WORLD FAMOUS CAJUN EXTRAVAGANZA AND GUMBO COOK-OFF

February 18, 2012 – February 18, 2012

Times: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Lake Charles Civic Center
Address: 900 Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601
Phone: 337-475-7393
Admission: $5. Children 5 & Under are free

The Louisiana Travelin’ Man has been chosen to be one of the judges for one of the most popular cook-offs in Louisiana, The World Famous Cajun Extravaganza Gumbo Cook-Off contest.

This event is open to the public and they come out in droves to participate in all the festivities and to sample approximately 30 Louisiana Gumbos to see whose is the best. The cook-off doors open at 8AM and live music starts at 10AM, with the judging to begin about 12N. Doors close at 2PM. Come join the Louisiana Travelin’ Man for a day of great fun, food and music.

Mardi Gras in Lake Charles has a very Cajun flair, so if you haven’t experienced it, now is the time. Here are the Mardi Gras events for Saturday, February 18, 2012 you may want to include in your planning:

Krewe of Omega Parade
Saturday, February 18, 2 p.m.
Downtown Lake Charles.

*Zydeco Dance
Saturday, February 18, 3—5 p.m.
Live bands playing Mambo and Zydeco.

*Krewe of Barkus Parade
Saturday, February 18, 3 p.m.
Fantastically disguised canines parade in full Mardi Gras attire, all vying for the title of “Mystical Dog.” Entry fee applies.

Krewe of Cosmos Presentation
Saturday, February 18, 6:30 p.m.
The Krewe of Cosmos presents their royal court in style at the Sulphur High School Auditorium with skits, songs and more.

*Krewe of Illusions
Saturday, February 18, 7:30 p.m.
Celebrate Mardi Gras with the 23rd annual presentation of the Krewe of Illusions. Tickets are $30 orchestra, formal attire required. $18 balcony reserved seating and $15 standard balcony seating, casual attire.

*Denotes events taking place at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

For a complete list of Mardi Gras events, go to http://www.swlamardigras.com/events/index.cfm

I will give you complete details with photos following the Gumbo Cook-Off.

There are several places to get great Louisiana food in Shreveport and downtown is no exception. On one of my recent visits, I went to Abby Singer’s Bistro.

The restaurant is located upstairs in the Robinson Film Center building in downtown Shreveport. The Film Center shows award winning first run films as well as classics like High Society and Barbarella to name a few.

This contemporary looking restaurant, with a balcony over Texas Avenue, is the perfect spot for a quick lunch or to unwind after a days work.


They have a different type of Louisiana gumbo each day priced at $4.00 for a cup and $6.50 for a bowl. For this type of restaurant the price is great.  How do they choose what the Louisiana gumbo for the day is? It’s whatever the chef gets in. The day I was there they had a chicken, andouille, okra and shrimp gumbo. Sounds like a mouthful.  The gumbo has a dark roux and unfortunately too much okra for my taste. I prefer a no okra gumbo.  The rice was cold and had very little taste. There was very little stuff (chicken, Andouille) and I searched and searched but couldn’t find any shrimp, but for $4 what do you expect?
 
The andouille gave the gumbo a little bit of spice but there was very little after burn. Even as I reached the bottom of the bowl, there wasn’t the spiciness that I hoped for.

By the way, I also had their Royale with cheese which was excellent. A large, tasty, flame grilled burger, served with excellent sweet potato fries lightly coated with a cinnamon sugar. All this for $10 ($8 at lunch). Now that’s something I’ll go back for.

For some great Louisiana Food, Great Louisiana Music, and Great Louisiana Festivals, spend a few days in Shreveport-Bossier.

Croux says “I give it a 2 Spoon Rating”
Taste: Good
Texture: Good
Spicyness: Good
Temperature (serving temperature): Good
Enough stuff: Good
Presentation: Good
Price: Excellent

Abby Singer’s Bistro
617 Texas St.
Shreveport, LA 71101
318-459-4125
Hours: Tue-Thu 11 AM – 2:30PM and 5PM – 9PM; Fri-Sat 11 AM – 2:30PM and 5PM – 11PM. Closed Sun-Mon
http://www.robinsonfilmcenter.org/abby-singers-bistro




  Louisiana Travelin' Man

Natchitoches is the epitome of what you think of when it comes to small town charm with true southern hospitality. You walk along the riverfront and you can’t help but fall in love with Natchitoches.

