Cuisine in Louisiana
Eating in Louisiana is a delicious culinary adventure and you have to try a slice of Louisiana pie. Spanning centuries, our food is our culture. Whether you're having pork boudin in Lafayette, savoury meat pies in Natchitoches, Oysters Rockefeller in the French Quarter— or a modern twist on the old world style from Chef John Besh—you are sampling the rich mix of Louisiana’s heritage.
Place the visits to the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Shaw Centre for Performing Arts and the Sci-Port Museum in between hardy servings of gumbo, jambalaya and boiled crawfish and your day is as delightfully full as your stomach. In Louisiana our mélange of cultural influences surface with as much flavour in our art as in our food.
New Orleans' Southern Food and Beverage Museum has recently added a restaurant, a children's gallery and exhibits for 17 Southern states, which opened in Spring 2013.
New Orleans' historic Joy Theatre has reopened as a 10,000-square-foot multipurpose centre on Canal Street, as renovations continue across the street on the city's Saenger Theatre. The Joy opened as a movie theatre in 1947. When the Saenger's $51 million restoration is complete, it will mark the addition of two key performance venues to the city's theatre district.
Tasty Trail for Foodies in Louisiana
Here are two delicious trails which highlight signature Louisiana foods:
The new Jefferson Parish Oyster Trail leads you to restaurants serving local oysters. Pick up a brochure at the Jefferson Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau and downtown area hotels, or look for oyster sculptures by area artists to denote a stop. Along the way, try the baked oysters Radosta at Andrea's Restaurant and the fried oyster po'boy at Short Stop Po-Boys.
The San Bernado Scenic Byway, also known as the Sugar Trail, is one sweet adventure. Stops include the Domino Sugar Refinery and Docville Farm, where you can participate in harvesting sugar cane and taste Louisiana pralines.
Louisiana Brewery Trail
Louisiana is a state known for rich culinary traditions and good times, and now Louisiana's craft breweries complement the food culture. The Louisiana Craft Brewery Trail includes all seven of the state's operating breweries. The website details history on each brewery, information about tours and suggestions for dining. Plus as new breweries are added to the trail they will also appear on breweries.louisianatravel.com.
Bayou Rum Distillery
See the Spirit of Louisiana - Bayou Rum is handmade in the largest, privately owned rum distillery in the USA, using traditional methods with state-of-the-art technology for all four steps. The beautiful facility in Lacassine, Louisiana offers distillery tours, rum tasting bar and a unique gift shop. You can find out more information about visiting the distillery at bayourum.com/distillery.
The Blue Moon Saloon
The Blue Moon Saloon opened in April of 2001 on the back porch of the Blue Moon Guesthouse and has since become one of America’s premier venues for roots music from around the world. This world famous honky tonk is a home-grown place where everyone is welcome, but the Saloon is more than a venue or a gig. It has become a meeting place where world travellers, community organisations, families, artists and politicians rub elbows, dance, drink a few and thank their lucky stars they have the good fortune to spend an evening together in Lafayette, Louisiana.
