From savory beginnings to sweet endings, Northeast Louisiana dishes up not-to-be-missed fare with a Southern focus, but it's anything but simple on the Delta Delights Culinary Trail.
The contemporary Parish Restaurant & Bar, the brainchild of award-winning Chef Corey Bahr—a Monroe native, champion of the Food Network's Chopped cooking competition, and culinary conservation advocate—offers a creative take on classic southern cuisine with a menu that emphasizes fresh seafood, handmade pasta, and prime beef. Inventive dishes like boudin chimichangas and original duck wraps are beautifully plated, and the downtown eatery's bar is equally as impressive as the kitchenwith its craft cocktail offerings.
For more casual digs, diners can enjoy the view of the Ouachita River at Trapp's Restaurant in West Monroe while munching on Mom Bourque’s famous Seafood Nachos (stacked with fried crawfish, grilled shrimp, and white queso). Your plate will runneth over with authentic Cajun favorites and if you just happen to time your visit during their weekly live music performances, you'll get dinner and a show.
Courtesy of Louisiana Travel
Flying Tiger Brewery
As for spirits, Monroe-West Monroe has a vineyard, brewery, and meadery of its own. Landry Vineyards is a family-owned winery located in the rolling hills of West Monroe. Wines produced here include Blackberry Merlot, Blanc Du Bois (Dry and Semi-Sweet), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cotton Rouge, Redneck Red and more. Two harvest festivals are hosted each summer that offer visitors the chance to harvest grapes and participate in a grape stomp celebration.
Flying Tiger Brewery is home to a brew house, taproom, and beer garden. The brewery’s military theme pays homage to hometown hero Gen. Claire Lee Chennault, whose Flying Tigers fighter pilots were instrumental in helping Allied forces in World War II. Popular beers at Flying Tiger include the Burma Blonde Lager and Man at Arms Amber Ale.
If you’d like a drink before or after dinner, Brass Monkey Pub & Patio and Five19 Tap House are side-by-side bars that have a fun, steam-punk kind of feel right down Desiard. Then there's Enoch’s Irish Pub, a local institution for decades (it was founded on St. Patrick's Day in 1980!) filled with regulars just like in Cheers.
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