My three-year-old son, Banks, is a pretty picky eater!  His favorite foods all involve loads of sugar, but there is hope for him yet! Banks loves shrimp. He eats fried shrimp, boiled shrimp (if I peel it for him), shrimp gumbo, but his favorite is shrimp stew.  So for this cold night, I’m making shrimp stew for dinner!

From visiting Big Easy Foods in Lake Charles, I’ve learned that Gulf shrimp are notorious for their robust flavor profile and better yet – they are really healthy!  Shrimp are a good source of protein, omega-3, selenium and vitamin B12.

Big Easy Foods has a great selection of Louisiana shrimp in the freezer section at your local Wal-Mart or grocery store, but if you are visiting Southwest Louisiana, try cast netting along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road to catch your own!  

Find some of the most popular shrimping spots and a checklist of the things you’ll need, like a fishing license, here.

Click here for the best shrimp stew recipes I’ve come across from Louisiana Kitchen & Culture Magazine by Karlos Knott. It’s what I’m making for dinner! 

Watch this video on where our famous, Louisiana shrimp come from and why they are the best!

In Louisiana, meals are meant to share. We enjoy the dining experience from the shaken specialty cocktails, to the fresh vegetable sides, and most importantly, the company that gathers at the dinner table. Memories are made at the dinner table.

As we adapt our meals at home to the seasonal vegetables and warmer weather, restaurants do as well.  I was able to get recipes of a few of my favorite summer selections from the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel’s Otis & Henry’s and L’Auberge Casino Resort’s Ember Grille and Wine Bar.

Ember Grille &Wine Bar
Recently, I shared a memorable dinner at Ember listening to the soulful John Guidroz singing with Kevin Lambert playing piano while I sipped on the old Ember classic Cable Car. 

John T. Edge, an esteemed Southern food writer and founder of the Southern Foodways Alliance, once said, “What intrigues me is how food in public is everyday theatre.” 

As the mixologist dramatically melted sugar with fire for my Cable Car, the servers at Ember were definitely in the midst of a performance when they brought the main dish to the table.  The Ember Prime Tamahawk, a 40 ounce rib eye for two, was carved tableside and was as high quality as it gets.  Although it comes with your choice of two sauces, my dad always told me that you never want to cover the taste of good piece of meat with sauce.  The quality of the meat, simply prepared with salt and pepper, spoke for itself.

As a side dish, we shared the Truffled Mac n’ Cheese, an adult version of the childhood staple.  Cheesy, rich and delicious, this nostalgic Southern dish brought me back to my mom’s kitchen in the house where I grew up.  (They also offer Crawfish Mac n’ Cheese that is packed with flavor!)

For dessert, award winning Pastry Chef Bill Foltz prepared a banana nut honey churro.

Otis & Henry’s

For an affordable lunch date, my husband and I love going to Otis & Henry’s at the Isle of Capri – especially on Saturdays and Sundays when they have live music.  (Check out the Events Calendar to see who's playing.)  The bartenders are always crafting their specialty martinis that are fun to try.  It’s like being at an island oasis!

Otis & Henry’s Shrimp Cocktail is making a splash on their summer menu and is an outstanding appetizer choice.   It just doesn’t get any better than flavorful, Louisiana seafood! 

I enjoy the Cajun Rib Eye (medium plus please!) that is always seasoned just right and expertly prepared.  We always split the Bourbon Pecan Pie for dessert.  It’s made from scratch and tastes pretty close to my great grandmother’s recipe.

On Sundays, the Otis & Henry’s has their Blues Brunch that is an option for live blues music and delicious food.   

Check out a few of these recipes to try at home this summer.

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.