Louisiana Culinary Trails Please Your Palate

Eight unique culinary trails take you through the five regions of Louisiana.
Consider these road trips for your taste buds. Learn more about specific trails at  www.LouisianaCulinaryTrails.com

Greater New Orleans
On the Menu: Creole recipes drawn from French, Spanish, African and other cultures that settled here. The list of iconic foods associated with the Creole Crescent Trail and Northshore Sampler Trails is lengthy, from red beans and rice, and grillades and grits, to beignets and bread pudding. Pace yourself!

Signature Dish: New Orleans is home to the muffaletta, a sandwich with Italian meats, cheese and olive salad. Try one at Central Grocery.   
We Recommend: Louie & the Redhead Lady, Mandeville; Dakota, Covington; Arnaud’s, New Orleans

Plantation Country
On the Menu: Find the best of Louisiana along the Capital Cravings Trail spanning Plantation Country. It includes cosmopolitan selections and college-town hangouts in
Baton Rouge; and gourmet gems along River Road.

Signature Dish: Rich coffee. Local favorite Community Coffee was founded here. At Latil’s Landing Restaurant at Houmas House, in Darrow, request the Community Coffee–marinated rack of lamb.
We Recommend: Mansurs on the Boulevard, Tsunami, and George’s, Baton Rouge; Roberto’s River Road Restaurant, St. Gabriel.

Cajun Country
On the Menu: Stick-to-your-ribs fare like rice and gravy, and boudin. Seafood is also a specialty, with oysters, shrimp, redfish and more caught fresh from the Gulf. The foods aren’t fancy and, generally, neither are the restaurants, but you’re welcome at the smokehouses and oyster shops dotting the region’s Bayou Bounty and Seafood Sensation trails. 

Signature Dish: Crawfish étouffée was invented in Breaux Bridge. Order it at Café Des Amis. 
We Recommend: Don’s Seafood & Steakhouse, Lafayette; Steamboat Bill’s, Lake Charles; Dupuy’s Oyster Shop, Abbeville; Poche’s Market & Restaurant, Breaux Bridge.

Crossroads
On the Menu: Savory meat pies, spicy crawfish, hot tamales and more fill plates along the Prairie Home Cooking and Red River Riches trails. This is where South Lousiana’s Creole and Cajun fare meets North Louisiana’s Southern cookin’. Add a dash of Native American influences and you’ve got one flavorful feast.

Signature Dish: Meat pies are a specialty, but so are dessert pies. The go-to for good pie? Lea’s Lunchroom in Lecompte. 
We Recommend: The Sandbar, Vidalia; Bistro on the Bayou, Alexandria; Tunk’s Cypress Inn, Boyce.

Sportsman’s Paradise
On the Menu: Southern staples such as fried catfish, hot water corn bread and country vegetables. Also find fine-dining restaurants focused on quality local ingredients and casual spots serving burgers and po-boys as you tour the Red River Riches and Delta Delights trails.

Signature Dish: Ruston peaches. They’re fuzzy, juicy and oh-so-sweet. For a peachy dessert in this neck of the woods, Dowling’s Smokehouse in Ruston serves hard-to-beat fried peach pies.
We Recommend: Wine Country Bistro and Fertitta’s Delicatessen, Shreveport; The Kitchen and Ray’s PeGe, Monroe; 102 A Bistro, Ruston.