The Best Onion Rings on the Planet are in Arnaudville

There are great places to eat at every turn in Acadiana. From small towns like Arnaudville to bigger cities like Lafayette, and no-name-stops-in-the-road in-between, if you can't find good food in Cajun country well, you just aren't looking. At all. If you like fancy dress up places, you can find that, and you can also find a hole in the wall you wonder how it ever passes the health inspection with some of the best food you ever ate. It's all there. But if you want the best onion rings on the planet, go to Myran's Maison de Manger.

Because Arnaudville is our homebase, we love to eat at Myran's. Their menu boasts "food for the entire family" and that's probably true. From cheeseburgers, to fried (or boiled) shrimp, oysters, poboys, sandwiches, and of course crawfish when in season, Myran's has a very diverse menu.

I'll be honest: if it is crawfish season, I'm getting the crawfish. Every single time. I've eaten crawfish at a lot of places, at at a lot of home boils, and Myran's does the best I've ever had. Consistently. Steve and I went for lunch one Sunday and got the crawfish; it was a beautiful spring day and we sat outside on the deck overlooking the Teche. The sun felt good, the beer was cold, and we struck up conversations with people around us. We each ate 4 pounds of crawfish and they were so good that we went back for dinner and had another 4 pounds each. 

When it isn't crawfish season we usually get burgers and onion rings. The onion rings are legendary. Homemade, perfectly seasoned, with a light crispy batter, they are amazing. One time I stood outside and watched them making onion rings through the big window that faces the parking lot. Big tubs filled
with sliced onions ready to go through the batter and seasoning and into the fryer. If I had any question that that were homemade or not (I didn't), that proved it.

The boiled shrimp are also a great fallback when you can't get crawfish! They are large, perfectly seasoned shrimp and your order comes with corn and boiled potatoes. Pair that with onion rings and your belly is happy!

And don't forget dessert! The soft serve ice cream cones are the perfect ending to your meal

I love Myran's because always run into someone to talk to, whether we already know them or not, it's easy to make friends over good food. If you aren't super hungry, get a cold beer and an appetizer and just sit and watch the bayou. The view is stunning and the service is always friendly.

Bayou Teche Brewing Might the be the Happiest Place on Earth

Swag

 I found Arnaudville almost completely by accident.

To be clear, I was searching for Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville, but at the time I didn't know what a true treasure Arnaudville itself really is. 

In 2018 Steve and I were in Baton Rouge for a book event. I was speaking at the Louisiana Book Festival shortly after the release of Cane River Bohemia. In preparation for the book release I had been upping my social media game and somehow discovered the brewery via Instagram.  Their feed was very effective and I wanted to find the brewery and see for myself what all the buzz was about. 

I've lost count of how many times we have returned to Bayou Teche Brewing since that first visit. We went for the beer but we keep coming back for the food, the friends, and the atmosphere. In August 2020 I posted on my Instagram feed: 

Forget Disneyland! Bayou Teche Brewing is the happiest place on earth! It is so much more than a brewery! It is Cajun Saucer pizza where you can get an Alien Autopsy with candied jalapenos, or a Smokey and the Boudin. You can get a Frozen Pineapple Express Big Fatty Pineapple slushie that is out of this world. You can get chargrilled oysters or wings or ...meatballs in marinara. Beautiful landscaping, great music, and the view outside is pure Louisiana beauty. Best of all is the people you meet here. Everyone is friendly, nobody is pissed off, there are no social clicks. You can literally sit all day, sip on a cold brew, and meet some awesome people who make you feel like family. It's guaranteed to lower your anxiety, your blood pressure, and put a smile on your face. Happiest place on earth!

Good friends

And they didn't pay me to write that, or even give me a free drink! 

It has changed a little since then: they've added a Tiki bar with super creative cocktails like the "Minty Python." Coyo's video arcade has grown exponentially! You can play classic arcade games and beautifully restored pinball machines as long as you like. New beers have appeared and new menu items too. The Kung Pao chicken cracklins are to die for., and I love the boudin eggrolls. Try a Poke Bowl! They enclosed part of the original outdoor seating to provide more air conditioning but there is plenty of outdoor seating still.

Saturday afternoon

One of my favorite events at the brewery was Song Trivia and Social Commentary which used to be every Saturday night. You could get a team together and play music trivia: the objective was to guess the artist of twenty-five songs after hearing a short clip of the song. No Shazam or phones allowed or you would be shamelessly banned! Dorsey had a hysterical comedy routine between each song; the songs changed each week but the routine didn't change much from week to week, but it was still hilarious every single time.

