Saturdays usually mean shopping at a farmers market and breakfast out. This has become a tradition of ours no matter where we may be located. This Saturday we were in Breaux Bridge, LA and knew the Lafayette markets well, having shopped them many times. There are three farmers markets in Lafayette which is interesting for a city of its size and the markets are close together.
Since we had to drive to Jennings, LA for business, we decided to only shop the Acadiana Farmers Market, which is the oldest of the markets. This market is only produce and eggs but generally has a large variety of goods. This particular Saturday which dawned cold, windy, and dreary was an exception – only two farmers were selling at the market. We were still able to get kale, salad onions, and butternut squash, but no eggs.
Since our plans were to attend the Coushatta Farmers Market and Jambalaya Cook-off in Elton, LA (another blog post) we headed down the road to Jennings.
Of course, at this point in the morning, breakfast was a priority. John had lobbied hard for the Rice Palace Restaurant in Crowley, the rice capital. This is a truck stop and casino and Laurie is not one for truck stop food. But we all must compromise at times and Laurie decided to give the Rice Palace a try. And were we ever glad we stopped. The food was some of the best truck stop food we have had, at least breakfast wise.
The order included a biscuit covered in crawfish etouffee with a side of grits and a Cajun omelet. The biscuit was large, split open and covered with etouffee. The etouffee was seasoned perfectly and full of crawfish tails. We shared one half of the dish and left with a “go box”. The only thing better would have been the bowl of grits covered with etouffee.
The Cajun omelet consisted of three eggs filled with shrimp, seasoned onions and bell peppers and topped with cheese. It was served with grits and biscuit. There was no “go box” for this dish.
Along with our breakfast we had coffee. It was hot, fresh, and strong – just the way we like it.
With full stomachs and vowing we would not eat again for days, we headed on our way to Jennings.
The Rice Palace is on our list of places to go for a return visit when we are back in the area.
