, breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day — whether it’s scarfed down on the way to work or a drawn out affair while catching up with friends or family.

Blue Dog Café
Late riser? Then brunch means you can have your eggs and eat them, too. For a variation on the standard brunch buffet, visit Blue Dog Café’s Sunday Brunch Live. Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., local musicians serenade diners with a range of genres, including Cajun, Creole, Celtic, Folk, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, old standards and original compositions. Brunch includes complimentary and unlimited mimosas, along with a buffet menu that features breakfast favorites like made-to-order omelets and Crab Cakes Benedict and heartier meals like prime rib with horseradish cream sauce and corn and crab bisque. Adult plates are $22.95, children 6 through 12 are $7.95 and children 5 and younger eat free. A monthly list of featured musicians is located on Blue Dog Café’s website.

The French Press
Touted both locally and nationally, breakfast at The French Press in Downtown Lafayette is truly an experience. While the restaurant maintains a steady stream of breakfast visitors Tuesday through Friday (7 a.m.-2 p.m.), the busiest days are Saturday and Sunday (9 a.m.-2 p.m.), says French Press employee Yetta Russell. “People make a day of it,” she says while describing one of the restaurant’s most popular items, the Cajun Benedict ($10.50). The dish is toasted French bread, boudin and two poached medium eggs covered with chicken and Andouille gumbo and scallions. Other popular items include chicken and waffles ($12.50), grits and grillades ($8.50) and buttermilk sliders affectionately named “Sweet Baby Breesus” ($10.50).

Hub City Diner
For the past 23 years, Hub City Diner has remained one of Lafayette’s most popular breakfast eateries, serving home cooked staples like omelets, pancakes, biscuits and coffee in a 1950s-style setting. But home cooked shouldn’t be confused with heavy. Hub City Diner offers several healthy breakfast options, including its Garden Omelet made with egg whites and fresh vegetables, whole wheat toast and pancakes, fresh fruit and baked bacon. Biscuits are made from scratch each morning. Breakfast is served Monday through Friday from 6:30-10:30 a.m. and from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekends.

ThiboDough’s Breads and Bagels
Ryan Thibodeaux, owner of Thibodoughs Breads and Bagels, is an early riser. Every morning at 2 a.m. he arrives to make fresh bagels, breads and muffins for the breakfast rush. Thibodeaux’s most popular sellers are his New York-style bagels, which come in flavors like cinnamon raisin, blueberry, French toast, cheddar jalapeño and Asiago. The bagels also form the base of his breakfast sandwich made with eggs, cheese and bacon. Another savory item includes Thibodough’s stuffed breads filled with ground beef, cheese and sautéed onions and bell peppers. Breakfast is served Tuesday through Friday from 6 a.m.-10 a.m. at the bakery’s location of 1519 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, and 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday at the Hub City Farmers Market in the Oil Center.

Other EatLafayette breakfast destinations
1. Andoli’s Sandwich Press, Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
2. Bailey’s Bistro, Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
3. Jolie’s Louisiana Bistro, Saturday and Sunday brunch, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
4.  Prejean’s Restaurant, daily, 7 a.m.-10:15 a.m.
5. The Lab Hand Crafted Coffee and Comforts, Monday-Friday: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
 

To read The Independent article, click here.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

La Cuisine de Maman's Rice and Gravy

The epitome of comfort food, a simple dish of rice and gravy has the power to make any day remarkable. This week’s Dish of the Week is no different. Served with a biscuit and a choice of either a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo or side salad, La Cuisine de Maman’s beef and sausage gravy served over fluffy white rice is a perfect plate lunch. The dish also comes with a side of green beans and bacon or steamed corn, and dessert of apple cobbler or bread pudding.

Located in the heart of Vermilionville, La Cuisine de Maman serves traditional Cajun and Creole cuisine. Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife park preserves Lafayette’s Cajun and Creole history for both locals and visitors. The museum holds many restored historical items, and also features actors who provide examples of numerous crafts and chores performed by early Acadians.   

Tuesday through Friday the restaurant offers plate lunches from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and buffet dining from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekend. Mention EatLafayette until Aug. 15 and receive 10 percent off any buffet or menu item.

To read The Independent article, click here.

This week's wine pairing:

Dozo Restaurant
Four Courses, One Price

Dozo, one of the few restaurants in town that features tableside entertainment hibachi dinners, has a four-course chef’s choice dinner that offers an occasion to indulge in both white and red wine with different plates.

