Showing posts with label cajun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cajun. Show all posts
Thursday, February 5, 2015
I can smell the barbecue pork that’s already smoking on the pit as we meet at the KC Hall, 503 E. Highway 90, in the town of Iowa, Louisiana, around 9 a.m. to pay our $10 fee to ride in the parade. 
Smoked meats like sausage and tasso are popular in Cajun Country.

Everyone is milling around in their Courir de Mardi Gras costumes made of rags and visiting as final preparations are made with the decorations on the trailers.

Cory Cart and Lysa Allman-Baldwin enjoy the festivities atop bales
of hay in the back of a trailer on the parade route!

We are in the small town of Iowa, Louisiana for the Iowa Chicken Run on Mardi Gras Day.  The parade rolls at 10 a.m.
We stop throughout the community with the trucks and trailers, ATVs, and people on horseback and beg for ingredients to make a gumbo.  It’s an ancient tradition of begging where the revelers go from house to house dancing to live Zydeco music for the owners to lend them ingredients for the communal gumbo to be made later that evening.

The parade stops at a member of the community's home while Zydeco music
is played and everyone dances.  If the family approves the dancing skills,
they donate ingredients for the gumbo.
Right as the captain stops the parade at a particular home and blows his whistle, he tosses a chicken in the air and the children in the parade chase the chicken!  There is a lot of whooping, hollering and dancing that takes place during the process! It’s quite an honor to catch the chicken. 

Children chase the chickens in Iowa, La.

Lee Peck with KPLC-TV interviews the child who caught the first chicken.

 It’s a family affair.  Rodney Victorian, Berline and Kimmy Bellard welcome us with open arms.  There’s no pomp and circumstance or sequined costumes. This is a true, Cajun Country Mardi Gras with laughter, festivity and music that gets your adrenaline pumping.

Berline Bellard encourages the cook stirring the gumbo pot.

My favorite part about the Iowa Chicken Run is how it cuts through the lines of age, race and socioeconomics. There is no king or queen.  The chicken run exemplifies true community spirit and living life to the fullest.

 *Note: The chickens are not actually used in the gumbo but the tradition of chasing the chicken is a throwback to the ancient French medieval history of the Courir de Mardi Gras where the highlight of the entire celebration was the last ingredient – the chicken.  

For more information on the Iowa Chicken Run, click here.


Friday, January 23, 2015
Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne and the Louisiana Office of Tourism have deemed 2015 the “Louisiana Culinary Celebration!” With that in mind, how can I possibly diet? Plus, it’s almost Mardi Gras, so King Cakes are in no short supply and my office is directly across the street from Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake. I can practically hear the boiled crawfish calling my name every day after work.


Eating in Cajun Country means good food prepared by the people who know what to do with the bounty that nature provides.  My mom recently “borrowed” kumquats from her neighbor’s tree to make a marmalade. My brother-in-law knows a thing or two about preparing ducks and geese after the hunt. 

With seafood, everyone has their preferred methods of cooking.  You won’t find a shortage of fried foods in Southwest Louisiana restaurants! Don’t get me started on boudin. Or cracklins.

www.monsoursphotography.net
One of my favorite gumbo stories was covered recently by Michelle Winner on www.CulinaryTraveler.com mentioning Chef Lyle Broussard from Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill®. He was telling Jay Ducote, Bite and Booze food blogger, how he knows when the roux is ready – he recalls the flavor from when he was a small child, standing on a stool with a big heaping spoon of “chocolate” on his mother’s stove.  Little did he know, the “chocolate” was actually roux! He’ll never forget that surprising taste!

Check out The Culinary Trails Taste-umentary YouTube video that celebrates the local food scene and features local restaurants at www.visitlakecharles.org/seafood. Other culinary videos can be seen on the Visit Lake Charles YouTube channel.




