| By ANNETTE SISCO | Staff writer |
Welcome back, New Orleans food lovers! This week, we take a train trip to Lafayette, the capital of Cajun country, for food, wine and dancing. Two New Orleans restaurants earn top honors at the 2023 National Fried Chicken Festival. A French chef wants to solve the problem of invasive fish — with white wine and a saucepan. Gautreau's, a treasured Uptown classic, is changing hands. And after a long day, we take refuge at Pluck, a wine bar with a mellow and stylish sense of hospitality. Finally, it's not too soon to start a holiday batch of Liz Williams' traditional Sicilian limoncello. 1. Cajun in training? Ian McNulty spent an epic Louisiana Saturday night in downtown Lafayette with food, wine and music, not necessarily in that order. And he hopped a train to get there. 2. Deep-fried and bonafide At last weekend's National Fried Chicken Festival in New Orleans, two local purveyors earned top spots: Red Bird for best fried chicken and Bao Mi for best use of chicken in a dish. Read more about the fest here. 3. Wait! There's more. French chef Philippe Perola thinks we should cook our way out of the problem of invasive fish and nutria. The Uptown destination Gautreau’s has new owners after 30 years. And a restorative stop at Pluck wine bar helps us remember all the good things we love about this town. 4. Present perfect. Is there a more welcome gift than a bottle of homemade limoncello? Liz Williams is getting her traditional Sicilian recipe started for the holidays with vodka, lemon peel and simple syrup. That's it for the food newsletter, but in New Orleans, the food news never stops. Keep up with all the inside info at Where NOLA Eats. P.S.: Want to support local journalism that matters? Subscribe here. It's our best deal! | 