A Few Years Ago…

There was a market campaign for a Philadelphia college that contained the tag line “I could have gone anywhere, but I chose (University X).” Well, today is Chuck’s birthday, and for lunch he could have gone anywhere, but he chose Chef Roy’s Frog City Café in Rayne, LA.

We have been eating at Chef Roy’s since our first stay in Duson, LA, in November of 2008. And it has been on our list of “must returns” ever since.

Named for former owner and chef Roy Lyons (right), Chef Roy’s is now co-owned by two of his former employees—Chef Benoit Morel and Robert Credeur. Chef Morel is from the Champagne region of France and brings his knowledge of classic French techniques to the café’s menu. Robert is Cajun through and through. He is a native of Mire (pro-nounced “mere”), Louisiana, and currently lives in Rayne—The Frog Capitol of the World (or so they claim).

While Chef Morel rules in the kitchen, Robert rules in the front of the house. And there was Robert to greet us and welcome us back as we walked through the doors this noon. You enter the café through a large lobby area, which, since we are closing in on Mardi Gras, was decorated in gold, purple, and greens.

Even the large frog statue (right) that sits in one corner was decked out in a jester’s hat and beads.

The dining room is tastefully comfortable with dark beige walls, dark green draperies, tasteful prints, and the most comfortable restaurant chairs I have encountered. So we settled back in these comfortable chairs to contemplate the extensive menu. As we were debating—should we go with an appetizer mélange or a couple of entrees to share—Robert approached our table and asked if we had made a decision.

“Too many great choices” Chuck replied. And I explained that I always ordered the Crawfish Napoleon entrée but thought I wanted to try something different. It was at that point that Robert asked if we would like the kitchen to make an appetizer-sized portion for us to share. While it may be Chuck’s birthday, I left him no choice here. “We’d love that” I replied.

Chuck came to appreciate my decision. The dish contained two rounds of lightly breaded eggplant with a seasoned “stuffing” sandwiched between them. The whole is then covered with a rich cheesy sauce that contains numerous little plump crawfish tails. But what makes this dish outstanding is the use of curry in the cheese sauce which offsets some of the sauce’s richness. If the Asian Shrimp at Asian Noodle Bar in Albuquerque is one of Chuck’s all time favorite dishes, the Crawfish Napoleon at Chef Roy’s just might be mine.

Now to our entrees. (These came with a salad of iceberg, romaine, red cabbage, shredded carrot, and tomato, but who wants to look at photos of salad.) Chuck selected the jumbo shrimp platter which could be ordered as small (eight shrimp) or large (twelve shrimp). Guess which he chose. And from the list of sides he selected the onion rings which we knew from previous visits are a superior example of this restaurant essential.

Chuck took his first bite of shrimp and I could hear the crackling sound from across the table. Suddenly, a giant grin crossed his face. “These may be the best fried shrimp I have ever eaten” he proclaimed. And, since I was entitled to six of them, I had ample opportunity to concur. The beer batter coating was so thin as to be almost translucent and remained crisp to the last shrimp. (Although I must admit that they didn’t last that long.) And under this thin coating were crisp, juicy, and sweet shrimp that were cooked to perfection. When we later told Robert that we especially loved the beer batter, he responded “You don’t want so much crust that you don’t taste the shrimp.” He is absolutely right.

My choice of our meal to share was the crab cake platter which came with two cakes topped with what the café calls boutte sauce. The cakes were full of sweet crab pieces and had a nice peppery bite. And the not-overly-rich sauce contained more of the plump crawfish tails that graced the Crawfish Napoleon. I can’t find any reference online to boutte sauce, but I do find lots of sites about Boutte, LA (a city in St. Charles Parish). Is this sauce the café’s own creation named after that city? Whatever, it also made a great dipping sauce for my side—the eggplant fries.

Neither of our German Mothers ever cooked with eggplant so we didn’t grow up with an appreciation for this relative of the potato and tomato. My few attempts to explore eggplant—usually eggplant parmesan--were not real successful. But the cooks of Southern Louisiana have a knack with this vegetable. These too were lightly coated, and I enjoyed the contrast between the crisp outside and the soft and almost creamy inside. And the boutte sauce also made a great condiment for the eggplant fries.

