Third Annual EatLafayette Campaign is Successful.

With nearly 500,000 hits on its website, eatlafayette.com, and a tour of 32 locally-owned restaurants that produced yummy reactions, the third annual EatLafayette campaign has been called a success.

But it's never over! Feel free to patronize the restaurants that participated in EatLafayette all year long.

In case you are wondering, there will be a fourth annual event in 2008.

Freshness at its best at Tsunami.

The end of EatLafayette is near so we are trying to cram in as many meals as we can this week! Lunch yesterday was at Tsunami on Jefferson Street. The atmosphere is sophisticated but casual and fun at the same time, and the service is always excellent! It's so great to go to a place that lives up to the hype! The food there really is that fresh- you can taste it! We had the Edamame, of course (boiled and salted soy beans), always the perfect simple starter, the Eggplant Miso (Grilled eggplant & shrimp, tossed in a sweet miso sauce) and a sampling of rolls: California, Green Monster and a special sushi chef's creation. They also have scrumptious chicken, pork and steak dishes. I know a lot of people don't venture downtown because they're worried about parking, but I must say, it was a breeze. Tsunami has their own lot at the corner of Buchanan & Cypress.

Cafe Vermilionville has reached perfection

The building housing the famous Cafe Vermilionville was built in the early 1800's. When you walk into the main entrance you feel yourself slip back through time, welcomed by warm colors and soft light. The food, on the other hand, is nothing like that! The food is rich and hot with a contemporary flair! The crawfish beignets are a perfect combination of tastes and are incredibly easy to share with friends, but I don't know why you would want to!! The crab cakes melt in your mouth, containing the best lump crab meat in Louisiana. Everything I experienced at this restaurant was the best of the best - perfect in every way. We went to celebrate a birthday and that we did, in Louisiana style....good friends, GREAT food, and a few Bloody Mary's.

Fried Oreos are a Good Food Choice

Today, it was Deano's on Bertrand. Hadn't been there in a long time and almost didn't recognize the place from the outside. I used to drive down that street every day and hated to pass by when they were open because there were always people pulling in & out of their crazy three-sided parking lot! Now the front has been turned into a little patio area that has made the street and the parking much better. They've enclosed it nicely, too, with a little wall that shuts out enough of Bertrand to make it pleasant.

Bernie & I had the Eat Lafayette special: a choice of appetizer, a pizza and 2 drinks. We chose the Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Fried Eggplant slices. Our pizza was a combo of four favorites: BBQ Chicken, Tee Rex (all the meats), the famous Marie Laveaux (crabmeat), and Shrimp a la Deano's. All this food, a Coke and an Iced Tea for $19.99! It's a great deal and it's delicious. But here's where we decided to go crazy... I was telling Bernie the about discussing weight management with my doctor. Doc told me a story about making good food choices, "say you're deciding between a banana and a peach. The peach would be the better choice." I almost choked to death trying not to scream with laughter! I was thinking she was going to say "between a banana and a piece of cheesecake!" (Clearly, we live in very different worlds, my doctor and I.) So I'm finishing up this strange story, when our wonderful waitress, Ashley, asked if we'd care for anything else. I told her a little spot of something sweet would be nice and she tells us about the Fried Oreos! So I'm thinking, "Fried Oreos or a banana?" But I learned my lesson at the Doctor's office. Obviously the banana's the wrong choice! The Fried Oreos come three on a plate, so we shared with Ashley. Just trust me on this one, you gotta try 'em!

Debbie 999ktdy.com

Lil Daddy's BBQ - BIG winner!

OMG BBQ!!!! This place is fantastic! Chicken and ribs that fall off of the bone. Every side dish you can imagine prepared to perfection. Is it too cliche to say it's finger-licking good?!?

Eating Our Way Through Lafayette.

What started as a "let's go out to dinner" on 4th of July eve, ended up being a three course meal at three different restaurants. We started at Blue Dog Cafe with cocktails - lemon drop and peach martinis and more manly drinks for the men (we weren't paying attention). We walked next door to Zeus for the Ultimate Hummus and Lebanese Pizza and mango martinis. There was a mojito in there somewhere along with a chocolate martini. Not to worry. We had a designed driver-eater and the rest of us were fortunate to eat along the way!

