Southwestern Louisiana

After our six weeks of living in New Orleans we were sad to leave but happy to visit new places. Our next stop was Southwestern Louisiana.

Technically we had already visited the area for a couple of days at the end of October when we had to evacuate New Orleans. This time we had more time to explore the area. We liked Frog City RV Park in Duson because it was right off Interstate 10 for easy access to everywhere we wanted to go.

Central Pizza and Bar

We were happy to have a couple of highly recommended places to go for lunch. So for our first outing we headed back to downtown Lafayette to Central Pizza and Bar on Jefferson Street. Andrea Veron, from Café Vermilionville, had told us that the artisan pizzas at this place were so interesting that she really wanted us to go. And so we did.

Central Dip

Central Pizza is a cute little place with amazing food. The menu is very creative and the dishes really deliver on flavor. We decided to order an appetizer called Central Dip which was a piping hot casserole of leek, bacon and Parmesan served with freshly baked pita. It was so good that we even scraped the slightly burnt crunchy edges of the casserole dish. We couldn’t bear to waste on single morsel.

Pizza

This was a pizza joint so obviously we had to order a pizza. We were torn between the Mediterranean which was described as mozzarella. feta. artichoke hearts. sun dried tomatoes. roasted garlic. shaved red onion. kalamata olives and the Voodoo Chile with olive oil. mozzarella. stracciatella. meatball. curly pepperoni. jalapeño. bacon. parm. Calabrian chili swirl. It was a real dilemma but when the manager suggested drizzling honey on the Voodoo Chile pizza we decided that was the one for us.

I’m sure that the Mediterranean would have been delicious but it just sounded too safe. And since Steve and I are living this very adventurous life we were happy to live dangerously. The Voodoo Chile pizza definitely delivered on flavor and heat. I have to be honest, if it weren’t for the honey to temper the heat, we probably would not have been able to eat it. But that honey added the perfect counterpoint to the chiles. The pizza was sooooo amazing and so filling that we only had some cheese and crackers for dinner.

Downtown Lafayette

We took a little stroll around the beautiful downtown area of Lafayette before running some errands and heading back to Ladybug for the night.

We had hoped to visit the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island the next day. Sadly when we checked for tour hours we learned that they were closed due to Covid-19. So I guess we will have to wait for a return visit to tour the factory.

Dupuy’s Downtown

That left us free to try another place that was recommended to us. Friends that we met around the campfire in New Orleans told us all about their fantastic meal at Dupuy’s in Abbeville, in Southwestern Louisiana.

History

At Dupuy’s it all began in 1869. Dupuy’s was established by Joseph Dupuy way back in 1869. He harvested his own oysters and sold them for 5 cents a dozen. A tradition began, which would continue through three generations. Dupuy’s has enjoyed over 146 years of success in its original location. World-famous for the oysters on the 1/2 shell and outstanding seafood. The current owners, Jody and Tonya Hebert hope tol continue the tradition for many years to come.

Food

Our lunch order at Dupuy’s was a no brainer. We both ordered the Grilled Oyster Po’ Boys fully dressed. We did order one with French Fries and one with Onion Rings so we could each have both. The sandwiches were so good. The oysters were still breaded before being grilled. The coating was crispy and the oysters were abundant, plump, tender and full of flavor. And the add ons were equally good.

We will definitely be putting Dupuy’s in Abbeville and Central Pizza in Lafayette on our list of hidden gems!