Vermilion Parish, Louisiana

Black's Oyster Bar
Vermilion Parish bills itself as the most Cajun place on Earth. Abbeville, a small town on the Vermilion River, is home to less than 13,000 residents, yet boasts over 22 restaurants. Abbeville is most well-known for its oyster bars, having three in the historic downtown area within walking distance. Only a short drive from Lafayette, Abbeville is worth a visit.

Dupuy’s Oyster Shop, founded in 1869, backs right up to the river. This humble building, holding only 16 tables, is quite cozy on the inside. Old Man Dupuy used to pull up his skiff and sell his oysters for five cents a dozen. One hundred thirty-nine years later, a dozen oysters will only cost you $7.50. Though not strictly holding to the old adage of not consuming raw oysters in months without the letter “R” (May, June, July, and August), Dupuy’s won’t serve them once the weather warms and the oysters’ quality deteriorates. During the summer months you will have to be content with eating cooked oysters, plenty of which can be found in their savory gumbo. Many regulars tasted their first oyster at Dupuy’s. One customer in his 90s has been coming to Dupuy’s since he was a little boy. Dupuy’s excels at more than just oysters. Their huge crab cakes, loaded with crabmeat and covered in a creamy crawfish sauce, are as good as any that can be found in New Orleans. Out back, oyster shells line the parking lot, though nowadays this once ubiquitous building material that made up so many of South Louisiana’s roadways is recycled back into the Gulf to seed the next generation of oyster beds.

Black’s Oyster Bar, established in 1967, is housed in an old department store across the street. Black’s caters more to the nightlife, with a long bar and live bands on the weekends. From a perch at the bar you can watch the oyster shuckers at work while enjoying a drink. Shucks, the newest oyster eatery in the bunch, is just a short walk across the town’s old drawbridge. With a large and well-lit dining area, this restaurant was established by a former owner of Dupuy’s. by Sara Schiro

St. Martin, Louisiana

Bayou Boudin & Crackin Café
The Crackin Café, located in Breaux Bridge, La., is a blast from the past with the homey building dating all the way back to 1869. Established in 1987 by Rocky and Lisa Sonnier, the Crackin Café is part of the Bayou Boudin Bed & Breakfast, and serving 100 percent Acadian cuisine is its specialty.

Signature dishes served in the café include white bean and tasso boudin and homemade pralines. With a stay at one of the 13 authentic Cajun cabins, visitors are treated to a traditional breakfast of eggs, ham, boudin or sausage with beignets and coffee. All lodgers get a Cajun welcome platter with their stay.

Famous diners and lodgers include Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Jr.

McGee’s Landing
McGee’s Landing Café is located on the banks of the Atchafalaya River near Hendersonville, La. A long-time local favorite, McGee’s has become an international favorite. Awarded Best Boiled Crawfish by the Tour de Crawfish in 2004, this Cajun favorite is a don’t miss.

Owner David Allemond has been a featured chef on national morning shows including Good Morning America, Today, and The Early Show. His menu features all the Creole favorites including alligator, crawfish etouffee, gumbo, boiled crabs and fried shrimp.

Not only is McGee’s Landing a dining destination, but its swamp tours is an adventure into the true heart of Cajun country. The tours take visitors into the heart of the Atchafalaya waters with sights such as moss-covered trees and lounging alligators.

For those who want to make a night of it, check out the weekend live music at the Café, and check into one of their floating Cajun cabins.

Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival
Breaux Bridge, La., was named the Crawfish Capital of the World in 1959 by the Louisiana legislature. In 1960, the world-famous Crawfish Festival began as a spin-off of the Breaux Bridge Centennial Celebration. Occurring the first weekend in May every year, the festival features crawfish races, a parade, a crawfish-eating contest, and one of the largest gatherings of Cajun musicians. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival has become a Southwest Louisiana staple that welcomes visitors from all over the world.

Café Des Amis
Café Des Amis, another Breaux Bridge, La., favorite, is famous for its Zydeco Breakfast, served on Saturday mornings starting at 8:30. The breakfast features Cajun favorites including beignets, couche couche (a traditional Cajun cereal deep fried and served like pancakes), and a variety of omelets with names like “Zydeco,” “Don’t Mess with My Tas-so,” and “Big Hat” (an omelet served with crawfish etoufee). Music acts the likes of Creole Zydeco Farmers, Lil Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, and Corey “Lil Pop” Ledet accompany the Creole brunch.