Dozo shrimp and filet with a teriyaki sauce	The trio sample plate is the appetizer in the four-course chef's choice dinner.

The four-course dinners range in price from $16-$34.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lil Bite O Heaven's Key Lime Cupcake

Specializing in gourmet and premium cupcakes, Lil Bite O' Heaven features five flavors daily, including traditional favorites like 14 Carrot Cake and German Chocolate, and unique variations like Blue Velvet and Mocha Motion. In addition to cupcakes, Lil Bite O' Heaven offers cake balls and mini cupcakes by special order, all made without preservatives and stabilizers, when possible. Mention EatLafayette until Aug. 15 and receive 15 percent off your entire order.

Located at 1519 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy., Lil Bite O Heaven is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Katie Macdonald

Photo by Elizabeth Rose

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
16 T unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
zest of 2-3 key limes
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 t vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
1. Set oven to 350º.  
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl, whisk together and set aside.  
3. Add the butter to an electric mixer and beat on medium high until light and creamy.
4. Beat in lime zest.  
5. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time.  
6. Add eggs 1 at a time until incorporated.  
7. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.  
8. Fill each liner about 2/3 of the way full.
9. Bake 18-22 minutes.  
10. Allow to cool in pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Highlight:

Figs it is, for now

While winding down, the fig crop has been strong this year, with French Press owner/chef Justin Girouard using them in dishes and desserts.

One option for figs beginning to look a little worse for wear is to stew them down so they’re ready for the next step. “Every year at this time we have such a great product and a short window,” Girouard says.

When we talked to him a couple of weeks ago, Girouard was planning a dish with braised figs and Port wine. “Last year, we did Yorkshire pudding, stuffed with figs and bleu cheese and served that with lamb,” he says.

This year Girouard also did a waffle dessert with fig sauce and figs on it. Figs were showing up on salads, too.

“We get them in and use fresh figs as long as we can,” says Girouard, noting that the leftovers are made into preserves. South Louisiana’s fig season is short, with late June and July the peak time for harvesting.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Drink Event

Healing House ABSOLUT Best Martini Contest

Healing House, which helps support grieving children and their caregivers, is hosting its ’Tini Tuesday Tour and Absolut Best Martini Contest through Aug. 21, sponsored by Absolut vodka, and Lafayette’s drinking community is asked to vote for its favorites on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, a different restaurant hosts the tour and serves up free martinis for those with coupons. The EatLafayette restaurants are offering a variety of their own creations, including La Fonda, Blue Dog Café, Charley G’s and Pamplona. The competition concludes Aug. 25 with a gala at the Hilton, where the judges’ favorite and the people’s favorite will be revealed. Visit Healing House’s website, www.healing-house.org, to buy tickets to the gala or print a coupon to indulge in this year’s concoctions.

EatLafayette Restaurants' Martinis:
LA FONDA'S SANGRIA MARTINI
BLUE DOG CAFE'S WHAT-A-MELON MARTINI
CHARLEY G'S STRAWBERRY BLONDE
PAMPLONA'S ENDLESS SUMMER
 

To read The Independent article and get recipes, click here.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Prejean's Acadian Bread Pudding

As one of Lafayette’s first Cajun-themed restaurants, Prejean’s is known throughout Acadiana for its authentic cuisine and nightly Cajun music. This week’s Dish of the Week is Prejean’s Acadian Bread Pudding, a traditional Louisiana dessert made with French bread, eggs, milk and spices. Go ahead and give its famous recipe a try, or enjoy this flavorful dessert free with the purchase of any entrée until Aug. 15. Prejean’s Restaurant is located on 3480 NE Evangeline Thruway and is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 French breads, torn or cut into small pieces
6 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk
2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
2 t brown sugar
2 t ground cinnamon
2 t vanilla extract
½ cup melted butter
½ cup cold butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place bread pieces in a large mixing bowl
3. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and blend well. Stir in melted butter.
4. Add egg mixture to bread in bowl and stir until mixed. Let stand until liquid is absorbed and bread is saturated. Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle chopped butter on top.
5. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45 to 60 minutes or until center is firm. Remove from heat and serve warm.
Serves 20

Jack Daniel’s Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ cup butter
2-4 ounces Jack Daniel’s whiskey
In a saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and water to make a simple syrup. Add butter and stir until completely blended. Just prior to serving, add whiskey.
Recipe makes 2 ¾ cups of sauce.

To read The Independent article, click here.

