So this evening for our last supper on the coast we went to a place called Lil' Bayou Restaurant and the Magnolia Lounge, a taste of Louisiana in Seaside. You'll see as you look at the photos the restaurant offers three distinct and different cuisines: Cajun, Creole, and Northwest Seafood. Cajun food is a little spicy but hearty, Creole food is cooked using traditional European techniques with local ingredients and Northwest seafood is just delicious. So sit back and relax and enjoy this gastronomic journey.
So the dinner begins with the two photos above. Bayou Clam Chowder is good and spicy but not overly so. Some call this the best clam chowder they have ever had. While I cannot say that, I can say it was the best this weekend. What a nice bite to it. Also you can see some spicy chips that were served and a "next-day slaw" that was vinegar based and had some jalapenos chopped in, but not hot. Quite good. After this came a plethora of plates that just exploded with flavors. Up first was Grilled Shrimp Cocktail with Banana Salsa. Large shrimp grilled to perfection and served with sweet and slightly spicy banana salsa. Discovered that the salsa was an accident in that it was to be mango but they did not have any and so used bananas. Thus, the rest is history. Also served was Corn Maque Choux a creamy corn made with rich cream. Boy it brought the hush puppies to life. Hushpuppies with a spicy marinara and that was forgettable. Fried Green Tomatoes that were served with a bland vinegar but I opted to use the banana salsa. And finally, Fried Okra which was served with the green onion vinaigrette that was also forgettable. But oh the memories of the south swirled and our bellies filled. Soon Main course would be served.
Janet decided to go with the Grilled Vegetable & Mozzarella Salad. This salad was a mountain of spring greens with a blend of grilled squashes, asparagus and more and she opted to add four grilled prawns then have the honey mustard vinaigrette on the side. She could not finish it tonight but likely will for lunch tomorrow.
I decided to go simple and southern. Paneed Breast of Chicken which takes a pounded breast of chicken and is dredged in flour and fried. Covered in a southern pecan gravy, it was served with asparagus and mashed potatoes. In the end, the chicken was good, but the dish was lifeless and pretty much DOA on arrival. Would not order again.Something I have so discovered this weekend is that my Dad still lives through me. I swear at just about every meal at some point, often near the end, there will be a spill. Either a little soup or a drop of salad dressing, just something to make a stain on my shirt. This happened to Dad and now me. Oh I get them out, but they are another sign I need to refocus and drop some weight and make it so there is less space to travel from plate to mouth. It is cutting the travel time across the great divide. Yes, of course I mention this at the end of a long posting on food, but then when is a good time to talk about the battle of the bulge? What can be said is that the weekend was much more about relaxing and not so food focused, but heck I know y'all enjoy hearing about the food! Catch up more later!
The salad was delicious but the prawns were amazing!!
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