Out of the 50 states, I have a short list of my all time favs.
Alaska (home state nod), Idaho (great place to raise a family), Maine, New Mexico and rounding out the top 5 is Louisiana.
I’ve loved Louisiana since childhood, when we would visit my grandparents, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Jeff and my cousins Amanda and Justin in Lafayette every year. The culture of the Cajun folks, from their music to their cuisine to their festivals, was always so inviting to me. I got my only tattoo in New Orleans (random Chinese symbol, no clue what it means, I used to make AMAZING long term decisions) and I once spent an evening in the bayou on a mud boat, staring into the red glowing eyes of a few of my closest alligator friends.
Told you it was a great state.
So I was elated a few years ago when I heard Jess’ brothers would be playing baseball for the University of Tennessee, with some away games at conference foe LSU.
Road trip, kids!!
We got the whole gang together. My parents, my brother Joel and his wife Pam, my Dad’s childhood best friend Mike and his wife MaryLynn all headed down to Baton Rouge. An epic tailgate was on my mind along with Cajun food.
I did some research on the best Cajun restaurant in town. Parrain’s Seafood popped up frequently. “Surf, turf and drinks in a rustic setting.”
Yep. I’m in!
When you pull up to Parrain’s you are greeted with a large front porch, rocking chairs, and kitschy Americana signs. Very relaxed vibe and I loved it right away. We settled into our wood paneled booth and quickly ordered a few appetizers, boudin (sausage) balls, catfish fingers and hush puppies. I rarely eat anything fried but practically devoured everything!!! Next up We selected the charbroiled oysters and gumbo. Jess loves the large and “stuffy” oysters from Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. I tend to like the tinier, salty West Coast oysters but was pleasantly surprised at how good their oysters were! The gumbo was an A+ for flavor as well. We could barely stand after our amazing meal! A must-visit for anyone headed to the Baton Rouge area.
I’d also like to give a shout out to the LSU fans. Easily the nicest fan base in the country, they invited us to their tailgates, shared their food and recipes and even gave us their blankets and coats in the stands as it was absolutely freezing. Who knew Louisiana could get below zero?! Classy folks all around.
On to the next adventure!
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