Fill 'er Up!

The Filling Station is one of Lafayette's favorite downtown places to fuel up on food. With the best al fresco dining in the city, the local eatery owned by Bentley and Lisa Suire has a very unique personality - just like its owners. It's friendly, fun and all of the food is filling and fabulous. The assorted menu offers guests everything from Mexican-style to Louisiana style food. The outdoor patio is a rare treat in Lafayette, perfect for great margaritas and people-watching and the staff is accomodating from everything from a girl's lunch to meals with the kids! All in all, the Filling Station is not your usual food station, it is filling in every sense!

Watch out for the high-octane magarita's. Unless you live downtown, you will definitely need to designate a driver!

Debbie Ray and Bernie Bag Boulevard Grill & Blue Dog.

Debbie and I went to Boulevard Grille on Coolidge this week for lunch. Their dinner special is Wednesday through Friday and it's two Ribeye dinners, a veggie and salad for 35 dollars. What a steal! We dropped in for lunch. Have you every had the queso dip from Boulevard Grille? It's so creamy, delicious it should be illegal within 10 feet of any scale. It is so awesome. It's one of my favorites along with the homemade salsa. It's hard to believe that in this day and age that a a restaurant can make all of their food fresh every day, even their order comes fresh each day from a butcher. I had their quesadillas and they knocked my socks off. The beef ones were the best.

This week we also went to Blue Dog for lunch and their special is a three course meal for only $19.99 -- you just can't beat that. You start with this extra delicious lump crab and corn bisque that is so thick, it could be the meal, and then you get to choose from either grilled tilapia, crawfish enchiladas or Louisiana purchase ( alfredo sauce and chicken that is kickin''). I ate so much of that chicken I almost didn't have room for the bread pudding. We had a great time, and I am going back to Blue Dog later this week.

-Bernie KPEL 105.1 News

Fezzo's Caters!

I attended the REAP (Racing Employees Assistant Program) banquet and fundraiser started by David Yount with Evangeline Downs. It's a great cause and guess who was catering? Fezzo's! Potato salad, rice dressing, cole slaw, BBQ ribs and chicken cooked to Cajun perfection. Did I say bread pudding that was warm and just the right amount of sugar, sugar. I literally licked my plate and was not embarrassed because I wasn't the only one who did that. No wonder one of my office buds always wants to order from there!

Making the rounds of Eat Lafayette restaurants.

June 19 - Bella Figura
My wife and I had a great meal at Bella Figura - even though we were a bit unsure what to order. You see, we're Cajuns and when we don't have rice and gravy, well, we have to guess. Apparently, we guessed correctly because everything was delicious!

June 21 - Randol's Restaurant
No problems with interpretation here - boiled crabs are something that we are familiar with! In addition, the crab cakes were mucho bueno.

My favorite season of the year - EatLafayette!

I will confess that I love eating out and love the variety of cuisine available here in Lafayette - everything from rice and gravy and shrimp sandwiches to butterflied filets are on my radar. Dining at Charley G's is always a treat and the opportunity to have lunch there on a Friday is a rare occasion for me so I was filled with anticipation all week long. I was not disappointed! I could have easily filled up on the appetizer sampler that Mr. Goodson had prepared for our table - the coconut shrimp were my favorite - but I had to push the limit and order the EatLafayette special of Pecan Crusted Catfish. The fish was delicious - not "fishy" at all - and cooked crisp to perfection. The sides of green beans and corn macque choux were a perfect complement to the meal. When it came time for the bread pudding, I realized my limits and requested that it be boxed up to take home with the intention of it being my afternoon snack. In reality, it became dinner that night and I have no shame about it at all! I would be remiss if I didn't mention the staff. Elizabeth was very attentive to our needs and didn't miss a beat. The food - the company - the atmosphere - all made for a delightful beginning to the weekend!

Dean-O's is Pizzarific!