The building in which Café Des Amis resides is a true piece of history, dating back to about 1890. The original one-story general store burned four years after opening. Reconstruction included adding a second story where caskets were manufactured. They were moved from floor to floor by a hand-operated Otis elevator. The first elevator in Breaux Bridge, it remained operable until another fire in 2001. The hand crank mechanism for the refurbished elevator now serves as the restaurant’s hostess stand.

The 1920s-style stand-up bar came from the Evangeline Hotel in Lafayette, La.
When building owner Dickie Breaux originally purchased the building, the downstairs was an art studio, and the upstairs was living quarters. In 1992, Café Des Amis was added to the art studio as a coffee shop. Food was soon added to the menu and one of Breaux Bridge’s favorite restaurants was born. Stories by Amanda Brandon

Lafayette, Louisiana

Blue Dog Cafe
Local artist George Rodrigue started his professional career in the 1970s painting pictures of traditional nostalgic Cajun scenes–sort of a Norman Rockwell of the bayou. As his popularity rose in the 1980s, he started painting images of a bluish grey dog, known in Cajun folklore as a Cajun Werewolf. It wasn’t long until people simply started calling it “The Blue Dog.” As the art of Rodrigue started to gain international recognition, Steve Santillo, a local attorney in Lafayette, realized that Rodrigue needed a place in the local area where locals and visitors alike could enjoy his art.

Instead of building a simple gallery or museum, in 1999 Santillo partnered with Rodrigue’s two sons to open the Blue Dog Café, a Cajun and Cajun-fusion restaurant that would be a showplace for the area’s most famous artist.

“We have over 150 pieces of George’s art on the walls,” explains Santillo of the building’s décor. “We have people on a regular basis that just walk through the restaurant and look.”

If you are in Lafayette and go to The Blue Dog Café to simply look at the walls, you would be missing out on half of the entire experience, namely the food. “We do have Cajun favorites like etouffee and gumbo, but we also have Cajun-fusion, featuring items like Cajun enchiladas with a cumin Mornay sauce or seafood wantons with a plum ginger sauce,” Santillo says of his restaurant’s unique twist. “We are not a typical Cajun restaurant.”

The five-page menu features everything from Cajun, fusion, seafood, steaks, appetizers, salads and desserts.

While the artist who inspired the name of the restaurant has no official role in its operation he does frequent The Blue Dog Café when in Lafayette, which is not too often now that his career has skyrocketed. Rodrigue has galleries in Aspen, Colo., Carmel, Calif., Tokyo and New Orleans. In addition to having his art featured in a famous Xerox ad campaign, Rodrigue has raised millions of dollars for charity. One of the beneficiaries of his fund-raising effort was the rebuilding process of the New Orleans Museum of Art following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Rodrigue’s art is presently on exhibit at that museum and is expected to be its most visited exhibit ever. by Tucker Presley

TABASCO Factory
The famous Tabasco hot pepper sauce is made on Avery Island, La. A factory tour awaits curious people who want to know exactly how the sauce is made. Tabasco tour guides give you a brief tour, followed by a video tour of the legendary facilities. A visit to the Country Store will not be complete until you saddle-up to the sampling bar and get to tasting. All visitors receive a small miniature bottle of Tabasco for the road.

Before you depart Avery Island, be sure to visit Jungle Gardens. Ned McIlhenny, whose father invented the Tabasco hot sauce, converted his private Avery Island estate into a garden showplace. He used exotic botanical species from all over the world to create his vast gardens – 250 acres. He opened his creation to the public in 1935 and the camellias and azaleas have been blooming ever since.
by Amanda Brandon

St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

Abita Brewing Company and Brew Pub
e pure spring water from the deep artesian wells for which it was named. If there is one thing you can do with good water, it’s make good beer, and the water from Abita Springs is particularly well-suited to making lagers, which make up the majority of the beers brewed by the Abita Brewing Company. Operations first began in 1986 at the site where the Abita Brew Pub is now located in downtown Abita Springs, with a capacity for 1,500 barrels of beer. The original equipment is no longer in operation, but can still be seen on display while enjoying a drink and a bite to eat at the Abita Brew Pub, which of course has the full range of Abita beers on tap. This quaint little eatery is located right off the Tammany Trace, a former railroad line-turned bike path that winds 31 miles through St. Tammany Parish.