Cajun food is simple. And it’s complex. It is a conversation starter.  Food in Southwest Louisiana is filled with passion.  Don’t take my word for it- come and taste for yourself!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-off occurs
Feb. 14, 2015. Photo by Buzzy Gordon
Thanks to the popularity of Cajun cuisine, Louisiana cooking has become world famous. And as a big fan myself, I thought I knew most of what there is to know about the food. Until I went to Southwest Louisiana for Mardi Gras, and attended the annual Gumbo Cook-Off in Lake Charles, that is.

This is nothing like any other BBQ or chili cook-off you may have ever attended. More than 50 krewes and other competing teams filled a hall of the Lake Charles Civic Center, spilling over outside adjacent to the lakefront promenade. The noise level is astounding: krewes are also competing to win the “spirit stick,” by engaging in raucous revelry.

Mardi Gras krewes vie for the coveted Spirit Stick!
Photo by Buzzy Gordon
As the smells of simmering roux start to activate the salivary glands, you begin to wish the tasting would commence. But the teams have been admonished not to serve until the judges have collected their samples. Finally, lines begin to form; and one by one, krewes begin ladling out their savory offerings. These are no measly samples: styrofoam bowls are filled to the brim with the steaming samples.

I did my best to try them all, but after 20 or so half-bowls, I had to call it quits.  But I managed to taste a bit from each category: traditional chicken and andouille sausage; seafood; and wild game. Some of the latter were quite exotic -- like pheasant and elk sausage. Alligator featured prominently, along with rabbit, and even the occasional squirrel.

While most of these mouth-watering recipes may be available to the public to eat only once a year, you'll be glad to know that the best in the professional competition -- as awarded in two of the three categories in 2014 -- comes from the kitchen of the Jack Daniel's Bar & Grill restaurant at L'Auberge Casino Resort.  Professional seafood honors went to the Krewe de Sauvage, while Krewe de Mischief danced away with the coveted Spirit Stick.

For the aspiring chefs who want to make their own gumbo, check out this "How to Make a Gumbo" video by Chef Scott Landry.



Monday, September 29, 2014

Yacht at Lake Charles Landing
By Mike Shubic
Feeling the Love in Lake Charles

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “southern hospitality” before, it’s a romanticized notion personified in movies and television shows, where chivalry flourishes and visitors are made to feel welcome. While on a recent trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana for a travel conference, I discovered the essence of southern hospitality is not a cliché, but the very embodiment of its residents.  The charming southwestern Louisiana town of Lake Charles has a strong Cajun culture and has a lot to offer its visitors; from performing arts, festivals, lush golf courses, glitzy casinos, historic districts, posh resorts, wildlife excursions to authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine.


Suite at L'auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles
By Mike Shubic
Louisiana was one of only four states to which I had not yet traveled, so I was thankful the folks at TMShowcase selected Lake Charles for their annual travel conference which allowed me to knock yet another state off my list.  The conference was held at the extraordinary L’Auberge Casino Resort, which is a retreat that captivates guests, many of whom may never want to leave due to the abundance of activities and luxuriousness of the property. Some of the journalists, myself included, were upgraded to a suite, which I have to say was one of the nicest rooms I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in—and, as a perpetual traveler, that’s saying a lot! Beyond the amazing bed and other typical features you’d expect in a luxurious suite, this room had a few things I’d never experienced before, such a remote control that takes care of just about everything…from dimming the lights, adjusting the thermostat, to controlling a T.V. embedded in one of the bathroom vanity mirrors. Speaking of the bathroom…it was fit for royalty, with its focal point being a huge claw foot bathtub that fills from the ceiling. Yes, the ceiling. A gushing stream of water falls some ten feet into the middle of the tub. To one side of the bathtub is a large marble shower; to the other, a frosted glass enclosure with high-end loo and bidet.