This week's wine pairing:

Café Vermilionville

At Café Vermilionville, we’re more like tour guides,” owner Ken Veron Jr. says as he describes pairing the restaurant’s Abita Strawberry and white balsamic veal cheek with a 2009 Mondavi Fumé Blanc ($32 by  the bottle). The veal cheek, accompanied with a blue cheese flan, charred tomato and spicy walnut salad with braising sauce, is sous chef Patrick Waters’ play on a classic summer salad. 

“The dish is fruity, light and clean. The bright blue cheese helps all of the flavors blend together and bring out the smoky flavor of the wine,” Waters says. “It complements the lighter meat.”

The entrée is part of a larger EatLafayette special, available until Aug. 15. For $25, diners can enjoy a four-course meal, with options of each course, including turtle soup, crawfish and tasso crêpes, Louisiana crab cakes and Key Lime pie.

Located on 1304 W. Pinhook Road, Café Vermilionville is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. — Katie Macdonald

To read The Independent article, click here.

Restaurant Highlight

The Science of Sipping

Newly opened in River Ranch, The Lab is a coffee connoisseur’s paradise.
By Katie Macdonald
Photo by Elizabeth Rose

Not many new eateries would dare to open in the midst of the Fourth of July holiday — notoriously the slowest week of the year in the culinary world. But for Thomas Peters, his nearly 20-year dream couldn’t wait. On June 28, The Lab Handcrafted Coffees and Comforts opened to an enthusiastic Lafayette in what Thomas could only describe as a “mad rush.”
Lafayette’s newest café was born out of Thomas and his wife Pam Peters’ joint desire to create a unique “hang-out” destination that reflected the duo’s love for flavor and experimentation.

“Everything we do is based on science, chemistry and experimentation,” Thomas says.
At The Lab, the menu is simple — crafted by a combination of fresh and local ingredients.
“Ingredients first, local second,” Thomas says in a firm tone. “If you don’t start with good ingredients, you will get a bad product.”

Thomas and Pam took months to select the bold-tasting coffees and teas that form the heart of the menu. They looked for both quality products and distributors that emphasize a direct relationship between farms and roasters. The fruits of their labor are a unique combination of six micro-roasters and one tea manufacturer. Cuveé Coffee Roasters from Austin, Handsome Coffee Roasters from Los Angeles and Populace Coffee of Bay City, Mich., are three of The Lab’s most popular roasters, while all 25 teas come from New York-based SerendipiTea. Since Louisiana’s climate does not support coffee or tea, the Peters use local providers for fruit, honey and produce.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Poorboy's Riverside Inn's Oysters Rockefeller

Poor Boy's Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Bienville

INGREDIENTS:
2-8 oz fresh/frozen spinach packages (boiled & chopped)
2 cups chopped green onions
1/4 lb bacon finely chopped
2 T Herbsaint absinthe liqueur
1 T minced garlic
2 oz Herbsaint
1 cup celery
1/4 lb butter (unsalted)
1-2 oz can anchovies (chopped fine)
1/4 cup of parsley (finely chopped)
salt, red, white & black pepper to taste
2 dozen oysters
2 T chopped red bell pepper (optional)

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan over high heat cook bacon until brown and crispy.
2. When crispy, add Herbsaint and simmer for four minutes.
3. Turn down heat to low. Add all ingredients, stir well, cover, simmer until veggies are soft.
4. Shuck two dozen oysters, wash, then par boil them.
5. Rinse two dozen of the shells, put the oysters in, then cover completely with Rockefeller sauce.
6. Put rock salt in a large platter, place oysters and Rockefeller on top, then bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Healthy Highlights

Whole Wheatery Eatery

To read The Independent article, click here.

Sandra's Café and Health Food Store

Here in Lafayette, we know how to eat well, and we may end up paying the price for it — but some local restaurants are looking to change that. Sandra’s Café and Health Food Store General Manager Jason Feria, who is from Puerto Rico but most recently lived in Los Angeles, says it’s been a challenge since moving here to stay on the healthy straight and narrow. But he also says it’s fun to help his customers make the transition from gumbo and étouffée to healthier options, teaching them they don’t have to forgo taste to lead a healthier lifestyle. Sandra’s offers plate lunches (with a host of organic vegetable choices), which Feria says are the business’s main draw, made from the “cleanest possible ingredients,” like hamburger steaks from grass-fed beef and hormone-free, free-range chicken shawarma — but also serves up the classic shrimp and grits. The café serves plate lunches with no salt, low salt, dairy-free and soy-free options and is looking to expand the plate lunch menu to cater to other food allergies. The store sells items for “every possible intolerance and allergy,” according to Feria, including gluten-free. Feria compares eating habits to stalactites: “They’re formed one drop at a time — it’s the same thing with our bodies. How we live each day is how we live our lives.”

