The Annual Ritual Of Jazz Fest Food
The food scene this weekend is dominated by the Jazz Festival, where the eats are as good as the music, and in exactly the same way. In the past few years of the Jazz Festival, the food offerings seem to have reached a plateau. A few new vendors appear, but they fade into the familiar array. It’s a long time since anything alarmingly new and different has turned up. But isn’t this what we want from the Festival? It’s certainly true of us Baby Boomers, who were just reaching the age of majority at the time of the first JazzFest in 1970. It’s a ritual, with our strange kind of hippie nostalgia. Enough other things have changed in our lives without the Jazz Festival’s becoming unfamiliar, too.
Here’s our annual list of all the food being served at the Jazz and Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds. I have annotated it with ratings on a scale from zero to three notes. Here’s what they mean:
Recommended. Try it if the dish appeals to you.
Outstanding. Taste this even if if you wouldn’t ordinarily do so.
Essential. Not to be missed.
These are my own recommendations, based on past years. Your mileage may vary.)
Burks and Douglas Food Area I
Red beans and rice, sausage
Vegetarian red beans and rice
Blackberry cobbler
Cajun Nights Catering Food Area I
Alligator pie
Crabmeat stuffed shrimp
Fried green tomatoes
Catering Unlimited Food Area I
Cajun jambalaya
Fried chicken
Crescent Catering Food Area I
Cajun duck po-boy
Cajun shrimp & duck pasta
Dimartino’s Food Area I
Muffuletta
Vegetarian muffuletta
Roast beef poor boy
Turkey giardiniera poor boy
Fireman Mike’s Kitchen Food Area I
Alligator sauce piquante
Shrimp and grits
Shrimp and okra gumbo
Gallagher’s Grill Food Area I
Pecan catfish meunière
Seafood mirliton casserole
Fried crab cake, smoked tomato and jalapeño tartar
Joyce’s Lemonade Food Area I
Lemonade
Fruit salad
Love at First Bite Food Area I
Cochon de lait po-boy
Ms Linda’s Food Area I
Ya ka mein
Vegetarian ya ka mein
Fried pork chop sandwich
Bread pudding w/ rum sauce
Panaroma Foods, Marksville Food Area I
Crawfish bread
Shrimp bread
Sausage and jalapeño bread
Papa Ninety Catering Food Area I
Boudin
Boudin balls
Shrimp and lump crab ravigote
Crawfish remoulade
Patton’s Caterers Food Area I
Crawfish Sack
Oyster Patties
Crawfish Beignets
Sharon & Guilherme Wegner Food Area I
Louisiana crawfish poor boy
Fried alligator poor boy
Alligator, fried jalapeños and onions
Guil’s LA Crawfish
Smitty’s Seafood Restaurant Food Area I
Boiled crawfish
Louisiana crawfish etouffée
Cajun crawfish rice
Spicy boiled potatoes
Squeal Bar-B-Q (New) Food Area I
BBQ Brisket Sandwich
BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Smokey Bacon Greens
Stuf Hapn Event Catering Food Area I
Crabmeat poor boy
Creole stuffed crab
Catfish amandine
Potato salad
Ten Talents Catering Food Area I
Spinach artichoke casserole
Seafood au gratin
Sweet potato pone
Vaucresson Sausage Co. Food Area I
Hot sausage po-boy
Crawfish sausage po-boy
Vucinovich’s Restaurant Food Area I
Fried shrimp poor boy
Fried oyster poor boy
Fried oyster spinach salad
Pannéed chicken poor boy
Stuffed artichoke
Ajun Cajun Ninja Food Area II
Shrimp yakisoba (pan-fried noodles)
Yakiniku poor boy (Japanese barbecue beef)
Crabstick & cucumber salad
Seaweed & cucumber salad
Angelo Brocato’s Food Area II
Louisiana strawberry ice
Lemon ice
Specialty flavor gelato
Spumoni
Cannoli
Fig and sesame cookies
Canseco’s Markets Food Area II
Cuban sandwich
Cottage Catering Food Area II
Crawfish strudel
White chocolate bread pudding
Creole’s Lunch House Food Area II
Creole’s Stuffed Bread
Sausage, Pepperoni & Mozzarella Stuffed Bread
Fatty’s Cracklins, St. Ffrancisville Food Area II
Cracklings
Fried sweet potato chips