While the accommodations are spectacular, so too is the entire property at L’Auberge: The casino floor, nicely manicured golf course, spa, shopping, to the lazy river swimming pool and on-site restaurants. A spot I enjoyed one evening with a colleague was the beach along a tributary at the back of the resort. I also visited the Barbier, an upscale barbershop where I experienced my first old fashioned shave.  One evening several of the journalists and I were treated to a meal at Ember Grille and Wine Bar, the resort’s fine-dining restaurant.  Rather than ordering off the menu, the chef brought out samples of his signature dishes for us to try, which included items like Tuna Tartare, Foie Gras, Crab Cakes, Kobe beef Carpaccio, and Ember Prime, a 40oz Rib Eye carved right at the table. Following that was a host of decadent desserts. It was a sensational meal and without a doubt one of the best I had during my trip to Louisiana.


Desserts at Ember Grille L'auberge
By Mike Shubic
I arrived in Lake Charles a few days prior to the conference and was able to check out some of the local flair and activities.  As a road tripper, I was particularly interested in the Creole Nature Trail, which is one of the oldest scenic byways in the country. The All-American road winds through more than 180 miles of bayous, marshlands and shores along the Gulf of Mexico. It’s an amazing blend of scenery and a wonderful view of Louisiana’s fertile prairies, lush marshes and abundant wildlife.

Along the Creole Nature Trail is a place called Airboats & Alligators where you can take an airboat ride through the marshland and visit an alligator farm.  This experience was both interesting and educational…not to mention fun to zip through a marsh atop an airboat.  Talking with the owner, I learned that just weeks after Katrina hit New Orleans, Hurricane Rita devastated parts of Lake Charles, including the area where Airboats & Alligators is located.  Rita took away the house and the business, including $6 million in Alligator inventory. It has taken many years of recovery, but they are finally getting back to normal. It was quite inspiring to listen to the passion and persistence they had to rebuild the home and their business.  Alligator farming is an interesting business and can be quite lucrative if done properly. A top tier alligator can fetch up to $1600—and, once harvested, nothing goes to waste…the skin/hide is used for shoes, belts, wallets, etc., the meat is consumed, and the teeth are often used for jewelry and tourist trinkets.
Louisiana Bayou
By Mike Shubic
Airboats & Alligators Tour
By Mike Shubic
The next stop of the day was really special…it was a relaxing eco-tour boat ride with the folks at Grosse Savanne Eco-tours, which was lead by our amazingly well-informed guide, Bobby Jorden. Situated on 50,000 acres of private land, Grosse Savanne Eco-tours has unlimited access to a multitude of various ecotypes, including both fresh and salt water marshes, cypress swamps, native coastal prairies, pine forest plantations, and agricultural lands. Our tour was through the cypress swamp, which provided amazing bird watching and other wildlife opportunities, including an abundance of alligators.


The next day I visited Rutherford Beach, which is located along the Gulf of Mexico and is a great place to find unique seashells. While strolling the beach I witnessed a pod of dolphins swimming not fifty feet from shore…it was quite a sight. I also drove the three-mile Pintail Wildlife loop, which is wetlands known as Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. This area has been manipulated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to provide feeding/nesting habitat for wintering waterfowl, allowing visitors to view a variety of wildlife & birds close-up and year round.

Bayou Rum (exterior)
By Mike Shubic
Later that day, a number of my fellow travel journalists and I went to Bayou Rum for a distillery tour.  This fairly new rum distiller is producing handcrafted spirits on-site the Louisiana way, using a traditional copper pot (which is like a work of art…and, it cost as much too) using 100% natural Louisiana cane sugar and molasses. Not only was the tour informative, and the facility beautiful, but we also enjoyed a rum tasting. It had been a while since I had actually consumed rum, and I have to say, it was quite tasty! The following week I was in New Orleans and actually had a cocktail made using Bayou Rum, so it seems the word is getting out.


If you’re into historic architecture, you won’t want to miss the Charpentier Historic District, which features a number of Victorian mansions and other sites, some of which are palatial estates along the banks of Lake Charles.


Local Lake Charles Cajun band
By Mike Shubic
After a few days of exploring Lake Charles, it was time for the conference to start. By day we spent most of our time in one of the conference halls at L’Auberge, and by night, we were taken to various venues around town for dinner, drinks and entertainment.  The first night we went to a place called The Brick House, a really cool and historic venue where they had a Zydeco band playing some lively music that blended the accordion, washboard, spoons and an electric guitar.