While starving at 10:00 am, I started to look over the Eat Lafayette website for suggestions for lunch. Dean-O's Pizza was today's choice. I ordered a 6" design your own personal pizza with meat, mushrooms, and extra cheese. The special of the day included a side salad and a drink. I devoured the pizza and salad in a matter of seconds, even though part of it could have been saved for another meal. It was incredible! The pizza melted in my mouth and the toppings were as fresh as the salad. The drink was so big it is still sitting on my desk half full. Hats off to Dean-O's for turning a normal Thursday lunch into an event.

Pictures from the 2007 Business After Hours

Tuna!

Here are two more additions that you wouldn't think go together, but I had tuna at Tsunami and Groud Pati on Johnston Street.

The grilled tuna salad portion was so generous, it took me through two meals. Known for its burgers and free peanuts, Ground Pati has such good brand recognition it's hard to believe it's not a national franchise. The to-go orders are prepared fresh and promptly at while you are at the kitchen counter.

Tsunami has a huge reputation as Lafayette's premier sushi restaurant. Along with it's chic bar scene, Tsunami transports patrons to the big-city atmosphere. Wait! We are that big city! We had the squid salad, caterpillar roll and biggus roll as part of another birthday celebration lunch.

Our dining and take out decisions are governed by the EatLafayette (www.eatlafayette.com) restaurants for the next couple of months. 27 restaurants left to sample!

Hub City Diner Experience.

It's always good. Sunday late breakfast at the Oil Center location is my favorite. I am always amazed at how many of my friends I see there. I don't know how he does it, but owner Jimmy Guidry is always there! I know he has another location on Kaliste Saloom. I bet if I go there, he'll be there too!

Comfort food is probably a good description, but there's whole wheat pancakes, plate lunches, and a good variety on the menu. A friend of mine had a mimosa, so I know they serve all kinds of beverages.

Another friend of mine said Tuesday nights "kids eat free" and the balloon man is pretty special.

29 more to go!

Savor the local food flavor during EatLafayette

June 16, 2007
From the Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA - www.theadvertiser.com

Savor the local food flavor during EatLafayette
Three-year-old campaign promotes locally owned eateries
Bob Moser
bmoser@theadvertiser.com

Between sugarcane fields on the edge of a South College Road industrial park, Nimbeaux's Restaurant can be so hard to find that even the owners gave up on directions when it opened seven years ago. They could have used the EatLafayette campaign then, a grassroots effort that began in 2005 with 19 local restaurants trying to draw attention away from better-known big chains. Now in its third year, the campaign will promote 32 restaurants during the next eight weeks in newspaper advertisements and 800 radio spots.

In time, owner Jim "Nimbeaux" Babbin generated his own unique buzz, postingbillboards around Lafayette that dared drivers to find his Cajun seafood with "Can you find us???" printed in place of driving directions.

"Now every weekend I get people who come in and say 'I found you, I found you!,' " Babbin said. "It's become a challenge. ... Some people pay $100,000 for an idea that works as well as that one." It's ironic that Babbin joined EatLafayette for this summer's campaign. He'll finally have some help with those driving directions.

"EatLafayette gives people awareness," he said. "We don't have the money to spend on advertising like a big chain does to bombard the market. "I think people are really interested in eating at the mom and pops. ... When you come in here, you'll see it's like being in our house. I got model airplanes up on the wall, baskets from my wife's collection and family photos."

There are about 400 fast-food and full-service restaurants in Lafayette Parish, according to the latest statistics from ReferenceUSA.com, via the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.

The number of chain versus family-owned restaurants is hard to measure, though EatLafayette found about 95 to invite for this summer's campaign, said Gerald Breaux, executive director of Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission. "The main reason people come to Lafayette is the food, music and the culture," he said. "Not that there's anything wrong with the wonderful chain restaurants we have in our area, but if we didn't have that local flavor, we'd be a vanilla, white-bread city."

Chain restaurants often have a leg up in advertising support and staff retention because they can offer more benefits, said Charlie Goodson, owner of Charley Gs and co-chair of EatLafayette. "Part of what we're doing is joining together, and with small dollars making an impact on the marketing area," he said. "The community needs the big restaurants for their tax revenue, but it's our feeling that a community is reflected by where it shops and eats."

