Ahhh....Food!

Sadly, I cannot remember half the towns where we found these restaurants.  Jamie, Help me out here....

The Grapevine, where we went for Linda's birthday.

The inside of the Grapevine is a surprise--modern but traditional and interesting--all rolled into this unassuming building.

I am so glad I was not the one standing in front of this restaurant.  Sorry, Jamie.

Drago's is in Metairie.  They serve the most wonderful grilled oysters on the 1/2 shell.  OMG!  My mouth's watering again.

We saw this delivery truck in the French Quarter.  There is only one kind of bread that should ever make a Po-boy.  This french bread is tough on the outside but soft in the center.  That makes it possible to fill the loaf with gravy and goop--the center soaks it up and the outside stays firm til you can finish it.
I don't know why it is impossible to get true Po-boy French bread outside of a very small area of Louisiana but once you've had it then no other will do.

The Louisiana State Bird!  Yep, it's real, dead and stuffed. There are stuffed alligators everywhere but they don't bother me as much as stuffed deer heads.  I guess I can blame Walt Disney's Bambi for that.

This hot dog wagon has been around for as long as I can remember.  The owner probably has been, too.

Coffee au lait and beignets.  I almost finished mine before I thought to take the picture below.

Rule #1--Don't sneeze, cough or breathe in when you take a bite.
Rule #2--If you aren't covered in powdered sugar when you finish then you didn't enjoy them.

A fried shrimp Po-boy.  There used to be a grocery store chain in New Orleans named Schwegmann's.  Their fried shrimp Po-boy cost .99 and easily would feed two people.  It was common practice to dine there on Friday night and grocery shop while munching away.  They also sold cold beer that you could drink while shopping.
If that sounds strange then know that you may order a mixed drink in the French quarter and take it out the door as long as the container is plastic. And if that isn't lenient enough for you then, more common than McDonald's are the drive-thru frozen daquiri stands!  The adult snow cone!  Those "don't drink & drive" advocates have a long way to go in Louisiana.

Ohhh!  Follow that truck!

This is a favorite in Thibodaux.  The crawfish etouffee was excellent!

Blow Fly Inn is in Gulfport, Ms.  I highly recommend the catfish.

This very unassuming restaurant in Gramercy is called Nobile's.  It is the perfect Mom and Pop restaurant.  At one time the upstairs was a doctor's office and babies were born there.  The restaurant was full--and everyone knew each other-- People went from table to table greeting each other, shaking hands and getting the latest news.  It is Facebook before the Internet!