Another evening we went to the Lake Charles Civic Center, where again, we feasted on local cuisine and enjoyed live local music. The venue is situated across the street from the banks of Lake Charles, so the view was quite stunning. Just before sunset I escaped the festivities for a spell and strolled along the nicely developed boardwalk that follows the lake. It was a sensational sunset with a silhouetted sailboat skimming the smooth surface of the lake.


Lazy River at L'auberge
By Mike Shubic
On my final evening in Lake Charles, I got tickets to an outdoor concert that was held at L’Auberge by the pool. The massive stage with sophisticated light and sound system hosted the 80s cover band, The Molly Ringwalds. From Devo to Duran Duran, the band played all the 80s favorites…we (those of us old enough to know all the songs) danced like it was 1999.  I had to laugh at one point…when these three young women looked our way as one of my fellow travel journalist and I were rocking out and singling along to a song of which we knew all of the lyrics…it was evident by their stares, the young women had never heard the song before!


It was quite warm and muggy, and after rocking out for a bit, we all decided to head to our respective rooms to don our swimsuits and head back down to conclude the concert by floating down and around the lazy river…it was a fantastic end to our wonderful time in Lake Charles, Louisiana.




The folks of southwestern Louisiana seem to be quite proud of their boudin and other Cajun and Créole creations; I on the other hand, found it to be my least favorite part.  Call me a culinary snob if you will, but I prefer more refined and less fried foods. Personally, I gravitated toward the fresh seafood dishes in Lake Charles, which, given their proximity to the Gulf, were quite plentiful. The shrimp and crab for example were out of this world. If more traditional Cajun fare is your thing, you’ll find no shortage of that either.
I found the real stars of Lake Charles to be its people…so very friendly, hospitable, old school politeness, with an air of southern hospitality and charm.


Click the following link to see more of Mike Shubic's photos of Lake Charles.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Last year, Chester Daigle with City Heat performed to a
packed crowd!  They will be back on May 23 so be sure
and mark your calendar.


When you think of Southwest Louisiana chances are you immediately think of food, music and culture. Beginning Friday, May 16, one of Lake Charles’ premiere concert series, Downtown at Sundown, will kick off by Ryan and Broad Streets featuring everything you love about a downtown street fair and party. The main component of Downtown at Sundown is the music, so expect some of the best of the best performing.

For the first concert on Friday, May 16, Louisiana Express will get the crowd pumped up with their dance music, classics from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Chris Flowers is golden with her saxophone and amazing vocals. 

On Friday, May 23, City Heat, a local favorite, will perform a variety of feel good covers sure to get you out your chair and dancing in the street. They are known for their rhythm and blues and jazz and funk dance tunes. 

Grammy nominated Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars makes their return to Lake Charles on Friday, May 30 with their “Louisiana Roots” music encompassing Zydeco, Cajun and Americana. 

Topping off the concert series Friday, June 6 is Boomerang, a band that brings sizzling hot funk, classic rock and Top 40 hits.


Look forward to music talent in the 700 block of Ryan Street by Luna, and also the vendors, food and more. All beverage sales of Downtown at Sundown will benefit the Literacy Council of Southwest Louisiana. They ask that no pets or outside drinks be brought on site. Be sure to bring your lawn chair.  The event lasts from 6-9 p.m. If for any reason it rains, the event will move inside the Lake Charles Civic Center.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
By Cory Cart, http://seemybackyard.com/ 

Crispy, juicy and often salty - and when prepared correctly, nothing satisfies me like fried food.  In fact, I sometimes only eat fried food when I travel.  While I’m not a food expert, I did grow up in a household that traded in their Fry Daddy for a Fry Pappy (a larger model of the popular Fry Daddy – in case you weren’t aware) and never felt the pantry was full unless you had Crisco on hand.  So I guess you could say, I know my fried foods.