The eight-week campaign will try to steer tourists toward family-owned restaurants while they visit. But the main target is to reconnect locals with restaurants with which they could build long-term loyalty. "Our other mission is to remind local citizens how important our local restaurants are to making the area unique," Breaux said. "We never want to take that for granted."

Restaurants pay $250 to join the campaign, which pays for advertising, including www.eatlafayette.com. Some funding comes from LCVC as well. Babbin hopes the campaign will draw diners to Nimbeaux's long enough to see his planes and family photos on the wall.

Once they taste his wife's fried catfish, the job's done. "What we offer is unique, nostalgic to a point," he said. "When we first opened, we hired a chef, and it didn't fit with what we wanted to do. Now, my wife does all the cooking and does it according to the way we grew up doing it."


The EatLafayette campaign runs Monday through Aug. 19.
For a list of all 32 restaurants and their specials, go to
www.eatlafayette.com.

Italian Feasts.

My 2007 EatLafayette experience has already started with lunch at Bella Figura and supper at Antoni's. We celebrated a birthday at Bella Figura and if you haven't been there lately you need to go. It's now located at River Ranch in the former City Club space. The food and services is just as fabulous as it's always been and the new decor makes it a visual pleasure. Al fresco dining is another option.

Antoni's was our stop for an early supper before we went to the movies. A favorite lunch stop in the Oil Center is a fine early supper place before the movies, the theater, symphony event or concert. It's menu still brings a "yum" to your voice.

Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Event Features EatLafayette Campaign

Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission Presents EatLafayette

This month's Business After Hours, EatLafayette, will surely leave a pleasant taste in your mouth. The event will be held on Thursday, June 14, 2007 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at  River Oaks Catering, 520 East Kaliste Saloom Road. 
 
Enjoy samplings from 32 fine Lafayette restaurants while you network, build relationships, gain visibility, and increase name recognition.
 
This event is co-sponsored by Coca-Cola, The Independent, Republic Beverage Company, and Bon Temps.  Special recognition goes to River Oaks Catering. Additional support provided by Atmos Energy, AT&T, Konriko, Lafayette Regional Airport, and Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center.
 
Admission is only $2 per person.  Do not forget to bring plenty of business cards.  For more information, please contact Events Coordinator, Erin Kelley at 337-233-2705.
 
About EatLafayette:
EatLafayette showcases the restaurants that make Acadiana culture so appetizing. It is an attempt to boost the success of locally owned businesses for the good of the Lafayette community.  For more about EatLafayette, please visit their Web site at www.eatlafayette.com.  

32 Restaurants Already Signed Up for 2007

Antoni's
Bailey's
Bella Figura
Blue Dog Café
Boulevard Grille
Café Habana City
Café Vermilionville
Charley G's
Chris' Po-Boys
Dean-O's
Evangeline Steakhouse & Seafood
Fezzo's
Ground Pati - Johnston Street
Guama's
Hub City Diner
Imonelli's
Judice Inn
La Cuisine de Maman in Vermillionville
La Pizzaria
Lil Daddy's BBQ
Louisiana Po-Boys
Nash's
Nimbeaux's
Pete's
Phares Restaurant
Poor Boy's Riverside Inn
Randol's
South Side Bakery
The Filling Station
Townhouse
Tsunami
Zeus

Six Sponsors Already Signed Up For Third Annual Campaign

EatLafayette is possible through the support and funding of these key sponsors. It also means that Lafayette restaurants only have to pay a nominal fee to join the campaign. We encourage you to support and thank these sponsors that are helping the local restaurant community.

2007 EatLafayette Campaign Kicks Off June 18th.

The 2007 EatLafayette promotion starts June 18 and runs through July 31. www.eatlafayette.com is live and is updated frequently with restaurants who are signing up. The Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, Coca Cola, Konriko Rice and Atmos Energy have already signed on as sponsors.

The campaign is in its third year and supports locally-owned restaurants in Lafayette Parish.