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Fine Dining in Louisiana's Cajun Country
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (0) By FabulousTravel.com Photos: Mitch Mandell Posted August 6th, 2007

ACADIANA, LOUISIANA, USA -- There's no doubt that food is a major attraction of visiting Louisiana's Cajun Country. We found a lot of great places to get fine cuisine in this neck of the woods, below are some of our favorites:

Café Des Amis
This small friendly restaurant, housed in an historic building in downtown Breaux Bridge, features a rotating art display along with some of the finest haute Cajun cuisine you will find in the area.

Owner Dickie Breaux (pictured below left), a bombastic larger than life character and himself an accomplished cook, proudly declares "Cajun Cooking is all in the bones! The bones have flavor, so everything should be cooked with the bone in."

It seems his chef follows this advice, for the dishes here are nothing if not flavorful. Try the turtle Soup --- made from local snapping turtles. A good dose of allspice gives this soup an exotic flavor, which is nicely balanced by the sherry that accompanies it like a condiment, so you can add it to your personal liking. Dickie explains that the turtle is the only animal with seven distinct types of meat - 3 reds, 3 whites and one that lies somewhere in between. Perhaps this explains why the soup has such complex flavor.

Also not to be missed are Café Des Aim crab cakes, which are light with a wonderful crisp texture on the outside - not at all heavy like come crab cakes can be.

Throughout their history Cajuns have gathered for viellées -- social gatherings centering around food and music. While these were often held at individual homes when the society was based on farming, today the viellées have morphed into social gatherings that usually take place at restaurants and festivals. No better example still exists than the Zydeco breakfasts that take place each Saturday morning at Café Des Aim featuring live zydeco music and Cajun breakfast delicacies such as boudin sausage and beignets. You can enjoy the fine cuisine of the cafe first thing in the morning, while dancing away your cares.

Café Des Amis can be found at 140 E. Bridge Street in Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Phone 337-332-5273 or visit www.cafedesamis.com.

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Café Vermillionville
In addition to great cuisine, Café Vermillionville has a lot of history and ambiance. Housed in the building that served as Lafayette's first Inn, originally built in 1799, you'll find gorgeous Cypress woodwork throughout. A "quilt" of antique windows gives way to a stunning view of the beautifully manicured outdoor garden (used for private parties and extra dining space in warm weather).

An on-site herb garden gives chef/owner Poncho Veron (pictured at left) plenty of seasonings for his nouvelle Cajun dishes. Poncho tries to use all native Louisiana ingredients when preparing his food -- from the veggies to locally caught seafood and Louisiana grown meats.

The entire menu here was terrific, from appetizers to decadent desserts. The crawfish beignets - a fritter stuffed with crawfish etouffée - are sublime. The filling is slightly smoky and accented by just the right amount of spice - and just a little cheese for creaminess. We also particularly enjoyed "Henry's Salad," named for a now deceased friend of Poncho's, a lover of Vidalia onions. The light and refreshing salad is a perfect balance of the sweet onions and spinach, along with pecans and orange segments and topped with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Situated in such a historic dwelling, it's not surprising to learn that Café Vermillionville has a resident ghost.

Café Vermillionville is located at 1304 W. Pinhook in Lafayette, LA 70501. Phone 337-237-0100 or click to www.cafev.com.

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Charley G's Seafood Grill
From the outside, Charley G's looks like any other contemporary restaurant situated on the fringes of a shopping mall, but the food inside is surprisingly far more original than the typical generic fare found at such establishments. Twenty-nine year old chef Holly Goetting (pictured below with restaurant owner Charles Goodson) studied with legendary Cajun chef John Folse in Thibidoux, Louisiana. She credits Goodson with having a hands-off policy when it comes to creating her menus. "Charles gives us complete freedom to be creative in the kitchen," says Holly. "We try to accent the quality of the food, not cover it up."

As such, the menu here changes constantly. There are always daily specials and Holly tries to use indigenous ingredients as much as possible. The wine list also changes to match the food choices of the day, so diners will always be able to find a perfect pairing.

While Charley G's is known for their crab and andouille gumbo and crab cakes, Holly isn't afraid to venture into different ethnic traditions when creating her menus -- for instance, we found many Asian inspired dishes on the menu the day we visited. If you're starting to get burnt out on all the Cajun cuisine, Charley G's can provide a nice alternative. In addition to seafood you'll find steaks, salad, pastas and wide array of appetizers.

You can find Charley G's Seafood Grill at 3809 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy. in Lafayette, LA 70503. Phone 337-981-0108 or visit their website at www.charleygs.com.

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