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Arthur Hebert's Breaux Bridge Report -- "About and Beyond"
May 18 2006 at 11:16 PM
(Login MrLake) Moderator from IP address 65.6.87.159
ABOUT AND BEYOND
HALF DAY TRIP BREAUX BRIDGE
We started off our foray with lunch at CAFE DES AMIS (140 East Bridge St, 337-332-5273, www.cafedesamis.com). To make this an all day trip, attend their Zydeco Breakfast on Saturday. It runs from 8:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Be forewarned it is very popular and no reservations are taken. However waiting for a table becomes a pleasure listening to the great music. As many readers may remember, this venue constitutes my favorite breakfast stop on the way to New Orleans. The only restaurant I know of that serves couch-couche. The venue occupies an old dry goods store and retains all the charm of that building. The brick walls hold a rotating show of local artists.
We ordered several appetizers and shared them. These included Barbecue Shrimp Pont Breaux Style and Eggplant Wheels. The shrimp were enormous and head on, as they should be. However the sauce seemed to be a thickened Worcestershire flavored concoction and not as nice as traditional New Orleans style, still not bad just different. They fried thick slices of eggplant and covered them with a smothered onion and Tasso sauce. They proved tasty and quite popular. The sweet and spicy sauce complemented the earthiness of the eggplant quite well. My particular friend and his fiance also ordered a hen gumbo, also wonderful. For my entree I got the Spinach and Andouille Stuffed Drum with Lemon Butter Sauce. I received a drum sandwich. A pan sauteed filet topped with the stuffing with another filet on top covered in the sauce and run under the broiler. The slight bitterness of the spinach and the smokiness of the andouille set off the flavor of the tender and juicy drum. The citrus-based sauce brought it all together. Others at the table opted for drum or catfish with crawfish-cornbread, chicken fricassee, etc. Crawfish cornbread seems to be a hot item these days. Tastes afforded me were quite delicious. For dessert the table shared Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce and Gateau Sirop (syrup cake). Both proved heavenly especially the cake. Made Breaux Bridge style they accented the distinct taste of cane syrup with spices with pecans. My particular friend, brought up in Breaux Bridge, decided on this as his groom’s cake.
Recently I ate dinner here and had the chance to meet Dickie Breaux, the owner. We engaged in conversation ranging from food to the Muller building. At that meal I ate Oven Roasted Duckling. Half a duck cooked to perfection and served with a cane syrup and pepper jelly dipping sauce. An upscale version of a childhood favorite, pot-roasted duck breasts eaten with Steen’s and bread.
Full and ready to walk and shop it off we stepped out and just started down Bridge and onto Main St. There are at least 16 specialty shops in the downtown area within walking distance. We visited Janells, a shop in a historic building filled with jewelry and fine gifts, La Napoleon, antiques and collectables, Clock Shop, antique clocks, Marilyn’s Fine Jewelry & Jeanne’s Gifts, a small but interesting gift shop, Pont Breaux Antiques, and Precious Past Gifts & Interior. It turned into a fun and interesting afternoon. Most shops are open Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM. If walking and history interests you go to www.breauxbridgelive.com and print off their excellent walking tour. It is also available at he Bayou Teche Visitors Center at 344 East Bridge Street.
An excellent place to end you day would be at MULATES (325 Mills Avenue 800-422-2586). Billed as “The Original Cajun Restaurant” it features live Cajun music and dancing nightly and at weekend lunch. Mainly a seafood restaurant they also make an excellent Baked Duck. Recently I tried the Zydeco Salad. It consists of iceberg lettuce, bell pepper, tomatoes, and boiled eggs topped with chopped andouille sausage, shredded baked duck, boiled shrimp and chunks of blackened catfish with a pickled spicy green bean. They serve it with a spicy blue cheese dressing on the side. It is light and refreshing way to sample some Cajun specialties. It proved not only delicious but also filling
Breaux Bridge, just an hour or so away, provides a relaxed and interesting afternoon of shopping and eating. It is also in my opinion the cracklin capital of the universe. Try Goulas Grocery (337-332-6006) at Hwy 351 and Hwy 31 three miles south of Breaux Bridge, Bayou Boudin and Cracklins Cafe at 100 Mills Ave (337-332-6158) or Poche’s (800-3-POCHES) at 3015 Main Hwy 2 miles north of the interstate. You cannot go wrong.