Our usual Chef Roy’s dessert is the Turtle—chocolate genoise cake wrapped around vanilla ice cream, rolled in caramel and roasted pecans and served over a pool of caramel sauce. But this time we chose the Peach Bread Pudding sitting in a pool of light rum sauce. This was one of the lightest bread puddings ever—none of this heavy brick-like stuff—and was flavored with cinnamon and just a hint of nutmeg. And it, along with the rum sauce, wasn’t overly sweet.

As we were leaving, two women diners stopped us and asked if we were from around there. When we responded “No,” one smiled and answered: “I didn’t think so. Here we don’t take pictures of our food. We eat it.”

This 5.0 Addie meal won’t be our only Chef Roy’s stop on this trip. Next time it will be the appetizer assortment. The seafood martini, pepper jelly oysters, corn and crab soup, and catfish bites are beckoning me back.

To review the role of Adler, Kitty Humbug, and the Addie rating system, read the November 14, 2011 blog.

The "Someday" Garage

"One man's contribution to the rice farming interests of the United States dominates the entire history of that industry. Salmon (Sol)

1958 Wooden Rolls Royce Silver Cloud







Lusk Wright's genius in breeding new rice varieties in the prairielands of southwest Louisiana...has few parallels in the history of agriculture" (Mary Fontenot, "The Man Who Saved the Rice," Louisiana Life).

But that's another story.

1952-1953 Mercedes Benz 300









"Sol's only son, Salmon Lusk Wright Jr. "Salmon"...start(ed) Wright Laboratory in 1956 based on a rinse resistant rice coating process he helped pioneer. Salmon's only son, Salmon Lusk Wright III "S. L."...

1959 Mercedes Benz








joined his father in the family businesses (in 1957). The addition of S. L. in the business gave Salmon more time to indulge in his first true love for cars, boat building and all other manner of creative "projects" (crystalrice.com).

1949 Mercedes Benz 170S Convertible

(NOTE: A good friend who knows cars identified this as a 'BugEye' Sprite, not a '49 MB. Glad to have the error corrected.)

Some of Salmon's "projects" are on display in the garage on the property of the Crystal Rice Heritage Farm. Several of the cars,

1937 Packard










especially a number of Mercedes Benzes, were driven by Salmon; others were purchased for his collection. Most seemed to still be in the condition they were in when purchased.

1950 Sunbeam Talbot









As our tour wound its way among the autos on display, I had the impression that this was a collection of autos that Salmon enjoyed, maybe for a

1964 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442









number of different reasons, but with the goal that all would someday be restored to their original condition. Someday.

1952 Packard Patrician









But with Salmon's death in 1988, the plans for restoring these autos apparently have been put on hold--or abandoned altogether.

1940 LaSalle











(Seeing this old LaSalle brings to ming the line in the lyrics to "Those Were the Days", the theme song for All in the Family: "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days.")

1955 Messers-chmitt KR200







Among the more unusual items in the collection is the three-wheeled Messerschmitt (the door on this one-person vehicle opens as a cockput hatch would), the Piper Cub, and the Rice Thresher.



1930-1935 Piper J-3 Cub

Rice Thresher










We look forward to the day that restoration of these cars moves past "someday" status.

Sometimes it Pays…

to ignore the opinions of your fellow diners. We were looking for a place for breakfast and found a listing for Another Broken Egg (ABE). But at least half of the on-line commenters complained about the food, the service, or the prices – or some combination of the three. But the menu looked so interesting.

Let’s see for ourselves.

The Lafayette ABE is one of sixteen in California, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. So yes, it is a franchise operation. But one that is Louisiana-born—Mandeville, LA, on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain.

