From Bank to L'Banca Albergo

“For the first time in more than 50 years, the town finally has its own hotel.”

With that simply-stated sentence, Olivia Vidal spoke volumes about Lake Arthur’s (LA) past, present, and future (March 6, 2013 at kplctv.com/story/21538518).

And our tour through L’Banca Albergo with co-owner Roberta Palmero brought parts of each of these volumes to life.

She spoke of her childhood in Lake Arthur and revealed her regard for the history of The Live Oak Hotel (built in 1885, demolished in 1934 after a fire). The last hotel in town.

So, what led to the decision to open a hotel in Lake Arthur after nearly 80 years?

Roberta and her husband Bobby saw that the Regatta restaurant on the lake (see our previous blog entry) had encouraged several other small businesses to open in town. The former Jeff Davis Bank was available, and after they purchased it at an estate sale, they started kicking around ideas for its use. A meeting with an architect out of Lake Charles followed...and “The Bank Hotel” was born.

Kate and I seek out restored hotels, movie theaters, and opera houses, but are equally eager to tour “repurposed” buildings, i.e., those buildings whose owners preserve as much of the original structure and its history in the course of incorporating new functions into the structure.

The Palermos have succeeded in preserving and recreating the bank’s structure as they built the work of a boutique hotel into this structure.

In the lobby, they left the vault, which became a wine vault for guests to purchase bottles of wine during their stay.

I believe it was another local craftsman Mark Hebert who had the inspiration to create the tellers’ windows as part of this wooden structure that is the focal point in the lobby.

In the "Bank" room, the Palermos left a vault door,

the old drive-through window and night deposit box (lower left corner), and

several teller's stamps.

Two bedrooms on the first floor, including a handicapped bedroom, and five bedrooms on the second floor have unique features. Some have examples of creative re-cycling, such as using an old door for the headboard of this bed.

The second floor has a New Orleans style balcony wrapped around it.

The second floor corridor included turns that revealed small alcoves and created a sense of separation from each of the other rooms on the floor.

A local artist Dane Landry painted the names on the walls outside of the rooms. The Sicilian room was named for Bobby's heritage.

The rooms featured browns and two tones of gray that created a very relaxing quality for the rooms.

Lake Arthur may be off the beaten path, but with new businesses, an excellent restaurant, and a marvelous hotel the road to Lake Arthur may soon become a well-worn path to a popular destination.

Quote of the Day…

“I don’t care if I make a nickel so long as I don’t lose a dime.”

But more on that later.

The purpose of our visit to Lake Arthur, LA, was to have lunch at the Regatta Restaurant—another place recommended by our new friend at the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau.

She had done such a good job directing us to the Steamboat Warehouse in Washington that we were eagerly anticipating another winner. And a winner Regatta was.

The restaurant’s website reads: “Regatta serves a wide variety of delicious fresh seafood, steaks, pasta and traditional Cajun fare—all in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. Here you’ll experience the true spirit of Louisiana’s culture combining fabulous food, good times and the great outdoors… Owned by local entrepreneurs Greg and Tressa Trahan, Regatta was inspired by their memories of past good times on Lake Arthur and built for the betterment of the community…” (regattarestaurantla.com).

The Regatta sits on piers jutting out into Lake Arthur and can be reached by land, sea, and air. (Yes, you can tie up your float plane.)

The main dining room, which seats 130, affords lake views on three sides. In addition to the interior dining space, there is an additional seating for 100 outside.

But given that this is Louisiana in mid-July, we opted for air conditioned comfort and found a window table where we could both enjoy the cool and the lake views.

We had arrived with a game plan—share three appetizers and one dessert. We knew that two of the appetizers would be the Crab Cake Mermentau (two lump meat crab cakes served with a remoulade sauce) and the Kubuki Shrimp which were described on the menu as “Kick A** Shrimp” (large shrimp wrapped in won tons and fried and covered with a sweet/spicy sauce).

The only remaining question was whether to order the Catfish Bites or something called Cajun Bait made with shrimp and crawfish. But then Chuck noticed the Seafood Platter which was described as “un petite de toute” or “a little bit of everything” and included fried shrimp (4), oysters (3), a catfish fillet, a crab cake, a stuffed crab, and a cup of shrimp and okra gumbo plus salad and one side.

New plan. We would share the platter; Chuck would eat the shrimp and okra gumbo; I would order a cup of the duck and andouille gumbo; I would eat the salad; and Chuck would order waffle fries as the side.

My duck and andouille gumbo was made with an intensely dark roux (roux this dark is really a flavor and not thickening agent) and its roasted nutty flavor was a perfect pairing with the slightly gamey duck pieces and the spicy andouille.

