When People Ask

…what keeps bringing us back to Louisiana, we have a ready answer. It’s the great music, the great food, and the great people. And at our follow-up lunch at Buck & Johnny’s in Breaux Bridge, we certainly found two of the three—great food and great people. Not that Buck & Johnny’s doesn’t feature music, just not during lunch. But they do, including a Kids’ Jam on Tuesday nights.

We arrived to be greeted by Coatney Raymond, who directed us to seats at a large table where her husband—Johnny—reigned. (The Raymonds are shown in the photo below.)

Sitting with Johnny was a friend and business partner (in another business and not the restaurant) Paul Hardy (shown here with Kate). Do you remember when David Letterman would do a segment entitled “Brush with Greatness.” Well, Paul has a long and illustrious Louisiana history. He has served as State Senator and was named by the Baton Rouge State Times as the “Outstanding Newcomer.” In 1976, he was elected Secretary of State. During 1980-1984, he served as Louisiana’s Secretary of Transportation, and in 1987, he was elected as Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor.

Soon we were joined by Iman and Mojo (shown in the photo below). Iman is a professional clown, and Wallace Baine at santacruzsentinel.com writes that “Her first love is juggling, and she runs a business designing and manufacturing supplies for jugglers and clowns, from rings to clown noses. Still, she's most known for her dazzling comic performances…For the past few years, she's kept a busy schedule performing a show she developed…to dispel the Ronald McDonald, birthday-party stereotype of clowns and convince the public to see them for what they are: the most versatile expression of the performing arts, from acrobatics to comedy, all rolled into one person.”

Mojo is a zydeco musician performing his own original music and is described by Syndicated News Network as: "’This Bayou Man, Mister MOJO, and his troupe of near-mad musical provocateurs, have poured Louisiana Fire on audiences across the planet for over a quarter century.... Few performers can lift an audience like Mojo, star of the Bayou Gypsies.... According to Performing Arts Center Directors, Fans, and Producers interviewed, none match the unbridled fever this charismatic singer/accordionist brings to the stage. And they are nowhere near finished with the mission.’" His business card reads “25 Years of Inducing Wild Behavior.”

click on http://www.redhotmojo.com/25CD1/11MommaCookmeSomething.mp3 to hear one of his original works.

And after a bit, we were joined by Ricky Hayes, a Nursing Home Administrator at St Agnes Healthcare and Rehabilitation. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much of a chance to talk with Ricky, so I can’t give you any additional information.

Over the course of our lunch, which lasted almost two hours, the conversation ranged over a variety of topics. But, as is so often the case, the topic of food predominated. We talked about local restaurants. We talked about Cajun food. We talked about what Cajuns don’t order in restaurants because they can get it so much better at home. And I learned that Johnny had been part of a team that won the Crawfish Festival étouffée cook-off three years in a row.

But it was time to eat. As with many local restaurants, Buck & Johnny’s offers daily specials. On this day the specials were beef and cabbage soup, fried or grilled pork chops, and their ultra-wonderful bread pudding.

Our lunch started with a shared order of the Crawfish Enchilada—a rolled tortilla stuffed with crawfish, cheese, and chile Rotel sauce, topped with cheddar and Rotel sauce, and then baked. Rotel is a brand of canned chopped tomatoes that include chopped chili peppers or jalapenos and can be purchased in either mild or spicy form.

The spicy Rotel’s add a real kick to anything made with them (I use them when I make Paula Deen’s Cheesy Spicy Grits.) and in this enchilada they helped cut the richness from the cheeses. While Buck & Johnny’s is not a Cajun restaurant per se—they describe themselves and being eclectic and Italian—the enchilada is a good representation of how younger Louisiana chefs are taking indigenous ingredients—in this case, crawfish—and putting them to new uses.

Next came cups of the day’s soup, the beef and cabbage. This was a hardy and robust soup made with ground beef and shredded cabbage in an intense and peppery stock.

This soup would be perfect on a cold and damp day in the middle of winter. Actually, it was a perfect soup on a hot and humid day in early summer.

Coatney then brought me a small sampler cup of their portobello and brie soup (sorry, no photo, but there is a photo of some wonderful bread from Poupart's Bakery) that was as elegant as the beef and cabbage was robust.