When it’s time to eat, there are several great places to choose from. On this trip I chose Antoon’s Riverfront Restaurant. From the picture it looks like someone’s house, but when you enter the great smells from the kitchen get your taste buds dancing, and when you taste their gumbo the dancing continues.

They only have seafood gumbo and serve it by the cup @ $5.95 or the bowl @ $9.95

This is a light to medium roux with plenty of seafood. They use shrimp, crawfish and oysters. The only thing missing was crab, but that also means no shells.

The gumbo was nicely seasoned with a very good after burn. The oysters were very small, but it all blended very well. I actually think small oysters in gumbo are better.

The rice was uneventful, but that’s one of the reasons for having it on the side. The other reason is you get more gumbo.

Croux says “I’ll give it a 3 Spoon Rating”

Taste: Very Good

Texture: Very Good

Spiciness: Very Good

Temperature (serving temperature): Very Good

Stuff: Excellent

Presentation: Very Good

Price: Excellent

 

Antoon’s Riverfront Restaurant

805 Washington St.

Natchitoches, LA 71457

318-354-7767

www.antoonsrestaurant.com

Mon-Fri 11AM-2PM and 5PM – 9PM

Sat: 5PM – 9PM

The Louisiana Travelin’ Man

If you read my first blog, you saw that I am searching for the best gumbo in Louisiana.

Before I start rating the gumbos, two things had to happen.

1.     I needed to eat as much gumbo as possible

2.     I needed a rating system and an icon to help give the rating system a special look.

Well, I did the first and we created the second. Meet Croux. Croux will hold a spoon or spoons in his claw. The higher the number of spoons, the better the gumbo. If Croux has no spoon…No Gumbo for you.

0 Spoons: Bad Gumbo

1 Spoon: Just Okay

2 Spoons: Good

3 Spoons: Very Good

4 Spoons: Excellent

5 Spoons: The Best

The ratings will be based on (in order of importance)

·       Taste

·       Texture

·        Spicyness

·        Temperature (serving temperature)

·       Enough stuff (if it’s a chicken and sausage gumbo, I want to see plenty of chicken & sausage)

·        Presentation

·       Price

I am very particular with my gumbo. Here are some of my likes and dislikes:

·       No rice in the gumbo

·        Not a big fan of okra in my gumbo

·        When I get seafood gumbo, I hate getting pieces of shells

·        I prefer a darker roux

·        A two or three day old gumbo is better than a new gumbo

So, do you have a favorite place to eat gumbo besides ya mama’s house, or maw maw’s? Let me know and I’ll
try it as quickly as possible. In the meantime, hope you enjoy the blog.

 
 The Louisiana Travelin’ Man

For the month of August, some of New Orleans best restaurants are offering special meals at special deals as part of  the 7^th Annual COOlinary promotion.


All you have to do is check out the COOlinary website and you’ll see the restaurants, the special meals and the special deals.

Here are some examples that will get your taste buds dancing:

Tujague’s Restaurant: Shrimp Remoulade; Filet Mignon, Dessert, and a glass of wine @ $30 (dinner)


Bayona: Soup or Bayona Salad, Any entree on the menu, Dessert @ $20 (lunch) 20¢  martinis (bring a designated driver and(or) a designated walker)

Not only is the COOlinary promotion going on in the month of August, but  hotel room rates are some of the lowest of the year. You can find a deluxe French Quarter Hotel as low as $53/nt plus tax (midweek).

An example is The Hotel St. Marie, in the heart of the French Quarter. 

So with the COOlinary promotion going on and the low hotel rates, New Orleans is the most delicious place to visit in August. You’ll also save enough money to visit again in the Fall.

Tip: For the best deals on hotel rooms, go directly to the hotels website. You can compare other 3^rd party sites but during discounted periods like August, going direct will save you time and money.

Enjoy your trip. Send me a comment on how you enjoyed your time in New Orleans.

The Louisiana Travelin’ Man

• American Eagle, Delta, Continental Express and Vision Airlines fly into Lafayette.
• Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Enterprise serve the airport.