Chuck’s gumbo was milder in taste (While I have encountered some seafood based gumbos that use sausage, I think that sausage overpowers the mild seafood.) and was full of small sweet shrimp and okra.

My small salad was a mix of romaine with shredded carrot with cherry tomato halves. I chose the house-made blue cheese dressing, and when our server Nicole warned me that it was kind of strong, the blue vein cheese lover in me was happy happy.

As I was finishing my salad, our table was visited by David Dupre, the restaurant’s general manager. He was working the floor and could be seen visiting with each occupied table. Dave is originally from Lake Arthur, but lived for a while in Lafayette. He indicated that he was happy to be back home and away from the more hectic pace of the “big city.”

Our platter arrived! First, I have to say upfront that there was nothing on this plate that I didn’t love—including the house-made tartar/remoulade sauce that tasted of chopped pickle, lemon, and Cajun/Creole seasoning. In fact, Chuck who is no big fan of traditional tartar sauce raved about this.

The catfish fillet had been coated with seasoned corn meal/corn flour and under this heavier (as compared to the oysters and shrimp) coating was a moist, sweet, and flakey piece of fish. The crab cake (bottom row on left) had an almost creamy interior that was lightly seasoned so that the sweet crab flavor was predominant and was light on filler. On the other hand, the stuffed crab (to the right of the crab cake) was more highly seasoned with Creole/Cajun seasoning, red pepper, or black pepper, or some combination of these. The oysters (to the right of the stuffed crab and hard to see) had a light coating and tasted of the Gulf from which they came. And the shrimp. Oh, those shrimp! Dipped in a light, but peppery, beer batter, they were everything fried shrimp should be.

And the waffle fries? When Chuck ordered them as our side, Nicole told him that the plate would come with these fries as kind of a garnish. Well, the large portion—hidden by the catfish—would have been plenty. His side came home with us for a later meal. (Chuck: “Note to self: Listen to your server.”)

Just as we were finishing the platter, our table was again approached—this time by restaurant owner Greg Trahan.

It seems that Greg, another Lake Arthur native, was an engineer by training and owned a company in Lafayette that employed 800. When he had the opportunity to sell the business, he did so and invested some of the proceeds in developing the Regatta Restaurant as a means of giving something back to his home town. In so doing, he has broadened the city’s tax base and provided employment to 53 area residents. And that is when Greg made the statement that began this blog. Given that the restaurant serves 3000 customers a week, I suspect Greg is making more than a few nickels while giving much to his hometown.

To finish our meal, we shared (on the recommendation of Nicole) a large slice of the house-made bread pudding with praline/pecan topping and bourbon butter sauce.

It was delicious and not at all heavy. But after all that food we may not need supper tonight after another wonderful 5.0 Addie meal.

While we were talking with both Dave and Greg, they mentioned that another Lake Arthur native had just opened a boutique hotel in an old bank building on the main street and both encouraged us to stop in and take a tour. You know how much we love restored and repurposed buildings, so we have one more stop before heading home.

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

Lake Arthur's Lake

Forty miles southwest of Lafayette, LA, as the crow flies (or fifty-two miles if the crow is walking) is the small town of Lake Arthur (pop. 2,700).

We drove through the rustic downtown toward the large city park on the lake's shore. Here a large live oak welcomed visitors to the town and park.

As we stood in front of the oak, our view featured cypress trees,

a pier,

and a beautiful boardwalk that encircled a beach and roped swimming area. Just a short walk on the boardwalk took us out where the breeze was a little stronger and the view of the lake and the shore more dramatic.

Even though it was early in the morning, there were few people in the park. Two fishermen were the only ones on the pier.

We then took a short drive around town and happened on this inlet with these boats. Boat captains were an important part of early settlers lives, since the nine-mile-long lake connects with the Mermentau River, a waterway to the Gulf of Mexico.

Over the past 150 years, the area has been the site of lumbering businesses (1840, the first sawmill) and rice farming (1876, the first rice mill).

Today, small businesses in town and the surrounding towns provide employment opportunities for Lake Arthur residents.

Our drive took us along the shore on the aptly-named Pleasant Street,

featuring moss-covered live oaks

and piers leading to gazebos,

boat docks, and

and sheltered places to relax.

We then headed south on Calcasieu Avenue, crossing over the Mermentau River.

We then took Highway 717 and photographed this barn on our way to a group of homes along the eastern shore of Lake Arthur.

And now it was time for lunch.