The actual brewing takes place down the road where operations moved when capacity increased to 15,000 barrels a year (it is currently at over 80,000). Brewery tours are available Wednesdays through Saturdays at 2 p.m. Here you can sample the various brews, including seasonal selections such as the strawberry lager and root beer for non beer drinkers and take a short tour of the facility. All the water used comes from on-site wells and they generally stick to just three additional ingredients: barley, hops, and yeast. The making of beer is fairly straight forward and so is the tour. On weekends when they are not in production you can see a little more of Abita’s bottling unit, but that might cut into the time you have for sampling their products. The best part of all is that the tour and the drinks are free, but remember to wear close-toed shoes for your safety; after all, this is a working facility.

Dining in Covington & Madisonville
Covington, an artsy community located at what was historically the highest navigable point on the Tchefuncte River, has many unique restaurants in its downtown area. North Columbia Street is the best place to start exploring on foot. Etoile is a vibrant, eclectic restaurant co-owned by New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos, whose artwork is on display throughout the unconventionally arranged seating area. The menu changes, but if they have the double-cut pork chop, it is highly recommended. Leaving Etoile and heading toward the river, you will see St. John’s Coffeehouse on the corner. This local hangout has better frappes than any national coffee house. Turning the corner, Del Porto is a classic Italian restaurant run by a husband and wife team that you don’t want to miss. It has been named one of the top 10 restaurants in New Orleans by Times Picayune food critic Brett Anderson. The pastas are homemade, and the chocolate hazelnut layer cake is as good as it sounds.

Moving down to the mouth of the river, the town of Madisonville boasts many seafood restaurants along the waterfront. Friends Coastal Restaurant has the best atmosphere in town, with decks directly on the river. The redfish on the half-shell is fantastic. Friends would be a good place to hang out with friends for drinks and watch the boats pass by. Coffee’s Boilin’ Pot is a local favorite, packed with families most nights. The Boilin’ Pot offers a fun and laid-back atmosphere. The boiled seafood here is always good, as are the oysters Rockefeller and the catfish Madisonville. Regulars favor certain nights of the week for the specials. Tuesday night is steak night, Wednesday is lobster night, and Thursday is crab night, but any night of the week is a good time to stop by Coffee’s Boilin’ Pot to enjoy a good meal.

La Provence
Driving up to La Provence, you may forget that you are in Louisiana and instead feel you are in the French countryside. The buildings are reminiscent of a French country inn, and the picturesque grounds include herb and vegetable gardens, a small farm with chickens, goats, sheep, and pigs, and a smokehouse. In 1972, French-born chef Chris Kerageorgiou converted an old motel into what is now considered one of the first “destination” restaurants on the Northshore, being less than an hour’s drive from New Orleans.

The restaurant was sold to Slidell native John Besh, a protégé of Kerageorgiou, shortly before the aging chef passed away in 2007. Besh, of Iron Chef fame, owns and operates three other restaurants in the New Orleans area: the No. 1 rated Restaurant August, Luke, and Besh Steakhouse at Harrah’s Casino. Besh brought on Rene Bajeux, formerly of Rene Bistrot in New Orleans, as executive chef and partner. Both men are committed to using fresh, local ingredients and adhere to traditional, seasonal cooking. The “locovore” movement is becoming increasingly popular in southeast Louisiana, and nowhere is that more evident than here. What La Provence can’t supply from its own grounds, it gets from nearby local farms or businesses: butter from Smithfield Creamery, and bread from La Boulangerie in New Orleans. Soon the restaurant will be housing bees to make their own honey.

Rene Bajeux, originally from Alsace-Lorraine, keeps the French tradition going at La Provence. When asked about being designated as one of the 50 French Masters in the United States, Bajeux replied, “I don’t care about titles, only cooking.” Throughout the tour of the grounds, Bajeux kept emphasizing how incredibly fun he finds his profession. Nothing could seem simpler than raising your own meat on the restaurant grounds, but sometimes the animals have ideas of their own. The goats like to climb on top of things, and once an adventurous goat decided to ride home in the back of a cook’s truck. Bajeux once told a mean rooster that attacked one of the cooks, “I have plans for you.” And remember, if you feel bad staring at your dinner, you can always order the fish.

