Eats

10 things to know before you geaux EatLafayette

by Kari Walker

It's baaack! Are you ready?

EatLafayette is the summer-long dining campaign that this year celebrates a decade of supporting Lafayette's locally owned restaurants. Before you pick your next place to grab a bite, here's the lowdown on its history, what's happening this year and why you won't want to miss out on the all-things-local action that is sure to satisfy any craving.

1. 18 to 83: the number of participants in the inaugural EatLafayette campaign in 2005 versus now - the biggest year ever.

2. INDEats has your daily dish with our Dish of the Day features devoted to EatLafayette starting June 16. Every weekday you'll find write-ups on fare from local restaurants and insight on what you might like to try. We make the question of "what's for lunch?" a painless task.

3. Freebies! Who doesn't love a free lunch? EatLafayette participants will be giving away gift cards and prize packages throughout the campaign. Make sure you are following EatLafayette and IND Monthly on social media for the inside scoop

4. Be a tourist for a day in your own city. Pick a breakfast, lunch and dinner destination from the list of participants. Might we suggest:

A bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich from the Acadian Superette in Freetown
    Fish tacos and a pitcher of margaritas (to share, of course) at Agave for a summer lunch on the patio
    Toast with cocktails and savor the filet with duck fat mashed potatoes at Jolie's Louisiana Bistro to end the day

5. Party like a rockstar thanks to Travel Machine and Fly Lafayette Club - every time you visit an EatLafayette participant, lookout for a registration box and drop in your entry to win an all-inclusive four-night trip for two to a Hard Rock Hotel property in the Caribbean.

6. Specials. We know technically everything is special about locally owned restaurants, but this summer you can snag some awesome deals and save some green. A few to watch:

... but, you won't get the deals unless you mention EatLafayette

7. Play with your food. Well, snap a photo of it at least. Follow IND Monthly and INDEats on Instagram under @INDstagramer as we share with social media fun photos of who ate what where. Post your photos and tag us because we want to regram and make you Insta-famous.

8. INDEats' Dish of the Month goes behind the scenes to uncover more about the chefs and restaurants we feature. Ever wonder what a chef's favorite gadget is or if they have a hidden talent? We'll ask the questions in our monthly Kitchen Diaries segment and include a photo gallery online with shots of chefs in action and their kitchen masterpieces. Do you know a chef or cook from an EatLafayette participating restaurant you'd like to see featured? Email Kari Walker at [email protected] to let us know.

9. Let's toast to 10 years with wine - EatLafayette will add a first-ever wine and food culinary week at the end of the campaign where EatLafayette restaurants will offer special dishes and select wines to pair. Stay tuned for dates and events to be announced.

10. Calling all foodies: We want you to experience EatLafayette from the very beginning and treat you to passes to the kickoff event on Tuesday, June 17. We have five pairs of tickets to give away. Here's how you can win: