Hymel's Classic Cajun Fare

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

I'm obsessed with type, and Hymel's retro signage makes me so happy

If you're anything like me, and you grew up in South Louisiana, it can be hard to drum up enthusiasm for a Cajun seafood restaurant. All fried seafood platters seem to meld into one in my mind, each pile of brown crunchiness indistinguishable from the last. In fact, writer Brett Anderson recently penned a column for Nola.com which insisted that fried seafood platters should get the hook.

Recently, Team Bite and Booze had the opportunity to eat at the famous Hymel's in Convent, La., where beverages are served in gigantic fishbowls and seafood is served fried and in heaping quantities.

Just about everything we ordered was fried.

Gigantic fishbowl of Abita Amber

We started with hush puppies and fried crab fingers as an appetizer. The hush puppies were some of the best I'd ever had (Blair insists Jay's from his legendary tailgating days are the best), and the crab claws were huge.

Jay and Blair split the largest fried seafood platter I'd ever seen. Piled high on the plate were fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried catfish, and a fried soft-shell crab. Served with coleslaw, white toast, and french fries, this platter could arguably feed a small army.

The soft-shell crab was fantastic. It was my first time eating soft-shell crab, and as strange as it was to literally eat the fried shell of the crab, it was incredibly tasty. Fried to a crisp, the fresh crab was a table favorite.

Seafood platter with soft-shell crab, fried oysters, fried shrimp

I made out like a bandit. For about $10 I wound up with a huge plate of fried chicken. And y'all, I love my grandma, but this fried chicken blew hers out of the water. It blew Chicken Shack out of the water. It changed my life. I have formed a religion around it.

There is no god, only Hymel's fried chicken.

The crispy corn meal crust had a distinct pork flavor to it, leading me to believe it may have been fried in...wait for it...actual lard.

The result was a crust that tasted like cracklins. Heaven help us all.

Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had

If you ever find yourself near the river in Convent, hit up Hymel's. It's worthwhile.

Golden Oldies: The Fried Fixings of Old School Shreveport-Bossier

Through filming Louisiana Culinary Trails for Louisiana Travel, I found there is something to be said for vacationing within the state. I was invited to join a few other food journalists on a trip around Shreveport-Bossier with Chris Jay, a guy I met last time I was in town. This was a unique trip because Chris wanted to take us places he which he feels embody the area--and not in a touristy way that involves us hitting every "famous for..." place in town, but some places even locals don't know about. While we hit some well known spots, Chris gave us a real taste of Shreveport-Bossier in a way that spoke to the character and stories of the community. After settling in at 2439 Fairfield: A Bed & Breakfast, we kicked off the weekend at Shockley's Fish & Fixins!

Mr. Shockley

Shockley's has been in operation for over 33 years and is only marked by a hand painted sign hung up on an abandoned building about two miles from the restaurant. Mr. Shockley is still in the kitchen and there are only three things you need to know about him: he loves the Tigers, he loves Miller Lite, and he knows how to fry some catfish. While there's a little bit on the menu, you can't pass up their all you can eat whole and fried catfish!

Sweet & Tangy Coleslaw...and lots of it.

Pickled Green Tomatoes

Mr. Shockley's Whole Fried Catfish

Theresa Gullo

Gullo's Fresh Produce & Bake Shop has been handed down through the family for generations. Still family owned and operated, Gullo's provides fresh produce to the neighborhood in addition to canned preserves, local honey, frozen meals from their family recipes, and of course, Italian pastries.

While I was in the store I grabbed some of the last of Theresa Gullo's fig preserves of the season and her husband's pickled habanero's!

Fried Apple Pie

The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Visitor's Bureau set us up in a very pleasant B&B for the duration of the trip. We had the pleasure of staying at 2439 Fairfield: A Bed and Breakfast, and that Saturday morning the owner, Jimmy, made us his famous southern decadent breakfast. There was an array of tomato grits, eggs, bacon, ham, jams, breads...you name it! Don't even get me started on Jimmy's famous fried pies. That's right--dessert at breakfast and it was amazing!

