[title type="h2"]Louisiana Seafood Festival, All Weekend, City Park.[/title]
We have a big eating festival this weekend, the first really major one in awhile. (Everything seems to stop cold in late August and all of September.) The Louisiana Seafood Festival is known as much for its wanderings over the years as for the food there. The first two of its seven years, it took place on the Fulton Street pedestrian mall. It outgrew that and moved to the Old U.S. Mint. From there it drifted into Lafayette Square, where even a tremendous rainstorm failed to slow things down.
Finally, last year the festival found what it says is a permanent home in City Park. Specifically, it's that field adjacent to Christian Brothers' School. The event was very well attended, even though the parking for it required a bit of a walk. But walking through the park is not the end of the world.
You will recognize the format. Thirty restaurants--almost all of them very well known, and including many white-tablecloth places--sell tasting plates of their dishes for modest prices. Entrance to the festival itself, with its continuous live music and cooking demos, is $10 for one day and $25 for three days. It opens Midday today (Friday, September 2), and runs all day Saturday and Sunday.
Here is a list of all the food vendors, with my ratings of the best dishes. (They are marked with one, two or three stars, which I'm sure you understand.)
Enjoy! See you there!
Here is a list of the food being served by the vendors, most of which are active restaurants (as opposed to caterers and inactive restaurants). The prices range from around $5 to around $10.
The festivity is sponsored by the Louisiana Seafood Marketing Board, a quasi-state entity whose finest hour lately is raising the image of Louisiana seafood around the country to the lofty peak it deserves.
The music lineup is first-class local sound, with Rockin' Dopsie Jr., Kermit Ruffins, the Rebirth Brass Band, Amanda Shaw, the Wise Guys, and (from the dim past) Paul Varisco and the Milestones among the performers. And an Artists' Village with pieces for sale, children's activities, and more.
Proceeds from food and beverage sales go to the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation, which supports a number of local educational programs. The Festival at five Friday afternoon 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; it goes on until whenever all three days. Parking is easily available from a number of garages within a few of blocks.
A complete list of details can be had from the event's website.
Louisiana Seafood Festival
ACME OYSTER HOUSE: Shrimp or *Oyster Poor Boy AJUN CAJUN: Shrimp or chicken Plate. *Seaweed and Cucumber Salad, ponzu sauce. ANDREA’S: **Crabmeat Ravioli. Crabcake Eggplant. Seafood Lasagna BLUE CRAB: *Crab Cakes, remoulade sauce. Shrimp & Crabmeat Salad. Blue Crab Dip. Combo Plate: Crab Cake & Salad. CAFÉ GIOVANNI:**Voodoo Shrimp & Grits. Shrimp Remoulade Roll. White Beans & Rice, Louisiana shrimp. DAT DOG: *Crab boil shrimp sausage with a shrimp & corn macque choux. Turducken Special. Beef Hot Dog. DIRTY DISHES: Smoked gouda mac & cheese with crawfish and tasso. DRAGO’S: ***Charbroiled Oysters. ERNST CAFÉ: *Crawfish Nachos. Debris Nachos. Jerk Chicken Skewers. GALATOIRE’S RESTAURANT: **Fried Shrimp “BLT” Poor Boy. **Shrimp Remoulade. Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. GOODFELLAS SEAFOOD & POBOYS: Crawfish Etouffee Fries. Crawfish Eggrolls. ***Who Dat Shrimp. JACQUES-IMO’S: Shrimp & Alligator Sausage Cheesecake. *Citrus Crab & Artichoke Salad. **Slow Roasted Duck PoBoy. KATIE’S: **Cochon de lait and BBQ shrimp poor boy. ***Oyster Slessinger Poor Boy. LaDELYO’S CREOLE CATERING: Fried Catfish. Crawfish Étouffée Balls, Cool & Creamy Shrimp Pasta. LÜKE: **Shrimp & Jalapeño Cheese Grits. MISS LINDA, THE YA-KA-MEIN LADY: Beef & Shrimp Yakamein. Crawfish & Shrimp Mac & Cheese. Shrimp & Crabmeat Dressing over Fried Eggplant. MR. MUDBUG & 12 SEASONS CATERING: Fried Crawfish Caesar Salad. Mudbug Hash. Crawfish tails smoked sausage, corn, potatoes and topped with a fried egg. Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice. PRALINE CONNECTION: Smothered Okra & Shrimp. **Jumbo Chicken Wings with Greens or crowder peas & okra. RED FISH GRILL: ***BBQ Oyster Poor Boy. ROYAL HOUSE OYSTER BAR: *Fish Beignets. **BBQ Shrimp & Grits. BLT Oyster Poor Boy. SALTWATER GRILL: Crawfish & Spinach Boat. Grilled Alligator Sausage on a Stick. **Crabcake Salad Remoulade Dressing SEITHER’S SEAFOOD: Tuna Sushi Poor Boy. Backyard Shrimp Boil. **Bananas Brûlée Sundae. SUPERIOR SEAFOOD & OYSTER BAR: *Crawfish Queso. *Chicken & Alligator Sausage Jambalaya. TJ GOURMET: **Crawfish Bread. Alligator Sausage Kabob with Zydeco Sauce. *Mango Sorbet with Rum Sauce. VOLEO’S SEAFOOD: ***Smothered rabbit poor boy with fried oysters & remoulade. Crawfish Enchilada. Crabmeat Boudin Balls WOODY’S FISH TACOS: **Blackened Fish Taco. Sauteed Shrimp Quesadilla. Alligator Sausage Burrito. [divider type=""]NOMenu invites restaurants or organizations with upcoming special events to tell us, so we might add the news to this free department. Send to news@nomenu.com.
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