On to an order of Johnny's Drunken Shrimp made with fresh Gulf shrimp that had been marinated in an Abita Turbo Dog batter (This is an English Brown Ale style beer brewed by Abita Brewing Co. in Abita Springs, LA and is a particular favorite of ours.) The coating had a hint of sweetness from the beer’s sugars, and we were both immediately reminded of the Asian Shrimp from Asian Noodle Bar in Albuquerque.

Remember a week or so ago when I said that the only eggplant I’ll eat is that prepared in Louisiana? Our next shared plate was the eggplant fries that were dusted with parmesan cheese and served with a cup of marinara for dipping.

Eggplant contains a lot of water and it takes real skill to turn it into crispy fries. As Mojo said as we were enjoying them: “They really know how to fry around here.” So they do.

All this food and we’ve just gotten started. For my lunch entrée, I chose the Crabcakes Coatney. The plate came with two good-sized cakes, roasted skin-on potatoes, and a vegetable mélange of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots.

(Chuck’s plate also contained the same veggies and even he—no real fan of cauliflower—remarked to me when we got home about how good they were.)

The crab cakes contained a minimum of filler, but did have a small measure of minced red and green peppers and an Old Bay-like seasoning. A small cup of pesto came on the side and I did try the pesto on a small section of one of the cakes. But, as good as the pesto was, I soon concluded that the crab cakes needed no embellishment. All I wanted was the taste of sweet crab.

Chuck’s choice was the Blackened Tilapia topped with shrimp basil cream and served with the same potatoes and veggies that came with my plate.

The fish was sweet and beautifully flakey; the blackening seasoning wasn’t overdone nor did it have a burned taste; and the cream sauce balanced the spices from the blackening.

And we couldn’t resist taking a photo of Mojo’s entrée—the fried pork chop special or “plate lunch.”

“Wait a minute!” you are saying. “The chalkboard said served with red beans and rice. These look like white beans.” Right you are and you win today’s prize. The photo of the chalkboard was taken at last week’s pizza meal and you caught me in a slight bit of subterfuge.

Are we finished yet? No! Time for dessert. And here we learned about a local Cajun tradition. Desserts will come to the table with a spoon on the plate for every diner. This way the dish can be passed around the table and each diner gets a clean spoon to taste each one.

Of course there was a serving of the wonderful bread pudding that I described in yesterday’s blog.

And there was a large slice of carrot cake from Poupart’s Bakery that was nicely moist and redolent with spices.

And, to round out the meal, came a slice of dobash—again from Poupart’s. This is a new one for me and when I Googled dobash I found a Wikipedia entry for doberge cake which “is a layered dessert originating in New Orleans, Louisiana. Still popular in the area, the cake is made of multiple thin layers of cake…covered in a thin layer of butter cream and a fondant shell or, alternately, a poured glaze on the outside…. Traditional flavors are chocolate, lemon and caramel.” (wikipedia.org)

Well, we have a new favorite Acadiana restaurant to add to 2Paul’s in Lafayette and Chef Roy’s in Rayne. And what do these three have in common other than uncommon food. All three have wonderful owners who are physically present in the restaurant and make even newcomers feel like old friends.

Chalk up another 5.0 Addies for Buck & Johnny’s. Although I may start a petition to rename it Buck & Johnny’s & Coatney’s.

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

“We Always Go to the Same Place,”

…I said to Chuck. “This time I want to try something new.”

We were headed to Breaux Bridge for the day, and when there, we have always eaten at the same nationally known (actually internationally known) café. And while I have no problem with their food, I wanted to branch out. A Google search brought me to the website for Buck & Johnny’s with food described as “eclectic” and “Italian.” And, as a bonus, the restaurant was located in a restored building.

“Buck & Johnny's…opened in the Downtown Breaux Bridge Historical District in 2010. Located in the old Domingues Motors building that stayed abandoned for decades, local businessman David Buck purchased the building with the vision of restoring it as a multi-use restaurant, shopping, and event space. David partnered with his good friend Johnny Raymond to create Buck & Johnny's,…an Italian restaurant with a unique atmosphere where diners can enjoy pizza, pasta, and other specialty dishes prepared with local ingredients. The ambiance of the old Domigues Motors building has been maintained through oil can light fixtures and

old tin signs that hang throughout the two-story building, offering a unique dining experience.

The addition of a loft, a balcony and a patio adds to the homey atmosphere for a family night out, a special occasion or a romantic dinner for two” (lafayette.backpage.com).

