Winter Southern Style
Ascension Parish, LA
T
our Ascension and get connected to food while traveling
between Baton Rouge and
New Orleans! The community offers
fine dining unique to South Louisiana.
Bernadette’s features fine dining
with Cajun/French fusion cuisine
that has been serving visitors for
more than 35 years. They have a
commitment to use only the freshest
available produce and seasonal ingredients locally as possible. Menus for
the restaurant’s signature five-course
and seven-course meals are featured
weekly, along with wine pairings. The
aesthetic appeal of Bernadette’s is that
of historic elegance with Circa 1840
interior architecture features, beautiful exposed brick walls, original
cypress and pine floors, two original
fireplaces and antique furniture and
fixtures throughout.
Visit Executive Chef Jeremy Langlois, of the award winning Latil’s
Landing Restaurant . He masterfully
creates wonderful dishes using the
freshest local ingredients that Louisiana has to offer and gives his guests
an unforgettable experience in one of
Louisiana’s most beautiful settings,
The Houmas House Plantation and Gardens. Experience Latil’s Landing ‘s
fine dining experience that is accented by French Limoge china and
dinner service, replicated from the
112 FOOD TRAVELER | WINTER 2013
originals of the 230 year old house,
complete with original beamed ceilings, cypress mantels, wood burning
fireplaces and original wood floors. A
collection of fine wines has been selected to accompany Chef Langlois’
creative style known as “Nouvelle
Louisiane”.
If you are looking for casual restaurant dining and great Louisiana
seafood, enjoy The Guitreau, grilled
fish topped with sautéed crawfish,
shrimp, mushrooms and onions in a
white wine, at Mike Anderson’s Seafood or try Jacked up Shrimp, boiled
shrimp with bacon, jalapenos & pepper jack cheese at Don’s Seafood. If
you’re in the mood for fried alligator
with white remoulade sauce, try Sno’s
Seafood & Steak.
While you are visiting Ascension,
enjoy touring a grand antebellum estate, Houmas House Plantation and
Gardens. Take a stroll through 38 lush
gardens, ponds and oak trees. You can
also enjoy lunch at Café Burnside or
Sunday Brunch at Le Petit Houmas
Restaurant. Stay overnight at The Inn
at Houmas House in one of the beautiful cottages nestled among the alley of
ancient oak trees.
Alongside the Mississippi River
you will find a historic treasure, Bocage Plantation. This elegant bed and
breakfast will make you feel as if you
stepped back into the history of Christopher Columbus days.
Right over the Mississippi River,
visit historic Donaldsonville’s Ascension Catholic Church, over 230
years old or tour the River Road African American Museum, with over
300 years of history and the importance of Africans to the growth of the
south. Enjoy Alligator Sauce Piquante
at Café Lafourche or The Grapevine,
where a unique blend of Cajun, Creole
and African traditions are all served
and enjoy inspiring collection of art
and sounds of local musicians.
THE AMERICAN QUEEN is the largest and most opulent riverboat in
the world. Her inviting appearance is
complemented by gracious service,
elegant décor, rousing entertainment
and of course, decadent cuisine. After
enjoying your included shore excursion, the nightly five-course dinners in
the elegant J.M. White Dining Room
showcase the varied cultural and
culinary influences of our great nation.
Perhaps you’ll begin with a fried green
tomato topped with corn macque
choux and jumbo lump blue crab
drizzled with truffle oil, followed by
confit of duck with fig & lemon preserves. Pair your meal with included
wine or beer for a more complete dining experience. After dinner, enjoy the
night’s entertainment, a toe-tapping
Broadway revue or soul-stirring jazz
riff. Beginning in the spring of 2014,
the American Empress will offer the
quality found on the American Queen
with 9-day itineraries in the Pacific
Northwest between Portland, Oregon
and Clarkston, Washington.