And announcing the CC's gift card winner! First, congratulations to Ashley Rush for winning the CC's gift card and coffee!
The roads will be clear in Lafayette as Ragin' Cajuns fans make the trip down I-10 to the Big Easy. Most will settle for basic Superdome hot dogs and pretzels, but you know better.
If you're heading to New Orleans on Friday, there are dozens of options for lunch and dinner. Expect to find this IND writer gorging on fried kale and squid ink tagliolini at John Besh's Domenica in the Central Business District. There's something on the menu for picky eaters, including some simple and some adventurous pizza choices, as well as small portions that won't force you to walk back to your hotel and take a nap. The rabbit and porcini tagliatelle is divine, and the gnocchi with duck is creamy and rich. They're also open until 11 p.m. every day, so a late-night dinner is not out of the question. Find the lunch and dinner menus here - oh, and you can order pizza to your hotel room, too.
If you won't be there until a little later in the afternoon and want a double dose of education and edibles, head to the WWII museum for another John Besh treat: The American Sector. Happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., which includes drink specials and $2 snacks, like meat pies and duck wings. Sip on classics like a mint julep and a Singapore sling until you head down to Champions Square to see the Beach Boys and Bad Company.
It may be difficult to squeeze in breakfast on Saturday since tailgating starts so early, but there are a few options in the Quarter where a quick breakfast is possible. Of course, there are always beignets and coffee at Café du Monde, and enormous omelets at Camellia Grill on Chartres. (Camellia Grill is also open late night, so if you find yourself needing some sustenance after a long night of celebrating, stumble over to the grill.) If a liquid breakfast is more your style, head to the French Market to the Organic Banana where they can whip up a smoothie for you (and maybe even put a little Old New Orleans rum in it, if you want to start the party early). Speaking of which, if you want to kill a little time over Friday or Saturday, take a tour of the Old New Orleans distillery. It's inexpensive, and you can taste all four of the rums - after the tour, which starts with the best hurricane you've ever had. Don't leave without a bottle of the Cajun spiced rum - add it to your iced tea and you'll never look back. Find out more about the tours here.
Geaux Cajuns!