We’re Highly Suggestible

As Chuck mentioned last week, it is hot and humid in Southern Louisiana this time of year. And that means we are spending a lot of time lounging in the air conditioned splendor of the RV. Usually one of us is on the computer, while the other is watching TV. And the rule is: “He/she who uses the computer relinquishes custody of the remote.”

So last Saturday afternoon I am the Master of the Remote and come upon Mexican Food Paradise on the Travel Channel. This channel has been running a series of “Paradise” episodes. There are BBQ Paradise, Fried Food Paradise, Hamburger Paradise, Hot Dog Paradise, Steak Paradise, Bacon Paradise, and more. And many have begat progeny. There are now Steak Paradise 2, Steak Paradise 3, and Hamburger Paradise 2.

We were please to see that we had eaten at two of the Mexican restaurants featured—El Indio in San Diego and Tomasita’s in Santa Fe. (Although a New Mexico native would quickly point out that their food is New Mexican and not Mexican.) And at the end of the hour we were both craving Mexican food.

We have had only one experience with Mexican food in Lafayette at a place that I dubbed last year as “Gringo Mexicana” or “Your grandfather’s Mexican.” So I took to the computer (after transferring the remote to my Favorite Traveling Companion) and found La Pagua (Spanish for “avocado”) which garnered a “92% Likes” vote (out of 737 votes) on urbanspoon.com and was ranked 34th out of 367 restaurants in Lafayette on tripadvisor.com.

La Pagua can also be translated as “the shoddy,” but there was nothing shoddy about this place. While it was located in a strip mall, the interior was brightly painted and decorated with colorful tiles and mirrors.

There was a small sidewalk patio and perhaps the threat of thunderstorms—which happen here with regularity—sent the previous occupants of this table indoors.

As we were studying the lengthy menu, we snacked on a basket of thin and warm tortilla chips along with two dishes (one for each of us) of their house-made salsa. This was excellent fresh salsa that had small chunks of tomato, onion, jalapeno peppers, and a good amount of cilantro. The heat of the peppers kind of sneaked up on us. The first couple of bites seem quite mild and than—BAM—the heat hits. I couldn’t stop eating it, while telling myself repeatedly to stop if I wanted enough room for my meal.

The menu contained all of the Mexican restaurant staples—enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas, tacos, and fajitas. A number of reviewers on tripadvisor.com and urbanspoon.com specifically mention La Pagua’s pupusas which “are a traditional dish from El Salvador. Pupusas are corn tortillas with a filling—usually cheese (pupusas de queso), beans, and/or Salvadoran-style chicharrón (finely ground pork)…. Pupuasas are cooked on a griddle, and served with a pickled cabbage slaw called curtido and thin tomato sauce (salsa roja)” (southamericanfood.about.com).

But the afternoon before, Chuck mentioned that he had never had a tamale, so I made the Tamale Dinner my meal choice.

This consisted of three tamales filled with shredded pork that had been cooked in a fairly spicy red sauce but nonetheless seemed rather dry. The masa “envelope” was not overly thick and had a faint corn flavor. What set these apart was the house-made chile verde that was served on the side. While I am not entirely sure of what went into the chile, I suspect that it contained tomatillos, jalapeno or Serrano peppers, onions, and a goodly amount of cilantro. This chile verde was spicy. Let me repeat—spicy. It was so good. Having eaten more chips and salsa than I should have, I ended up taking one tamale with some chile verde home with me and it became my breakfast the following morning.

I gave Chuck a fairly good sized bite of one of my tamales, and he was not impressed and he decided that he was not a fan of masa.

Chuck chose the Camaron Ranchero—a dozen shrimp in La Pagua’s house-made ranchero sauce. 

What is ranchero sauce? There are probably as many versions of this as there are cooks in Mexico. La Pagua’s version was a light tomato-based sauce with sautéed onions and plenty of cilantro. (Probably more cilantro than Chuck would have preferred.) And while the menu said that the dish would contain a dozen shrimp, his plate had at least fifteen and these weren’t small shrimp either. And, since we are in Louisiana, the shrimp were perfectly cooked.

Both of our meals came with rice and refried beans. I am no big fan of refried beans, but I do have to admit that these were above average. But, even though it contained peas and carrots, the rice was a bit bland. But at least Chuck had the ranchero sauce to mix with the white rice.

We finished with an order of sopapillas which I call Mexican Beignets.

This was an order of eight small triangle-shaped pastries dusted with cinnamon and sugar. While these were no competition for the sopapillas we have had in New Mexico, we still enjoyed them.

Well, we now know where to go for really good Mexican food in Lafayette and award La Pagua 4.0 Addies.

Now if we could just find a good Chinese restaurant here.

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