To read The Independent article, click here.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Dax's Mama's Cajun Cheesesteak Poboy

Dax on Verot serves up its take on the Philly Cheesesteak for this Dish of the Week, its “Yankee treat with a Cajun twist” for only $4.99. Dax piles its four-hour chopped southern-style roast beef, sautéed with onions and bell peppers, atop lightly toasted French bread and smothered in melted provolone and mozzarella cheeses. Dress it with lettuce and tomato; all poboys are served with fries. Visit Dax at 2832 Verot School Road for plate lunches, barbecue or seafood Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. or Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To read The Independent article, click here.

This week's wine pairing

Pamplona

Pamplona Tapas Bar and Restaurant General Manager Andrew Payne paired the Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2010 California Pinot Noir with the restaurant’s jamon and arugula salad, citing the versatility of a pinot noir to pair well with a variety of foods. “It’s refreshing and light for summer, but it has enough body to compare with the complexity of the salad,” says Payne. The plate boasts a hearty helping of arugula with serrano and piquillo peppers, toasted hazelnuts, manchego cheese, olive powder and a roasted red pepper vinaigrette, all surrounded by thinly silced jamon. For Pamplona’s Eat Lafayette special, mention the campaign and receive one traditional tapas when you buy two.

To read The Independent article, click here.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Nimbeaux's Cajun Fried Catfish

Crispy, golden and delicious, Nimbeaux’s Cajun fried catfish is this week’s Dish of the Week. According to owner Jim Babin, the fried catfish has been Nimbeaux’s signature dish since the restaurant first opened its doors in July 2000. The dish comes in three sizes: small ($12.99), medium ($14.99) and large ($17.99). Orders are served with a choice of side, including coleslaw, hush puppies, steamed vegetables or sweet potato sticks. In addition to its fried catfish, Nimbeaux’s Restaurant is famous for Cajun staples like the seafood platter, crawfish bisque, crawfish étouffée and poboys. Mention EatLafayette at Nimbeaux’s Restaurant with an order of a whole poboy and get a free order of french fries or home fried chips.

Nimbeaux’s Restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner on Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

To read The Independent article, click here.

2011 West Pinhook Road
337.233.3131
www.nimbeauxs.com

This week's drink highlight:
Cafe Habana City

Mint, lime, sugar, soda.
Rafael Garcia moved to Lafayette from Havana, Cuba, as a political refugee in 1998 and began serving up mojitos with his own imported recipe 10 years ago when he opened Café Habana City with his family. His refreshing mixture makes it the quintessential summer drink, and he will happily serenade customers with songs from his homeland while creating the restaurant’s signature concoction. 

To read the full Independent article, click here.

911 Bertrand Drive
337.857.7527

Restaurant Spotlight:
Bon Temps Grill

When it comes to traditional Louisiana food, there’s little that locals haven’t tried, much less perfected. From dark, thick gumbo and creamy crawfish étouffée to crispy strips of fried alligator, everyone and their mother has sampled the staples of Cajun cuisine. 

But brothers Patrick and Steven O’Bryan aren’t afraid to buck tradition at Pat and Steve’s Bon Temps Grill, 1312 Verot School Road in Lafayette’s booming south side. There, the Erath natives have crafted a unique menu that embraces familiar Cajun cuisine while introducing new ingredients and techniques.

From the NOLA Shrimp & Grits, large shrimp and just-spicy-enough jalapeno cheese grits, to a crawfish pot pie filled with crawfish étouffée and topped with a simultaneously gooey and crispy Gruyere crust, the Bon Temps Grill’s menu is filled with twists Steven likes to call “urban Cajun food.”

“We don’t want to be that same old fried seafood platter Cajun restaurant,” Steven says as he describes how the brothers developed their menu.

To read the full Independent article, click here.