“The success of the Another Broken Egg can be directly linked to our philosophy that ‘Nothing Short of Right is Right’. Each site is managed by hands-on, on-site Owners who believe that every detail is important to make the customer happy. Our belief is from the time a customer enters the front door to the time they leave the Café, they should feel like being ‘on holiday’ and as comfortable as being in their own home. The attention to detail from a clean entrance, to ample and quality food, to high cleanliness standards from the Front of the House to the kitchen is just as important as great, friendly ‘down home’ service. With that in mind, it is our never-ending goal to earn guests for life” (anotherbrokenegg.com).

The Lafayette outlet is located at River Ranch, an upscale complex of cafes, boutiques, offices, and apartments with a plaza and fountain at its center. The café has three interior dining rooms plus a patio overlooking the courtyard.

The café was full when we arrived around 10:30 a.m. and seems to be popular with the young professional crowd. We had about a twenty-minute wait for a table but were finally seated in one of the indoor dining areas. The café’s décor seemed to be inspired by New Orleans. Against the brightly colored walls (which again will cast a reddish tone on all food photos) were hung artworks by New Orleans artist Rhonda Stephens. We both felt that the carved wood dividers between the dining room and kitchen access were reminiscent of New Orleans’ wrought iron balconies.

The breakfast menu is huge. Among the omelet choices were the shrimp florentine (stuffed with shrimp, tomatoes, and onions and finished with a spinach and mushroom florentine sauce) and the smoked salmon (filled with cream cheese and finished with
smoked salmon, diced red onions, capers, and tomatoes). Egg scramblers included the Southern Scramble (scrambled eggs with ham blended with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and melted cheeses) and the Lakeshore Scramble (eggs, baked bacon, onions, mushrooms, and ham and topped with melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese). There was bananas foster French toast (which can also be ordered as a waffle or pancakes) and cinnamon roll French toast.

Chuck found himself torn between the Southwest Scramble (scrambled eggs, chorizo, onions, green chilies, and tomatoes topped with melted Jack and cheddar cheeses and served with guacamole and salsa) and the Hey Ricky!!! (a Spanish omelet filled with chorizo, avocado slices, green chilies, and onions topped with cheese and served with homemade salsa and fresh sour cream). So he asked our server for a recommendation. Her response was the Hey Ricky!!! because she thought that the chorizo tasted better in the omelet than the scramble.

To me, this was a very good omelet. It wasn’t too fluffy with an excess of air beaten in. And it wasn’t one of those paper thin over-folded omelets either. And the lean, but yet moist, chorizo wasn’t overly spicy. His potatoes were cubes that had been deep fat fried and, at Chuck’s request, bits of onion were added. Now I was a little surprised by Chuck’s choice, since he is not that fond of avocado. He thought that it would come as a few slices fanned over the top which could be transferred from his plate to mine. I think that the avocado being inside with the other fillings somewhat lessened his appreciation of what was, as I said earlier, a very good omelet.

I am always looking for variations on the eggs Benedict. I thought about ordering the Smoked Salmon Benny with a toasted bagel substituting for the English muffin covered with a layer of whipped cream cheese that is topped with smoked salmon and poached eggs and then garnished with diced red onions, capers, and scallions. But I ordered the Crabcakes Cavallo—jumbo lump cakes atop of English muffin halves with poached eggs and topped with an andouille sausage infused Hollandaise.

First, I must admit to being an East Coast snob when it comes to crab cakes. I have never liked a crab cake made from anything other than the blue crab. And it has been quite a while since I have had the chance to order one. These cakes were delicious with a minimum of filler and just enough peppery spice to offset the crab’s rich flavor. And hollandaise and crab are a perfect marriage with the lemon in the sauce helping to brighten the taste of the dish. I gave Chuck a small—I repeat, small—taste, and he announced that this would be his choice of breakfast should be ever return.

Instead of potatoes, I requested a side of grits. As I have said on many occasions, you eat grits to eat large quantities of butter or cheese—and better with both. And for added flavor, I added some black pepper and a few glugs of hot sauce.

I am glad that I ignored the online reviews. Yes, the prices were somewhat on the high side, but if you are looking for Egg McMuffin prices, you go to McDonalds. But we found the food to be delicious and the service to be attentive and give Another Broken Egg a 4.0 Addie rating.