Song Trivia never returned on a regular basis after Covid; they did one or two editions of it since then, but I expect it was really a lot of prep work and effort to pull it off each week. In the beginning the winners could win a free beer (bottled, to take home!) for every song they got right, and there were always a couple of pity beers thrown in. The first time we played we got four songs and so they rounded us up to a pity six-pack. 

Then the Louisiana laws clamped down on promotions or some such nonsense and they weren't allowed to give away beer anymore. They gave away gift cards and swamp tour gift certificates, but it was always more fun to play for beer. 

I really miss song trivia and it was legendary; people still talk about how much fun it was.

Bayou Teche Brewing is always innovating, finding something fun and creative to stay fresh, and song trivia has been replaced by other things. There is an annual Oktoberfest event, live music Friday and Saturdays, a Cajun jam every Sunday afternoon, a zydeco breakfast on Sunday morning, and in conjunction with the Catholic diocese, Theology on the Bayou is a wonderful, well attended event over six or seven sessions every summer. There are usually fireworks at New Years and on July 4, and a luau with a spectacular burning of the giant paper mache Tiki God behind the brewery.

Perhaps the best part about this place is the people. As I said above, I've never met anybody there who wasn't friendly. People talk across tables, sit with strangers who become friends, bond over dogs, beer, and food. We have met so many people this way! We've made several lasting friends there, too. Some that we get together with every time we are in town. The employees are family and they remember you every time you come back. You are a long lost friend.

To me, it really is, if not the happiest place on earth, certainly one of the very best places to be on any given day!

A Fall afternoon

Bayou Teche Brewing is located on LA357; you can also paddle to it on the Teche as The Teche Project has installed one of their floating docks there. And you never have to leave: there is an Air BnB right across the road!

Hops growing behind the brewery 

Shake Your Trail Feather on Bayou Teche in October

Bayou Teche at Arnaudville

The beautiful and sometimes mysterious Bayou Teche snakes 135 miles through some of the most beautiful country Louisiana has to offer (and that's saying something!). It begins in Port Barre and ends in Patterson at the Atchafalaya River. 

I've not yet seen the Teche from a canoe or kayak; that privilege is still ahead of me. But I've seen a good bit of it from vantage points on land and there is something mysterious, beautiful, and magnetic about Bayou Teche. A Cajun friend used to say "The Teche calls you." He wasn't wrong.

The waterway used to actually be the Mississippi River channel but over a period of thousand or so years the river parted ways with Acadiana and left us Bayou Teche. The Teche is a muddy, chocolate brown at the upper end and as it flows further south it flattens out, widens out, and changes to a greenish, dark tea color. Wherever you stand on the bank, if it's in Arnaudville, Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, Franklin, the deep history of the Teche is palpable. From earliest Native Americans, to French and Spanish settlers, to Civil War battles and even modern day urban legends and comic/tragic stories, the Teche holds more stories and secrets than is her fair share.

In 1755 the Acadian diaspora brought the French speaking Acadians deported from Nova Scotia. The Teche has provided food, livelihoods, lumber, and a means of transportation for generations of people. Today, Bayou Teche is celebrated and protected for the treasure that it is. The locals know it is a tourism draw, a bird watcher's dream, a magnet for historians, and a mecca for canoeists and kayakers. One of the most notable groups advocating for Bayou Teche, and protecting it, is The Teche Project. 

The Teche Project was formed about twelve years ago with the mission to clean up the bayou and to install trailhead docks (floating docks for kayaks and canoes at each of the fifteen towns along the Teche). They've accomplished that and now their focus is paddle trail promotion and working on ecotourism opportunities with a national vision. The group holds events such as wood duck workshops which promotes building and placement of wood duck boxes and preservation of the species; they also spend time cleaning the bayou, cleaning and picking up trash, clearing debris that collects under bridges and overpasses, and ensuring the bayou stays clear, clean, and navigable. Bank preservation is also a key focus but there is time for fun too!

Paddle Parade at Breaux Bridge

One of the coolest events sponsored by The Teche Project is the annual Shake Your Trail Feather Paddle Parade held each year in October. No motorized boats allowed! Canoes and kayaks launch from Poche Bridge and make the 4.5 mile trek to Parc des Ponts in Breaux Bridge accompanied by two Cajun bands on  decorated barges. There is a costume contest for the "bird of the year" (this year it is the Northern cardinal);  spectators gather at the park to listen to live music, shop the vendors, sample the food trucks, and watch the paddlers come in. It is a grand time! This year Corey Ledet will perform live on the deck until 2 pm.

Steve and I have been several times now; like everything else, Covid dampened the party for a year, but it has returned with vigor and with true Cajun joy, heart, and love! 

