Seafood Hotspots
Liz’s Where Y’at Diner shrimp and
eggplant napoleon.
Buster’s Restaurant,
downtown Covington
Crawfish and
Abita beer.
24 FOOD TRAVELER | SUMMER 2013
Louisiana seafood. Kim Kringlie’s Dakota is known for its silken lump crab
and Brie soup and diners can’t get
enough of the crabmeat ravigote – a
martini glass of cold jumbo lump crabmeat with caper horseradish dressing
– at Gallagher’s Grill. The shrimp au
gratin at Zachary’s is a locals’ favorite, along with the restaurant’s lovely
little crab and shrimp beignets. Fish
is expertly handled at Del Porto, and
at LOLA, whose chefs Keith and Nealy
Frentz were named king and queen of
Louisiana seafood.
You’ll find plenty of elegant seafood
on the Northshore but you don’t have
to go upscale to feast on the bounty of
the bayou. There are scores of momand-pop eateries, seafood markets
and casual locals’ joints from one end
of the parish to the other.
Golden-fried shrimp are piled high
on loaves of crusty French bread for
po-boys from places like Bear’s, Palmettos or Kenney’s Seafood in Slidell.
Or boiled and paired with perfectly
fried green tomatoes at Liz’s Where Y’at
Diner. Plump, salty oysters are served
raw on the half-shell, cold and luscious, at Acme Oyster House, Buster’s and
Speckled T’s. They’re also chargrilled
at spots like Pardo’s and the Chimes or
transformed via garlic and butter into
Oysters La Luzianne at Louie and the
Redhead Lady, a favorite of “Diner’s,
Drive-ins and Dives” host Guy Fieri.
Crawfish get their due at Bergeron’s,
where they star in pistolettes, etouffee
and crawfish pie, and at places like
French Market Seafood or Bateau’s where
you can buy crimson boiled crawfish
and fixings.
Home to Abita Brewery and Pontchartrain Vineyards, the Northshore’s
culinary scene is a draw for visitors,
including New Orleanians who come
to dine al fresco on decks with a water view or just to get away from the
city’s more frenetic pace. With 80,000plus acres of wilderness preserve, the
Northshore is big on soft adventure
and natural beauty. Visitors can rent a
bike and ride the scenic Tammany Trace
through eclectic towns and green spaces, fish from a kayak (also rentable) on
Bayou Lacombe, tour the lovely Honey
Island Swamp, fee H