The best of Mandeville & Slidell
Mandeville is the oldest inhabited community in St. Tammany Parish. The area was developed directly on Lake Pontchartrain across from New Orleans for the shipping of raw materials such as bricks and timber used in the building of the city. It was also popular as a retreat for the urban population. Today, the area known as Old Mandeville has several noteworthy restaurants, from fine-dining to cafes. Juniper is housed in a 100-year-old building near the lake. With its cypress floors and rustic cottage appeal, it recalls the feeling of times gone by. Offering Creole cuisine with a European twist, Juniper has been declared one of the Northshore’s better restaurants by local food critic Tom Fitzmorris. Don’t miss the blackened brie and shrimp. Juniper also does a traditional Sunday brunch with jazz music adding to the New Orleans-style ambience. When the weather is nice, the original Broken Egg Café is a cute place to sit on the porch and have a scrumptious breakfast.

Nearby, Nuvolari’s offers Italian dining in an intimate setting. The crabmeat ravioli is hard to beat. For waterfront dining, try Rip’s on the Lake, a raised building located on scenic Lakeshore Drive.

Slidell was established as a building camp on the first high ground north of Lake Pontchartrain by the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad while they were laying track from the city to Meridian, Miss. Amtrak’s Crescent line now runs this route on its way to New York. Take Bayou Lane from downtown Slidell just past the train station and you will find Palmettos On The Bayou, situated on Bayou Bonfouca. Surrounded by lush cypress marshland, the restaurant is positioned between three National Wildlife Refuges. Serving traditional Louisiana food, Palmettos is a great place to meet friends for dinner after work, relax, and sit on the deck. Their gumbo is hearty and the seared duck with blackberry reduction sauce makes an excellent entrée choice. For times of year when the weather is less than ideal, they also offer elegant indoor dining. Stories by Sara Schiro

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Mazen’s
The Mediterranean gem Mazen’s was a well-kept secret in Lake Charles, La., for a long time. Nine years, in fact, says general manager Jeremy Broussard. The word-of-mouth popularity grew so much that owner Mazen Hijazi had to move the restaurant to a new location from its first home, an old drive-in movie theater.

A well-kept secret because “it’s hard to sing praises with your mouth full of lump crab meat and lemon-saffron butter sauce,” this little continental grill on College Street has been named the “Best Restaurant in Southwest Louisiana,” and Mazen’s has received awards for best service, best place for a romantic dinner and best chef. Dishes like the Fish Aladdin are sure to keep the awards coming. If you’re looking for upscale dining with Mediterranean flair, check out the legendary Mazen’s in Lake Charles.

Steamboat Bill’s
This 20-year-old Lake Charles, La., family establishment got started by a demand for great shrimp. Kathi “The Shrimp Lady” Bonamici and her brother Billy started their business selling shrimp on the side of the road. This mother of three served up the freshest, best-priced shrimp in the area. The business took off and soon necessitated their own shrimp dock and buying plant to supply their customers.

Famous for their shrimp and crawfish, this famous two-location seafood destination is a great stop whether you are driving through or staying the night. Mark Watson, author of Next Exit, a book about what’s at every interstate exit in America, calls Steamboat Bill’s “very busy, not fancy.” It made his Top 10 list of places to eat while traveling. Stories by Amanda Brandon

Contraband Days/Barbecue Cookoff
Each May, pirates invade Lake Charles, La., for 12 days of arts, eats and live entertainment. This 51-year-old festival is home to some of the area’s finest culinary tastes at its Galley Alley food booth area. It’s also home to a large barbecue cookoff for seafood and Boston butt roast. The Contraband Days Festival is the largest festival in Lake Charles each year (with over 100,000 in attendance).