Food for Thought Food Area II
Shrimp remoulade poor boy
Cajun chicken and tasso with Creole rice
Galley Seafood Restaurant Food Area II
Fried soft-shell crab poor boy
Fried catfish filet poor boy
Jamila’s Café Food Area II
Tagine of lamb (lamb stew with basmati rice),
Merguez (grilled lamb sausage)
Crawfish, spinach and zucchini bisque
*Tunisian salad
Kajun Kettle Foods Food Area II
Crawfish Monica
Legal Perks Food Area II
Strawberry shortcake
Key Lime Tart
Mona’s Café Food Area II
Gyros sandwich
Falafel sandwich
Hummus with pita
Tabouli with pita
Greek garden salad
Mrs. Wheat’s Foods Food Area II
Spicy Natchitoches meat pie
Crawfish pie
Broccoli and cheese pie
New Orleans Coffee Company Food Area II
Café au lait (hot, iced, or frozen)
Black coffee (hot or iced)
Praline Connection Food Area II
Grilled chicken livers with pepper jelly
Crowder peas and okra
Collard greens
Crispy wings
Fried okra
Prejean’s, Lafayette Food Area II
Pheasant, quail and andouille gumbo,
Crab and crawfish stuffed mushrooms
Crawfish enchilada
Taqueria Corona Food Area II
Fried fish taco
Shrimp taco
Chicken taco
Wally Taillon, Gonzales Food Area II
Jambalaya
AJ’s Sno-balls Congo Square
Sno-balls
Ice cream stuffed sno-ball
Bennachin Restaurant Congo Square
Jama-jama (sautéed spinach)
Fried plaintains
Poulet fricassee (chicken on a stick)
Gambian Foods Congo Square
Dibbi (grilled steak on pita)
Spicy grilled tofu & veggies, peanut sauce
Couscous with yogurt sauce
Marie’s Sugar Dumplings (New) Congo Square
Sweet Potato Turnover
Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
Banana Nut Bread
Palmer’s Jamaican Cuisine Congo Square
Jamaican chicken
Caribbean fish
Curry chicken patty
Steamed vegetables
Ba Mien Vietnamese Cuisine Heritage Square
Goi cuon (spring roll)
Bun (vermicelli with shrimp or beef)
Cha gio (vietnamese egg roll)
Baquet’s Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe Heritage Square
Crawfish bisque
Creole filé gumbo
Trout Baquet
Café du Monde Heritage Square
Beignets
Café au lait (hot, iced, or frozen)
Milk
Chocolate milk
Down Home Creole Cookin’ Heritage Square
BBQ pork ribs
BBQ turkey wings
Meaty white beans
Cole slaw
Peach cobbler
La Divina Gelateria Heritage Square
Old fashioned hand made ice cream sandwiches
Locally made artisan gelato and sorbetto
Creme brulee
Chocolate Azteca
Minnie Pearl Pies and Pastries Heritage Square
Creole cream cheese cake with strawberries
Lemon meringue pie
Angelo’s Bakery Around The Grounds
Coconut macaroon
Brownie with pecans
Cream puffs
Chocolate éclair
Gallo & Marks Around The Grounds
Strawberry smoothie
Pineapple Coconut Smoothie
Chocolate dipped strawberries
Jumbo Peanut Company Around The Grounds
Fresh roasted jumbo peanuts
Glazed pecans
Loretta’s Authentic Pralines Around The Grounds
Pralines: assorted flavors
Praline pecan and sweet potato cookies
Praline shoe soles
Pecan crunch
Lucky Dogs Around The Grounds
Jumbo Lucky Dog
Mr. Williams’ Pastries Around The Grounds
Pies: Apple, Cherry, Coconut, Pecan, Sweet potato, Bean custard
Plum St. Sno-balls Around The Grounds
Sno-balls
Roman Chewing Candy Around The Grounds
Roman Chewing Candy Company
Sunshine Concessions Around The Grounds
Rosemint iced tea
Mandarin orange iced tea
Regular iced tea
WWOZ Radio Around The Grounds
Mango Freeze
United Houma Nation, Golden Meadow Folklife Village
Fry bread
Smoked sausage macque choux
Creamy shrimp macque choux
Indian tacos
J and M Seafood Grandstand
Freshly shucked oysters on the half shell
Joyce’s Lemonade Kid’s Area
Lemonade
Fruit salad
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Crispy rice treats
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Miss Linda’s Catering Kid’s Area
Baked macaroni and cheese
Huckabuck frozen cups
Sloppy Jeaux Sandwich (new)