Getting older, I’ve learned you can’t eat fried foods for every meal, so it with a discerning group of taste buds that I seek the finest fried foods.  I’m not into the “frankenfried” concoctions that lure people to the nearest state fair – you can keep your fried bananas, Snickers, Twinkies and peaches.  I want the real McCoy.

I have logged the tens of thousands of miles driving around the country eating at diners, roadside food stands and sometimes dripping grease on fine white table linens.  There have been times the soggy, reheated and fresh from the freezer fried foods have been piled high in a red plastic basket only to disappoint.  But I trudged forward knowing I’d be rewarded one day with fried food magic.

Then two years ago, I discovered the Holy Grail of fried foods.  It wasn’t one restaurant, it wasn’t one dish, but it was an entire city!  Sure I’ve written about Lake Charles before, but never in such a blatant and open way.  I think part of me wanted to keep this spot a secret.  But the softer side of my heart tells me that isn’t fair.  While I try to make regular trips back to savory these goodies, I am still no where near as regular of a visitor as I aim to be.



So without further ado, here are my five favorite fried foods in Lake Charles,Louisiana.


  1. Boudin Balls – No two boudins are exactly alike although they are all mostly rice and pork.  When you roll it into a ball and fry it, well - something magical happens. After sampling many, my favorite boudin balls are found at Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake.
    Fried Boudin Balls
  2. Fried Oysters - Have you ever tasted a fried sponge?  Well that’s how I find most fried oysters to taste.  Oysters are my favorite fried food of all-time, and I’m picky, picky, picky about fried oysters.  Again, Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake didn’t disappoint.  I’d freely suggest these piled high on a Po’ Boy or alongside a steaming hot heap of fries.
    Fried oysters by Cory Cart
  3. Pistolettes – I’m pretty sure there were some nervous oysters as I took my first bite of a crawfish pistolette.  I literally saw stars dripping with grease as I savored this Cajun favorite.  The fried bread is cupped in the center and holds a rich, savory crawfish (or shrimp when crawfish are not in season) mixture.  It’s still up for debate if this will move into the #1 rank as my favorite fried food of all time.  Where do you find these you ask?  Well …Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake of course!
    Pistolette by Cory Cart
  4. Fried Shrimp – How many fried shrimp have we all had?  It’s a standard staple on most menus that serve anything fried.  But one Lake Charles eatery has mastered the art of frying shrimp.  Big Daddy’s Sports Grill and Restaurant knows how to bread ‘em, fry ‘em and keep ‘em tender and juicy.  There will be no dried out frozen fried shrimp here.  (Psst – If you are on fried food overload, the grilled shrimp are just as good.)
    Fried shrimp poboy by Cory Cart
  5.  Beignets – Who can travel to Louisiana without eating a beignet?  No one.  I know most people think they must visit New Orleans for a great beignet, but that isn’t true.  My two favorite beignets are in two other Louisiana cities, one being Lake Charles.  Again, Big Daddy’s Sports Grill and Restaurant takes the prize.
    Beignets by Cory Cart
Thursday, March 27, 2014

A s a part of OUTSIDE magazine’s 2014 Travel Awards, Southwest Louisiana was featured today on NBC’s TODAY Show for being one of the best foodie destinations.  The TODAY Show interviewed OUTSIDE’s Executive Editor Michael Roberts as he discussed five destinations from their recent Travel Awards.

Steamboat Bill's by www.lindseyjanies.com
“We constantly pitch story ideas to travel media and were thrilled when the Louisiana Office of Tourism informed us that OUTSIDE wanted to feature our seafood cuisine in their latest issue.  I followed up with the writer, Tim Neville, and explained that in Southwest Louisiana you can fish year round and cook your own catch at a local charter guide’s lodge or, if you prefer, you can eat fresh seafood at one of the area’s delicious restaurants,” said Megan Hartman, senior marketing manager at the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau.

http://biglakeguideservice.com/
“Winning Runner-Up a Best Food Destination by OUTSIDE was exciting, but being called by the TODAY Show for footage of Big Lake Guide Service and local seafood topped it all,” explained Hartman.