The festival got its pirate theme from an old legend. Almost three centuries ago, a notorious pirate named Jean Lafitte and his crew were fleeing enemy ships and heading to Galveston, Texas. The legend says that Lafitte and his band of buccaneers hid in the Lake Charles waterways. The favorite hideout was Contraband Bayou. Lafitte is said to have hidden his treasures in this bayou. In 1957, when business leaders were looking to start a recreational festival to drive tourism, they used the legend as the theme for Contraband Days. If you go to the festival you probably won’t find any of Lafitte’s buried treasure, but you will find amazing food and a great time.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Louisiana Lagniappe
Louisiana Lagniappe offers fine dining in a laidback atmosphere. Originally started in Destin, Fla., in 1981, the owners wanted to come back home to Baton Rouge where their inspiration came from. They sold the hugely successful restaurant in Destin (which they are no longer affiliated with or its sister restaurant in Orange Beach, Ala.), and have been back home for six years now. In that short amount of time, the family-run restaurant has become a local favorite and has won several awards from Taste of Baton Rouge, including best family restaurant, best date night, best seafood restaurant, and best overall. Louisiana Lagniappe doesn’t do much advertising, relying rather on word of mouth. They seem to be packed most nights. It also appears to be fairly popular among the waitstaff, many of whom have been working there for years.

Executive chef Joe Caton started out as a dish boy at age 15 at the Destin location and worked his way up. Caton is responsible for many “off the menu” specials, while chef Kevin Ortega is credited with the creation of many of the recipes. The restaurant’s signature dishes include the blackened shrimp with pineapple rum butter sauce appetizer, the portabella mushroom salad, fresh fish en papillote, and beef tournedos with lump crabmeat. The children’s menu offers fried shrimp, catfish, crab fingers and even a petit steak The menu relies heavily on Gulf fish, which is shipped in daily from New Orleans. Louisiana Lagniappe is open for dinner only.

Blackened Shrimp with Pineapple Rum Butter Sauce

20 peeled, butterflied and deveined jumbo shrimp
½ cup oil
4 pineapple rings
1 recipe blackening mix
1 recipe of pineapple rum butter sauce

Heat a large black iron skillet until it is very hot. Dredge the shrimp in the blackening seasoning and dip in the oil. Place the shrimp split side down, into the hot skillet. After approximately 30 seconds roll the shrimp onto their sides. After another 30 seconds roll them to their other side. Do not burn! Shrimp size will determine cooking times. The shrimp are cooked when they are no longer clear in the middle. Put the pineapple rings in the skillet and cook on each side for approximately one minute. Put about 2 ounces of the pineapple rum butter sauce on each plate. Put a pineapple ring in the center of the sauce and surround with the blackened shrimp.

Pineapple Rum Butter Sauce (serves 4)
6 oz. Chablis
16 oz. Pineapple Juice
½ tsp. whole thyme
1 ½ tbs. minced shallots
1 tsp. black peppercorn
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb. unsalted butter
2 tbs. rum extract

Combine first five ingredients in a 2 qt. saucepan. Simmer and reduce to a syrup consistency. Add cream. Simmer and reduce by half. Cut cold butter into 1 inch cubes. Stir into the creamy base, two pieces at a time, over medium heat until all butter is melted. Add rum extract. Strain and serve.

Blackening Spice Mix
¼ cup paprika
¼ cup chili powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1/8 cup garlic powder
1/8 cup onion salt
1/8 cup cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp. ground basil
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. ground oregano
1 tbsp. + 1 ½ tsp. gumbo file powder
Mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
by Sara Schiro

Louie’s Cafe and The Chimes
Louie’s Cafe and The Chimes are two popular college hangouts in the Northgate LSU area of Baton Rouge. Louie’s has been serving up omelettes, po-boys, and hash browns with more toppings than your favorite local Waffle House since 1941. Yeah, it’s a greasy spoon, but a good one, and it even offers tasty vegetarian options. Open 24 hours, breakfast is served all day. It’s a true treat to sit at the bar and listen to Frenchie ramble on about whatever happens to cross his mind. Don’t think you can leave this diner without paying your bill though; one night, a customer skipped out on his tab only to have his tires shot out as he was driving away. As to who fired the shots, well, Louie’s is a popular favorite with the local law enforcement crowd. If anyone is an expert in late night eateries, it’s the cops. The coffee is good, too.

The Chimes is well-known for its wide beer selection, offering over 130 different varieties, with 34 on tap. Regulars like to play ‘Round the World, where they can sample 60 beers from 20 different countries ranging from Jamaica to Thailand. Winners receive a T-shirt and their name engraved on a plaque. Aside from the beverages, the menu could stand alone in any dry county in the South. This is no ordinary bar food. Where else can you get boudin balls, fried alligator bites, a blackened shrimp remoulade salad, and a side of red beans and rice at 1 a.m.? While The Chimes caters to the college crowd late at night, it is not uncommon to see families and older folks enjoying themselves at dinner. The Chimes is a fun atmosphere for all ages.

