Aahhh. Every now and again you find in the most unlikely of places some good eats. Not necessarily fine dining, with its airs of superior atmosphere and presentation. Something less self-possessed. A nice looking place, with personable service and good food.

From Phoenix to Abbeville I've been making do with packaged sandwiches from Circle K, diner meals and the cafeteria of the State Capitol Building of Austin, Texas (which serves a pretty good enchilada). But off the beaten path, in Abbeville, one of the first buildings you'll see travelling east-bound is Black's Oyster Bar. Stop there.

I'm having Alligator Bits, Crawfish Étouffée and Seafood Gumbo with a Beck's Dark to wash it down.

11:51 7830 Dominican St.; New Orleans, Louisiana -- USA :: 06 FEB 97

Alligator Bits are sorta Alligator Nuggets. Tasty. Something like a cross between chicken nuggets and calimari (deep-fried squid). I don't think they're `traditional' of Louisiana cooking.

On the other hand, Crawfish Étouffée probably is. What you have is boiled crawfish tail in a tomato cream sauce with a little kick. Absolutely scrumptious. The gumbo is essentially seafood soup. A marvy broth, again with a bit of kick, containing crawfish tails, clams and catfish.

I didn't like beer much in my teen years until I picked up a rack of Beck's Dark for a party, around 1978 or so. I was probably trying to be cool. But since then, it's been dark beers of one variety or another ever since. Unless it's really, really hot and there's some ice-cold lager around. Actually, the Dixie Brewery in Louisiana bottles a little wonder known as Blackened Voodoo Lager. Great stuff.

Anyway, it was nice to enjoy a meal for a change.

You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Excepting Alice
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant

Arlo Guthrie From the song Alice's Restaurant