“This kind of national publicity that highlights our outdoor adventures and abundant seafood in Southwest Louisiana is priceless,” said Shelley Johnson, executive director of the CVB.

The 2014 Travel Awards are in the April issue of OUTSIDE magazine and currently on their website.  For more information on the 2014 Travel Awards, please visit www.outsideonline.com. The Seafood Sensation Trail is highlighted here.  To see the TODAY Show segment, visit www.visitlakecharles.org/TodayShow and Southwest Louisiana is featured around 2:34.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
By Kaylen Fletcher
We have food seasons and my favorite happens to be CRAWFISH SEASON!
www.lindseyjanies.com
I was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana and can honestly say my favorite time of year is between January and June. Why, you may ask? Louisianans like to joke that we don’t have weather seasons; we have food seasons and my favorite happens to be CRAWFISH SEASON!
Not only do I love the taste of boiled crawfish, but just like food is a part of the Louisiana culture, crawfish brings me back home to a long-standing family tradition.  Ever since I can remember, I've eaten crawfish with my dad and sister. Every year for Easter Sunday we’d invite the family over and have a huge crawfish boil outside and play horseshoes. By the age of 13 I learned how to peel crawfish extremely fast because I realized we had only purchased a certain amount of crawfish to share between my dad and sister.  If I didn’t peel fast, I didn’t get as much as I wanted. By high school I could eat 7 pounds of crawfish by myself in less than an hour. I know this because my dad, sister and I would have competitions on who could peel the fastest and eat the most.
As we got older, we realized it was getting expensive to just buy by the pound so we would plan ahead the beginning of every season and research which restaurants had the all-you-can-eat buffets because it was cheaper for us to eat. We would then typically rotate between the local casinos to taste-test who seasoned the best. To this day, my family and I still get together every year for Easter Sunday and have a huge crawfish boil, and my dad still calls my sister and I every other week and says it’s time for father/daughter bonding and we always know what he means.
If you’re traveling to Lake Charles, don’t miss out on the Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival April 11-13 where Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake will be on site selling over 10,000 pounds of boiled crawfish.

Festival attendees enjoyed the music and food
at the Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival.
Photo by www.lindseyjanies.com
In Southwest Louisiana, you can also feast on crawfish at many of the Cajun restaurants and we even have drive thru crawfish huts where you can purchase live or boiled crawfish.
If you want to learn how to peel like a pro before you feast on some delicious boiled crawfish, check out the video tutorial below and then maybe I’ll have some competition!

Monday, March 24, 2014
*Adapted from www.movoto.com and Mitchel Broussard

Lake Charles mixes small town charm, exciting nightlife and outdoor adventure into a combination that will have you packing before you finish reading this list.
1. This Town Doesn't Stay Down
www.monsoursphotography.net
Lake Charles has been around for centuries, but it's the town that almost wasn't after a devastating fire back in 1910. But these people are made of strong stuff. They rebuilt and bounced right back. Now the city is a booming industrial educational center.
2. Who Needs Vegas When You Have Lake Charles?
With three major casinos in the city (and a fourth opening this year), your gambling itch will be more than satisfied. And we aren't talking truck-stop penny machines.
3. Lake Charles Has ALL The Golf

Gray Plantation on Louisiana's Audubon Golf Trail
Southwest Louisiana has a total of five public courses for fulfilling all of your ESPN-fantasy needs. There are also a handful of family putt-putt courses for everyone else.

4. You Can Take A Deep Breath
Brenda LaFleur
The Creole Nature Trail, colloquially known as "Louisiana's Outback," is one of the first official scenic byways in the country. The 180-mile driving tour offers fishing, boating, bird watching, and even crabbing. Tours are open year round so the views and wildlife are constantly changing.
5. The Best Snacks You've Never Had

Jeff Benoit, B&O's Kitchen and Grocery
This may sound a little off-putting at first, but hear me out: Boudin is made of pork meat, liver, rice, onions, parsley, and seasonings like salt, peppers and garlic powder. It's delicious, and a staple in Lake Charles along the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail. Soon to be one of your favorites.