Boutin’s and TJ Ribs
Boutin’s and TJ Ribs both offer fun, unique atmospheres. Boutin’s offers the full Cajun experience with food, music, and dancing. Cajun dancing goes on every night of the week except Sundays. The weekends are the best time to partake. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know how to dance; someone will be glad to show you the way. Live bands play on the stage starting at 7 p.m. The decor includes a brief history of the Cajun people. In addition to the traditional Cajun fare, items such as the crawfish wontons and crawfish enchiladas will reward a daring appetite. There is a deck out back where you may happen to see the feeding frenzy as the staff tosses leftover bread to the turtles in the bayou. There is also a gumball machine of cat food should you want to feed them yourself, though the click of the quarter may bring you a new friend. If you see Lynn Boutin, ask him the about the origin of Bou-kitty and the poor cook whose girlfriend left him.

Showcasing the other side of Baton Rouge culture is TJ Ribs. Besides having excellent ribs, their other claim to fame is LSU running back Billy Cannon’s 1959 Heisman Trophy. Cannon will always be remembered for breaking seven tackles on his way to an 89-yard punt return touchdown and victory over the undefeated Ole Miss Rebels in Tiger Stadium that year. He has eaten for free at TJ Ribs since 1986. It is rumored that restaurant owner T. J. Moran bought the trophy for millions of dollars. Others say that Cannon owed Moran a huge favor. It is possible, of course, that the trophy is simply on loan for the public enjoyment. Also on display at TJ Ribs is Shaquille O’Neal’s LSU jersey and shoes, in addition to various other Tiger memorabilia. The waiters practice an interesting form of quality control. When they introduce themselves, they take two crayons and write their name upside down across the white paper tablecloth (so that it is right side up for the customer). Once the order is taken, the time is noted next to the name. When the food is brought out, the time is written again, letting the customers know exactly how long it took for their food to come. The sweet tea, which is not as common in this part of Louisiana as in other places in the South, is perfect, which is important at a good barbecue restaurant. TJ Ribs is a great place to watch any game on the big screen TV or enjoy a meal on your way there.

Tony’s Seafood Market
Tony’s Seafood Market is not only the largest seafood market in the Gulf South, it is a food wonderland. It is well worth the drive a little north of Baton Rouge to check out the amazing selection of products. You could pick up groceries and dinner. Just browsing through the refrigerated section, you will find crawfish-stuffed bell peppers, crabmeat au gratin, and andouille sausage. Stop by the cafeteria-style deli where many locals line up to pick out what they’re going to have for supper. Options include fried catfish, macaroni and cheese, and a variety of fresh vegetables. Blaine Pizzolato, a grandson of the market’s founder, led me to the back where the crawfish were being boiled, and relayed the history of the market.

Mr. Tony started the seafood market in 1959. Today, it is being operated by his children and grandchildren. In response to his doctor telling him not to work so hard, Mr. Tony developed his own fish fry product. He began by giving it away to customers buying his fish, but he couldn’t keep up with the demand. In 1982, Louisiana Fish Fry Products, sister company to Tony’s Seafood Market, was founded. Today Louisiana Fish Fry is the No. 1 fish fry in the country.

There’s more than just fish fry, though. The popular crawfish and crab boil is distributed nationally. Louisiana Fish Fry makes etoufee mix, jambalaya mix, gumbo mix, and even cobbler mix. These mixes are quick and easy to use, making it possible to fix a great dish in 20 minutes or less. Steve LeBlanc, general manager, points out that many people misunderstand what Cajun food actually is. “Most people think of Cajun food as being spicy,” LeBlanc says. “Cajun food really is just food that is seasoned well.” He adds that with Louisiana Fish Fry products, you can always add more spice, but you can’t take it away. Their products are designed with that in mind, such that they can be tailored to fit a wide variety of tastes. For out-of-state epicureans or expatriate Louisianans, Tony’s Website offers convenient ordering and shipping.Stories by Sara Schiro