Come dance in the park on a beautiful fall afternoon as the paddlers come in dressed in their bird feathers, boas, and often with their dogs as crew. Or join the paddle parade yourself! Sign-up at Eventbrite.  In Breaux Bridge, if you aren't padding in the parade, you can even do the Zydeco Breakfast at Buck and Johnny's then walk a couple of blocks down to the park and do lunch there as the boaters come in! Bring a lawn chair or a blanket, buy a t-shirt or a poster, enjoy the aroma of delicious food from food trucks as you listen to zydeco, watch the dancers, and wait for the boats to come in! Dress like a Northern cardinal and you might win a prize! 

But best of all, you'll meet the friendliest people!

This year Shake Your Trail Feather is October 21. We will absolutely be there! 

Scarlet Tanager

Further Reading:

Teche: A History of Louisiana's Most Famous Bayou by Shane Bernard

KBON Radio: Small Town Radio in the Heart of Acadiana

At the KBON studio.

The sound of Acadiana is KBON radio: 101.1 FM on your radio dial. Driving south on I49, we always get off the interstate at Alexandria and take 71 south on to Krotz Springs, our first official cracklin stop of every trip. The drive is prettier on 71 than on 49, with Bayou Boeuf visible much of the time, sugarcane fields and depending on the time of year, rice fields or crawfish ponds. We can start picking up KBON on the car radio around Bunkie.

KBON radio station is located on the main drag in Eunice, Louisiana (pop 9,310) in an old storefront building with big windows looking out onto 2nd Street. Founded in 1997 on a wish and a prayer, Paul Marx's dream continues still, almost twenty-five years later. 

Paul Marx risked it all on this little radio station; he had a dream. He and his wife sold or mortgaged nearly everything they had to start this radio station and against all predictions, it has been a success. The "radio experts" told Marx that his vision of a mixed genre radio station was pure folly, but with a background as an event DJ, Marx knew people wanted to hear a variety of genres and that's what you get on KBON. You might hear the Rolling Stones and the next song might be local favorite Travis Matte and the Kingpins. Rock, country, Cajun, zydeco, it's all there. Saturday and Sunday mornings are strictly Cajun music, the old DL Menard tunes, the French songs, and the DJ broadcasting in Cajun French. Other days you might get the "Swamp Pop Double Shot" - two swamp pop tunes back to back, or All Louisiana Friday where every song is by a Louisiana artist. And during Mardi Gras, you'll hear "La Danse de Mardi Gras" on heavy rotation.

The radio station is a joyful throwback to what radio ought the be. You want the birthdays and anniversaries? DJ Phil Daigle is going to give it to you. Want to win some boudin and a six-pack? Be the third caller (or whatever number comes up) when you hear Marx shout "Where's the ice chest, babe?!" to get qualified. The Eunice Superette will fix you up!

Part of the pure fun of KBON is their open-door policy. Anyone can go by the station, walk right in, and

Autograph wall.

visit. If Marx's daughter is there you'll probably get a tour. The walls along the winding hallway are autographed by musicians, both local and famous, who have visited the station. If that person has since passed on to glory, there is a tiny silver cross affixed to the wall by their name. And there's a little kitchen in the very back and those walls are signed by famous and locally famous cooks who have dated their visit and sometimes written down what they cooked!

Many local musicians hold a debt of gratitude to KBON; your band made a CD and you're trying to get it out there? Go to KBON, they'll put you on the air!

Steve and I went to see the KBON studio for ourselves. It felt a little strange just walking on in with no invitation or prior notice, but we needn't have worried. Marx's daughter Angela welcomed us, gave us the tour, and told us to just take our time, stay as long as we wanted to look around. We even ended up on-air as the DJ invited us into the booth, asked us where we were from, and chatted for a few minutes. Everyone is a celebrity at KBON! The station itself is a veritable museum; besides the autographs on the wall, there are instruments, costumes, and other memorabilia. We left with a cool bag of KBON swag and I drink out of my KBON coffee cup every single day!

My KBON swag

When I am in Shreveport, and wishing I was back in Arnaudville (which is most all the time), I turn on KBON. The app is on my phone and with just one little click the zydeco and Cajun tunes play, making my heart homesick for a place I've never actually lived. But I know the places they talk about, I know where the Eunice Superette is, I know where Uncle T's Oyster Bar is, I know the little towns and the cracklin stops. It brings me "home." We even listened to KBON all the way to Iowa one year. At our little Arnaudville house we have KBON on exclusively; no television, no other radio, just KBON, and the same goes in the car. As we drive past sugarcane fields and through tiny communities heading out to the Basin or down to St. Martinville, we have KBON. 