To review the role of Adler, Kitty Humbug, and the Addie rating system, read the November 14, 2011 blog.

A Hometown Jam

We had planned to carry an eyewitness report today on the prediction of Pierre C. Shaddeaux, but that would have meant rising around 4:30 this morning to make the trip to New Iberia, LA, to observe the sunrise behavior of the town’s groundhog. Instead, we have had to rely on other sources.

The prediction: an early spring is forecast.

But back to events that we did attend....

"Do you have any guides to jams in the area?" we asked of the Tourist Information Center in Lafayette, LA.

"No, but you might want to stop at La Maison de Begnaud, the Heritage Visitor's Center in Scott. It's near where you're staying, and they have a jam on Friday evenings," was our answer.

Well, we learned that there are Visitor's Centers and then there are Visitor's Centers.

Scott’s Heritage Interpretive Center is home to tourist information (maps and brochures) and a Cajun gift shop. But then we experienced "something more". This 100-year-old Acadian home also is home to a small library area with the collection of the city’s history and memorabilia. There is the Heritage Interpretive Room in which documentaries of the area may be viewed and in which community organiza-tions hold meetings and gatherings on history, culture, and special cultural events--and Friday evening jams.

"Cajun music jam sessions provide beginners wanting to learn and veterans who are glad to share with a casual setting to pass on the knowledge" (bayouvermilion.org). And it was this teaching/sharing quality that was clearly the main focus of the jams at this Center, which had all the trappings of community gathering in the kitchen of a home.

In one of two recent sessions we attended 86-year-old Don Montoucet and 6-year-old Andre were two of the partici-pants.

Mr. Don has the distinction and honor of being the first person invited to Russia to perform a program of Cajun music.

On both occasions Jacob LeBlanc, 14, had led the group on the accordion. In a recent article in The Scott Connection, Angela Jean-Batiste noted: "Since December 2010, Scott resident Jacob LeBlanc has found zeal in learning and playing the accordion.

"Extraordinarily, Jacob taught himself how to play the accordion and is still learning to this very day.

"That very determination has earned Jacob a nomination for the New Dawn Award with the Lafayette Chapter of the Cajun French Music Association." The annual Le Cajun Awards are the Grammy Awards of Cajun music.

And then there is Zack, who will be 15 this month. He is also self-taught on the fiddle and already is quite accomplished. He has been invited to perform in New Brunswick, Canada and then Wisconsin in the spring.

There will be quite an entourage from Scott accompanying him on this trip. Among the group will be "Mama" Redell Comeaux Miller, the guiding force behind the Heritage Visitor's Center. She is a remarkable person whose energy and personality have been responsible for spreading the word about the Center.

On the Center's brochure, the message reads: "A Visitor's Center where you can actually sit and visit!" A perfect description of the tone of the old home.

She emphasizes the teaching that occurs during the jams and educational work of the Center. Examples of this latter function that occurs beyond the borders of Cajun Country are: a film crew from Germany featured Scott artists in a visit to the area, a British crew is interested in filming Cajun musicians and dancers, and tomorrow she will be hosting travel agents from around Louisiana.

Her pride in the work of the young people who are carrying on the culture comes through in every sentence.

Lastly, this photo of a young teen, whose name I did not learn, took a turn at leading the group with her work on the accordion. What a wonderful setting in which to learn and perform.

This Is Not a Place…

that you’d find by accident.

Last spring—May 2nd and 3rd to be exact—we wrote about our bizarre encounter with the local gendarmes in Franklin, LA, that caused us to beat a hasty retreat out of Franklin and in search of an alternative for lunch.

Fortunately, I was armed with a travel brochure of that general area and that is where I found this reference to Bon Creole Seafood (aka Bon Creole Lunch Counter)--“Overstuffed with shrimp, crawfish, catfish, or soft-shell crab, they’re big enough to share.” And thus we discovered what just might be the best poor boy in southern Louisiana.