1312 Verot School Road
337.706.8850
www.bontempsgrill.com

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

2Paul’s Angus Beef Brisket Salad

The salad starts with a bed of crisp Romaine, pecan-smoked chopped Angus brisket, apples and red raisins and is then topped with balsamic-marinated chargrilled asparagus. Add a drizzle of 2Paul’s housemade horseradish remoulade dressing to create a combination of fresh and savory in an enormous serving. 2Paul’s prides itself on its “Oklahoma smoke and Louisiana spice” and offers barbecue seafood and meats in salads, sandwiches and sides. For EatLafayette 2012, the restaurant is offering one rack of ribs at regular price and you receive a second one 50% off when you mention EatLafayette. It is located at 2668 Johnston St., next to Albertsons, and is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To read The Independent article, click here.

2668 Johnston St. Suite C-4
337.232.1181
www.2paulsbbq.com

This week's wine pairing:
Charley G’s

Charley G’s General Manager Courtney Vincent serves up the restaurant’s wood-grilled mahi mahi with Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2010 Pinot Noir, proving that white wine is not essential for fish. The fish is accompanied by a baby bay shrimp sauté and summer vegetable succotash with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette. “The smoky flavors of the mahi cooked over our wood-burning grill is complemented by the fruit flavors and crisp acidity of the pinot noir,” says Vincent, who worked at Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico in New Orleans before joining the Charley G’s staff. The mahi mahi is one of two second-course options for the restaurant’s EatLafayette special, a two-course meal for $20. For the other éntrée, Charley G’s offers a panéed chicken fettuccine maque choux, a boneless chicken breast with cream sauce, corn and tasso, which Vincent paired with the 2010 Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay, noting that the creaminess in the pasta accentuates the wine’s buttery flavors. For the first course, customers can choose either a southern Caesar salad or seasonal soup. Charley G’s has been serving Lafayette diners since 1985 and is located at 3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It serves dinner Monday through Saturday, offering live piano music Thursday through Saturday. — Elizabeth Rose

3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway
337.981.0108
www.charleygs.com

The Independent's first week of wine pairings:

One of The Ind’s inaugural pairings was done by Ben Leger, general manager and sommelier at Village Café in River Ranch (all of the restaurant’s entrées have a by-the-glass wine pairing; during the campaign, the first glass is free). Leger paired the 2009 Robert Mondavi Carneros Pinot Noir with Executive Chef Jeremy Conner’s twin molasses brined bone-in pork chops with honey/peppercorn glaze, two large chops served over Garber Farms whipped sweet potatoes with grilled-braised greens. “There’s no exact science to wine pairing. It’s more of a feeling,” says Leger, adding that Pinot Noir and pork are a classic combination — the lighter meat with a lighter wine. “The delicacy of the grape lends itself very well to a light meat like pork,” he says. Mondavi’s 2009 vintage has plum and rhubarb flavors that are nice complements to the sweetness of both the potatoes and honey/peppercorn glaze. “It also retains a suitable amount of acidity on the lingering finish to act as a foil to the richer components of the dish,” Leger says. Village Café will be pouring this Mondavi wine with this dish throughout the campaign.

The second pairing, by Saint Street Inn’s Mary Tutwiler, teamed the restaurant’s Canecutter Duck — seared duck breast with duck-skin cracklings, strawberry-cayenne Steen's syrup and a Canebrake beer glaze — with Mondavi’s 2010 Private Selection Zinfandel, a zesty fruity red made from Central Coast grapes. Offering hints of black pepper, the wine’s aromas reveal a deep core of rich blackberry, blueberry and black raspberry fruit. Tutwiler explains that the strong flavors of both the dish and Zinfandel complement each other. “Zinfandel is a spicy wine that is packed with a pepper flavor,” she says. “It goes very well with the spicy duck. They speak to each other.”

The Icing on the Cupcake
Sophi P. Cakes won’t be doing any wine pairings for EatLafayette 2012, but it sure knows how to infuse a cupcake to utter deliciousness. The Johnston Street cupcake factory’s Peach, Love & Happiness, a Moscato-infused yellow cake topped with a brown sugar buttercream and Moscato baked peaches, might make you say: “the best piece of cake I ever had — in my life.” It’s what one of our tasters had to say. As part of their EatLafayette promo, Dustin and Jennifer Melancon combined a 2011 Woodbridge Moscato with their signature cake to create the sweet treat, proving that wine doesn’t always have to be enjoyed by the glass. “It’s more fun to infuse [the alcohol] into the cupcake,” Dustin says. “We didn’t just want to pair a glass of wine with a cupcake.” According to the bakers, the floral aroma of the Moscato wine complements sweets and fruits, like the peaches topping the Peach, Love & Happiness cupcake. The baking process removes the alcohol from the cake and leaves a sweet and distinct flavor.

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