We were enchanted as soon as we walked through the doors. The brick walls look to have been sand-blasted to bring out their warm red tones and are decorated with the tin signs referred to in the above paragraph.

Hanging over the small bar and the booths are the oil can chandeliers.

We so appreciate people who preserve the old by bringing it into contemporary use, and here it has been done exceptionally well.

And just inside the doors is a gallery of “art” that had been colored by local children.

The menu offers an impressive selection of appetizers along with salads, pastas, entrees, and sandwiches. But, after our unfortunate experience with pizza in Galveston, we were feeling pizza deprived and concentrated on the pizza portion of the menu. Our choices? No surprise here. One Margherita and one basic cheese and sausage.

So we are sitting at our table by a window and looking out at the restaurant’s small patio when we were approached by a dynamo in human form. This proved to be Coatney Raymond, wife and business partner of Johnny and the restaurant’s manager. “Is this your first time here?” she asked. “How did you find us?” “Where are you from?”

To the latter question Chuck said that there are two answers to that question--the straight answer and the wisea__ answer. “Lay it on me. I was a nurse for over forty years and can handle anything.” Coatney had been the Director of Surgical Services at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center until her retirement a few years ago and was then pressed into service to “whip” the restaurant into shape.

“What did you order?” she asked. When we replied “Pizza” a look of dismay crossed her face. Coatney had hoped that we were going to get a more complete picture of what their kitchen can do.

Well, when it came to pizza the kitchen did very well indeed. The Magherita included a garlic-accented olive oil base, chunks of sweet and flavorful tomatoes, basil that thankfully had been added when the pie was removed from the oven (no shriveled dry bits here), and fresh mozzarella.

And all of this sitting on a thin and crisp—but not cracker-like—crust. The edges of the crust had been brushed with oil so that they became extra crunchy.

The sausage pizza was equally good and came on the same style crust. The red pizza sauce (they also offer pesto, garlic herb oil, BBQ, and roasted garlic cream) did not have that sweet cloying flavor that you find in too many restaurants serving pizza and had just a hint of the natural sugar and acid that you find in tomatoes. And the mildly fennel sausage was a perfect pairing with this sauce.

There is an extensive list of “design your own pizza” offerings and a list of specialty pizzas. But both of us—pizza purists that we are—are always content to stick with the basics.

“Did you order our bread pudding?” Coatney asks from an adjoining table. To our reply in the negative, she says she is going to send us over a serving. “Eat it and tell me this is not the best bread pudding you’ve ever eaten.” One bite and My Favorite Traveling Companion looks over at me and goes, “Oh, my.” I can only echo that.

This was the lightest bread pudding ever and not like a heavy brick of soaked bread. It wasn’t overly sweet. It didn’t contain too much cinnamon. And the rum sauce didn’t overpower. Yes, Coatney. This is the best bread pudding we’ve ever eaten.

And the bread pudding is the dessert that they make in house (the others come from Poupart’s Bakery in Lafayette) and Coatney gave the credit to their chef Tony (I think I have his first name right.) Savoy (pronounced 'sah-vwah'), who was brought in to “whip the kitchen into shape.” His plan was to only stay for three or four months, but liked working at Buck & Johnny’s so much that he stayed and now has been given a piece of the business.

“You need to come back and try some of the more interesting items on the menu,” Coatney said as we were preparing to leave. “We’ll show you what makes us a hidden gem.” And tomorrow we’ll tell you about that lunch.

An Extended Walk in Breaux Bridge

As I noted yesterday, downtown Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, combined the history of its downtown buildings with a funky exterior. This theme seemed to carry through to the vehicles passing through the heart of downtown. From a truck's artwork to a towed cabin (an early RV?).

"According to National Register documents, 'Breaux Bridge, like other communities across the country, did not develop with separate commercial and residential sectors. The two were freely mixed.... Although there were scattered commercial buildings on the east side of the bayou, the downtown proper was on the west side.... Here, along Bridge and Main streets, residences stood between or across from commercial buildings'.

Fourgeaud House, 1905

"The Fourgeaud House is locally significant in the area of architecture because it is a landmark example of the Colonial Revival style within St. Martin Parish. According to National Register documents, 'The house was constructed for Dr. Louis Fourgeaud, a native of France. Fourgeaud began practicing medicine in Breaux Bridge in 1885. Sadly, he lost the home about four years after its construction was completed. It then served as a hotel until 1960. Later it became a private residence (1960-1979) and a gift shop and bridal boutique (1979-1984). Purchased by a bank in 1984, the house stood vacant for many years while local citizens negotiated to save the structure."