6. Two Words: Mardi Gras
www.lindseyjanies.com
You've heard about the crazy capers, the drunken insanity, the three days off from school and work. That's right, it's Mardi Gras! Lake Charles isn't left out of the fun (although it's a family-friendly festival), and the celebration usually draws in crowds of about 150,000 people. That's nearly double the population of the city itself, man.
7. But Don't Worry, Lake Charles Still Has Class...

Spring Art Walk
The galleries in Lake Charles are constantly shifting around their art to make sure you're never bored. The Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center showcases exhibits from around the world, and of course local artists' work too.




8. Learn About History
DeQuincy Railroad Museum
Between the ever-popular local Children's Museum, the vibrant exhibits of the Mardi Gras Museum, the wonderfully nostalgic DeQuincy Railroad Museum or the area’s history at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum or Brimstone Museum, you've got your history lessons covered. But no lectures, notes, or finals required. Which is the best part, really.
9. A Pirate's Life For Lake Charles
www.contrabanddays.com
During the first two weeks of May, 200,000 people attend Lake Charles' Contraband Days Louisiana Pirate Festival, clamoring for delicious food, fun music, and awesome live entertainment. In an ode to the piracy legend of the city, the festivities begin when the pirate crew of Jean Lafitte capture the city and force the mayor to walk the plank.
10. You Can Still See Men In Tights Here

Cameron Durham
The Lake Charles Civic Ballet is just what the doctor ordered for those looking for a night of high culture in southern Louisiana: The classical music (by the Lake Charles Symphony), the ridiculous costumes-they even put on a ballet version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" last December.
11. You'll See A Larger-Than-Life Relic Of US History

The USS Orleck had her glory days back in the 1800s and served in Vietnam and Korea, but nowadays she's a constant reminder in the Calcasieu River of the dedication of the armed forces. The ship also turns into a haunted ghost ship every Halloween, which is pretty much about as terrifying as it sounds.
12. This City Will Have You Dancing All Night
www.lindseyjanies.com
Like any good Louisiana town, Lake Charles doesn't skimp on music. Restaurants and bars playing Cajun, Zydeco, rock, indie, folk and every other type of music you can think of can be found just about everywhere. Trust me, they have your nightlife covered.
13. It's Even Produced A Few Famous Musicians
Joshua Ledet at the Burton Complex
All the music in this town has to rub off on some people. Surrounding towns like Westlake have been put on the map for producing talented artists (Joshua Ledet from American Idol in 2012), but Lake Charles has made its mark too. Opera singer Paul Groves was born and raised here, and the legendary Dolly Parton recorded her first single at Goldband Studios.
14. The Grocery Stores Aren't Like Yours
Sausage Link
See a wide range of Louisiana-grown rice available to the public, an assortment of hot sauces, the roux section, and a variety of different meat and seafood sold.  Local grocers stuff chicken and pork chops with boudin, sausage and other tasty delicacies.
Lake Charles also has a glowing admiration for farmers and all of the fruit, veggies, jams, spices, soaps, and other goodies they make. The city hosts two farmers markets that run weekly for most of the year, where you can find what you need and discover stuff you didn't even know you wanted.
15. Lake Charles Throws The Rule Book Out The Window
www.monsoursphotography.net
Back in the city's early days, there were no actual architects who had studied and practiced the vocation at all to build houses. So the good folk of Lake Charles got their plans from pattern books, and went about building in their own styles. The result was a district of remarkably unique houses on every street. This older Historic District of the city is now called the Charpentier (French for 'Carpenter') District.
Thursday, March 13, 2014



I f you're a local, more than likely you appreciate Seafood Palace. If you're not from Southwest Louisiana, the outside might not look like much, but we all know it's what's on the inside that counts.

What will you find on the inside?
Good people, sizable portions and, of course, great food!

If you're looking for some great Cajun cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere, look no further! If you're craving seafood but can't make it to the restaurant, try out their Cream of Crab Soup Recipe!
(Click Card to Enlarge)