With FEASTival month nearing its end, I hope you’ve had a chance to sample what local restaurants have to offer in celebration of Festival International. Virtual Festival starts Friday, so the clock is ticking to compete to be Festival’s first-ever Best Foodie. Loaded nachos and fries are a decadent way to load up your punch card in the home stretch.
Whatever your poison, these restaurants are offering up piles of carbs as vessels for cheese, pulled pork, kimchi and more.
Smoked BBQ + Steens Pork Belly Nachos
A stop at Johnson’s Boucanière is a necessity for me to survive the typical Festival week. I plan to relive those days with a smoky pile of pork belly nachos. The special features braised pork belly in house barbecue sauce and Steen’s, cheddar cheese, snappy jalapeños, red onions, guacamole and sour cream. Now you can wash it down with a pony of Miller High Life.
Johnson’s Boucanière
1111 Saint John Street
Lafayette
(337) 319-0254
Spicy Tuna Nachos
Spoonbill is leveling up pub fare with seared Gulf tuna tossed in spicy mayo and nestled in cucumber, toasted sesame seeds on crispy tortilla chips. It’s a delightful, “light” take on loaded nachos.
Spoonbill Watering Hole & Restaurant
900 Jefferson Street
Lafayette
(337) 534-0584
Sriracha Kimchi Fries
Take your Festival International crew to Blu Basil for seasoned fries topped with bulgogi beef, kimchi, sriracha, spicy mayo, sesame seeds, cilantro, and sunny side up fried egg. If you festival-ed a little too hard the night before, this will get you back on your feet.
Blu Basil
5451 Johnston Street
Lafayette
(337) 456-1120
Fry Got Loaded
A new contender to the foodie festival scene, Hideaway on Lee is Festival International HQ’s next-door neighbor. The last time Scene International saw the closing ceremonies, Hideaway on Lee was still in its infancy. The new-ish music venue-slash-restaurant is bringing it this year with hangover fries: blackened shrimp tossed in a rich alfredo sauce, sprinkled with parsley and topped on their seasoned french fries.
Hideaway on Lee
407 Lee Avenue
Lafayette
(337) 484-1141