The Jaeger House, 1896

"Built by Victor Jaeger, this two-story Queen Anne home with Eastlake details features a two-sided wrap-around gallery, a large bay room and a large dormer above the gallery with a door and private balcony. The home has been painted in its original colors of gray, dark green and burgundy. The ground floor has handmade glass windows. Jaeger was a noted salesman and businessman and was known as the first Breaux Bridge citizen to own an automobile. An operational windmill once stood on the property making this the first home in the parish to have running water."

The Fernand Dupuis House, 1918.

"This home was the first in St. Martin Parish to blend Spanish and Victorian architectural styles. It presently serves as a law office.

St. Germain House, 1905

"Built by Louis St. Germain, this Victorian home was remodeled in the 1920's, giving its exterior the look of an Arts and Crafts bungalow. Most recently, it operated as the Maison St. Germain Bed and Breakfast.

The Clifford Pellerin House, 1903.

"A former mayor of Breaux Bridge, Claude Rees, built this home and soon afterwards sold it to Clifford Pellerin. It lodged Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of the Interior, when he visited to evaluate the flood damage from the Great Flood of 1927. It is presently a private residence.

The Nereaux House, 1905.

"Built by Cesaire LeBlanc, it was later purchased by Albert Nereaux who moved his family of four daughters to the home in 1919. The Nereauxs, known as devout Catholics, allowed Baptist church services to be conducted in the home because the city did not have a Baptist church for whites.

"The house continues to stand in great condition, with the only changes made to the front original structure being the front steps and the roof. In recent years, an addition with a second story has been added to the rear of the house. It is presently a private residence" (tourism.breauxbridgelive.com).

Quirky Functionality

A few days following the Crawfish Festival, we returned to Breaux Bridge, LA, just to visit the historic downtown. There are a number of residential and commercial buildings in the Historic District, but it is more than the history of these buildings that draws us back again and again.

An example of this attraction is the Kidder Building, built in 1909. Standing at the old four-corners intersection of Bridge and Main Streets in the heart of downtown Breaux Bridge, this building, which was originally intended as a saloon, has served as a cock fight arena and a WWII dance hall. It has housed many businesses including a health center, a Karate school, a gift shop and a clothing store.

Ordinarily, that historical "resume" would be enough to get our attention. But the merchandise placed around the outer walls creates another bit of intrigue. There is a casualness to the placement of the green metal chair against the gray wall with a sign below it that reads "Bonjour" that we find very inviting.

There is a quirky functionality that is evident everywhere. Beneath the functional corrugated sheet metal roof of these shops on Bridge Street is the quirky.

The colorful storefront and the painted "Angelle's Old-fashioned Burgers" led us to infer that this is no ordinary burger place.

Equally quirky was the tree stump table outside Chez Jacqueline's French Cajun Cuisine. One can only imagine the deals consumated over burgers and a couple of Abita Turbo Dogs.

Jeanne's Gifts also displays this juxtaposition of the practical metal wall and the colorful flowers and butterfly, among other metal artworks.

Janell's Gifts and Antiques presents a very welcoming entrance to its portion of the Portier Building, built in 1898.

I don't know if it's the sounds of zydeco and cajun music coming from Cafe des Amis three times a week or the magic of gumbo, but the merchants, locals, and tourists certainly seem to have a lot of fun along this portion of Bridge Street.

In contrast to the above businesses is this "quiet" shop at the end of a shaded walkway off Bridge Street.

The stretch limo provided a nice contrast to the former Begnaud’s Hardware Store, built in 1899. Mr. Begnaud sold hardware, carriages, buggies, and wagons. The building is now occupied by Marilyn's Fine Jewelry and The Clock Shop. The latter is home to an impressive collection of fine antique clocks, Victrola and Edison phonographs.

As I was about to approach the driver, a group of about 10 adolescents came running toward the limo and the driver moved quickly to beat them to the car.

The doorway leading into AnnaBelles was also artistically decorated.

Shops on Main Street also showed this same emphasis on creative appearances.

The former Broussard's Hardware Store (1921) sported this entryway.

The sidewalk outside Angelle's Antiques showed off this array of items.

The architecture of Main Street presented some interesting storefronts.

A very interesting, enticing town. Breaux Bridge, LA.