If you are in the area I encourage you to see KBON for yourself. Eunice is also the home to The Cajun Music Hall of Fame and The Depot Museum. There are shops to visit and you can always grab a delicious plate lunch at Ruby's Cafe, just down the street from the radio station. 

KBON is truly the sound of Acadiana. And maybe of heaven, too.

Further reading:

The Advocate: KBON's Paul Marx remembered as an advocate for local music and culture until his final day

Cracklin' Quest

I am on the search for the perfect cracklin.

By no means could I be considered an expert judge. I have no Cajun blood that I know of in my lineage. I have only been eating these delicious fried pork morsels for a few years. I've never attempted to cook them - this is not advised for the casual cook. 

All I know is that I love them. 

This article by Chere' Coen from 2019 is an excellent one to read to learn about cracklins. She details the history, the cooking process, and discusses various places to purchase cracklins in the Acadiana area. The accompanying photos made my mouth water. Coen writes:

The Cajun boucherie dates back centuries, a communal hog butchering where careful attempts were made to use every inch of the animal to adequately feed the coterie. Usually held in cold weather months, the boucherie produced items for backbone stew, sausage such as andouille and boudin, ham hocks, bacon and pork roasts, among other pork products.

Even the skin of the pig was used. Called grattons in French, or by the more popular name of crackling or cracklin’, South Louisiana residents drop the pig skin with fat and sometimes meat attached into vats of hog lard. The frying time varies per cook but most know cracklings are done when they pop and form “eyes” and float to the surface. Some cooks pull the cracklings from the fat and allow them to cool before deep-frying them a second time at a higher temperature. Once doused with seasoning, the final product becomes a crispy, tasty snack.

Cracklins are a very personal thing, I think. Everyone has different preferences. Some people prefer them crispier, more like a pork rind. Others want just salt and pepper seasoning while others still want a cayenne kick. For me, so far, my favorite has to be Kartchner's in Krotz Springs for freshness, seasoning, size, and the perfect meat to fat ration. They check all the boxes on that score.

The perfect cracklin for me is one that is right out of the fryer so that that pocket of grease right under the crispy outer skin just pops as soon as you bite into it. It has a fairly even meat to fat ratio and is spicy and well seasoned. 

I do not want those cracklins that have been under the heat lamp for three hours and are dry as dust.

Cracklins are so popular throughout Acadiana that nearly everyone sells them or at least has incorporated them into a recipe or two. The very popular Little Big Cup restaurant in Arnaudville, La. has cracklins on their buffet and on their appetizer menu you will find "Cracklin' dusted Mac 'n Cheese Balls. Delicious!

There are even quick stops that sell nothing but cracklins and maybe boudin and boudin balls as well. Hebert's and Billy's are popular and both have several locations. Kartchner's in Krotz Springs is right on the highway and is a quick in and out for almost everyone on US Hwy 90 heading toward Baton Rouge. They also have a couple of other locations.

Port Barre in St. Landry Parish hosts the Cracklin Festival in November each year. Started in 1985, the festival is a fundraiser for the local Lions Club. I have never attended the festival because as I said, I'm a relative novice to cracklins, but I fully intend to go this year! In fact, I was personally invited by Ms. Cracklin 2023! (Yes, I know...it is literally her job to encourage people to attend; I choose to be honored by the invitation anyway.)

Chicken and Waffles

In addition to pork cracklins you can also find plenty of chicken cracklins in Acadiana. My favorite by far is the Kung Pao chicken cracklins only found at Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville. Hot, crispy, drizzled with a Cajun-style Kung Pao sauce, peanuts, and green onions, this dish is addictive. You can't stop eating them. If you're lucky you are there on a day when they do their version of chicken and waffles: chicken cracklins atop a waffle, drizzles with Steens Cane Syrup and praline cheesecake. 

In the end, I think probably the best chance I have for finding the perfect cracklin is to either go to a true boucherie or to the Cracklin Festival where they have a cracklin cookoff. I'll happily be a judge, just ask me! Otherwise, I'll have to continue driving all over Acadiana eating every piece of fried pork belly under every heat lamp I can find. 

I am fine with that, too. 

All things Louisiana

 

Bayou Teche at Arnaudville

I have been thinking about this new blog for at least five years. 

Five years is how long I have been traveling throughout south Louisiana and it is how long I have been in love with Acadiana.

My longstanding blog, And so it goes in Shreveport, will continue, but it just didn't fit exactly to share my Acadiana love on a blog that was about Shreveport. Frankly, Shreveport has lost its luster for me and over time the blog devolved into a not-exactly-flattering picture of Shreveport. I talked about a lot of other things there as well, like books and issues in education.

This blog will be my happy place, my piece of south Louisiana, my observations, my experiences, and my travels. 

I hope you'll stick around.