“This quirky local hang out is one of a kind. It's got a small sign on top of the little building with nothing fancy on the outside. No pretensions inside, either. What they do, they do well.... Bon Creole has an uncomplicated menu. The place is clean and service excellent. There is ample table seating.... You'll appreciate the food, atmosphere and animals on display including a buffalo head and crawfish hanging on the wall. The place has character and so do the customers. Go, eat, drink, enjoy!” (rmccall at tripadvisor.com).

Or, as intlxpatr.wordpress. com says: “…we miss it the first time, and have to go around the block, AdventureMan says ‘I think I saw it, but it looked closed.’ I think I saw it, too, but it looked . . . like some dive. As we come around the second time, we see a button-down-shirt-and-chinos kind of guy coming out, so we know it must be open, and he looks like a working local, not some tourist like us.”

Most on-line reviews stress the quality of Bon Creole’s poor boys, but raves are also given for the lunch counter’s seafood gumbo. So on this visit I decided to start my meal with a small bowl. This was served Cajun style with both a small cup of rice and small cup of potato salad. The potato salad can either be mixed into the gumbo or, as I observed one woman diner do, you can take a small portion of the salad on your spoon before dipping the spoon into the gumbo. Knowing the size of our meal to follow, I elected to take the salad home where it became my dinner that night. Literally, the only thing I ate that evening.

So how good was the gumbo? It was made with a darkish roux, con-tained a plethora of small shrimp and pieces of crab, and was lightly seasoned with bay, thyme, and pepper. Again, let me quote from intixpatr: “’Oh, WoW!’ I say, and my eyes open wide. ‘Wow!’ AdventureMan is having the same experience. ‘This is REALLY good!’ he says. We are quiet now, eating this totally delicious seafood gumbo. We are both busy trying to figure out how they made it taste so seafood-y, lots of shrimp, maybe some crab, but the gumbo itself, essence of shellfish, is SO good. What if we had judged by the exterior and had ended up in some plastic and mediocre place? What if we had missed this totally awesome seafood gumbo? This gumbo was seriously GOOD.”

We then moved on to our perpetual (if you consider two previous visits to equal perpetual) choice—to share the large crawfish poor boy. Call them over-stuffed. Call then bursting at the seams. Call them what you want. They more than feed two. When you unwrap the sandwich from the paper, a cascade of fried crawfish tails comes pouring forth. Since it is early in the season, the tails are on the small side, but that makes them no less juicy and sweet. And, instead of plain mayo, these sandwiches are dressed with a mayo and hot sauce mix which accentuates the spice in the cornmeal-based coating. And the French roll is equal to any we have eaten in New Orleans.

Not too many days later, we again found ourselves in the New Iberia neighborhood. That is if you—like us when it comes to food—consider anything less than thirty miles distant to be “the neighborhood”. This warranted a return visit for one of Bon Creole’s marvelous poor boys. Having really enjoyed my potato salad leftovers, this time I suggested that instead of the gumbo and fries, we share a large order of potato salad.

While Chuck face reflected a grimace of pain--“No French fries,” he exclaimed. I did bring him around to my way of thinking. And he thanked me later. Bon Creole’s potato salad is made with chunks of potato plus some “mashed”-like potatoes and is flavored with a small amount of mustard, scallions, and both sweet and dill pickles. Really a fine potato salad.

This 4.5 Addie (only because I think the fries are shaken from a bag) lunch counter is one of our favorite Acadiana stops. As Adrian V at yelp.com explained: “There are few places that I have been to that actually epitomize what a cuisine is all about.... The menu is simple: gumbo, poor boys, and other lunch counter standards with daily specials, too. The key is that the quality is tres bien. The gumbos feel like that came from a Cajun grandmother's kitchen and the poor boys are freshly fried with delightful French bread. This is typically the first place I go on my trips to New Iberia and the last place when I leave!”

As we were finishing our lunch, we had a chance to speak with the woman who takes orders at the counter.
“Did you see the mural on the side of the building?’” she asked. “It doesn’t get as much sun so it hasn’t faded.”

So we went to take a look. “Well, this would give kids nightmares.” Chuck said.

To review the role of Adler, Kitty Humbug, and the Addie rating system, read the November 14, 2011 blog.