Herby K's Shrimp Buster

A trip to Shreveport wouldn't be complete without a Shrimp Buster at Herby K's! Simple and delicious, the Shrimp Buster consists of four flattened, battered, and fried shrimp on a toasted poboy bun and served with a side of slaw and buster sauce (a spicy tangy sweet concoction). Everyone attacks them differently, but I like to make a little poboy taco out of mine and top it with slaw and sauce. Herby K's has been around since 1936 and the Shrimp Buster has been a part of its history for almost 70 years!


The places mentioned in this post are a little taste of old school Shreveport-Bossier...it's always cool to see where a place has been, but we also got a taste of where they're going. Check back in and see some of the up and comings of Shreveport-Bossier's food culture!

Juan's Flying Burrito Creole Taqueria

Way back before the Saints won the Super Bowl (as in the day before), a group of friends I were out on the town in New Orleans and decided to grab some eats and drinks at Juan's Flying Burrito "Creole Taqueria" in the lower Garden District.  Joining me in the debauchery were Daniel "Nunee" Nunes, Brent, Brandon, Celeste, and couple from California (well one was from Nola and the other came from Cali, I think) that invited us to sit at their table with them so we didn't have to wait for a table of our own.  Yeah, it looked like we were in for that kind of night!

Juan's Flying Burrito "Creole Taqueria" on Magazine St. in New Orleans

After settling in at the large booth near the entrance of the restaurant, we found ourselves waiting for service.  When the waiter finally came he told us about their $1.10 Pabst Blue Ribbon drink special, so I promptly order two of them.  Puzzled, the waiter asked if I really wanted two at the same time.  I said yes, I really do, and I'll probably finish both of them before he could return with two more!  Then Brent ordered shots because, well, Brent orders shots.  Being that we were in a "Creole Taqueria," Brent logically concluded that those shots should be Patron.  Oops!

Shot of Patron, Two $1.10 Pabst Blue Ribbons

I was correct about the slow service.  Apparently it is part of the customary charm of Juan's.  They also forgot to bring out our chips and salsa.  It took asking for it 2-3 times before it finally showed up, and then I believe they sent out something on the house because of the mess up.  At least they got that part right!  My memory of the whole things is a little fuzzy because I ordered another double-dose of PBRs and chose to enjoy the company rather than fuss about the service.  At least they acknowledge the slow response times and are aware of it though.  As our waiter very sarcastically pointed out, "we're (Juan's) known for our impeccable service!"

Pork 'n' Slaw Tacos

Several rounds of drinks later our grub finally arrived.  I went with the trio of pork 'n' slaw tacos.  These bad boys came with tender, shredded pork, jack and cheddar cheese, spicy slaw, and salsa fresca for only $6.95.  The wait wasn't short, but to their credit the place was slammed with a lively crowd, and the food turned out to be good and cheap.  We really had a blast interacting with our waiter and the random people that allowed us to join their table.  The tacos themselves were served in hot and chewy flour tortillas that acted as a superb vessel for transporting the tasty pork and slaw from the wax-papered basket to my mouth.  I ate all three tacos and afterwards certainly felt full and satisfied.  I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Juan's again as long as I'm looking for a good time and not in a hurry!  

Things To Do
New Orleans

Talladega Nights: The Legend of Jay D Ducote

DANG!  In the course of one week I visited two of about the most culturally opposite places in the country... Talladega, Alabama on a NASCAR race weekend and San Francisco, California for a blogger festival that promoted organic and sustainable foods.  Screw sustaining things for now... Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Let's go racin' boys!!!

Eusebio and I had the privilege of taking a Sunday out of our schedules to make a 24 hour trip to Talladega for the Fall Sprint Cup race.  We drove overnight to Alabama, arriving at the track around 4 a.m. in a fog thicker than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Southern accent.  We took a nap in the truck until the sun came up then cracked open a couple ice cold Budweisers just to make everything right with the world.  Soon it was time to walk to the track, so, with ice chest and beers in hand, we began our journey through the Superspeedway maze of glory.

Jay Standing by the Talladega Superspeedway Sign

Talladega, in all of its awesomeness, filled the air with joy, celebration, and redneck perfume, which is a mixture of combusted fuel exhaust, sweet barbeque smoke, and cheap beer induced urine.  It is the smell of excellence.  Eusebio and I made our way to the promotional area where trailers can be found vending merchandise of all the popular drivers to their legions of fans.  There were also exhibits to promote products, show off drifting techniques in Dodge cars, and even sign up to join the U.S. Army! 

I Took a Picture with the #39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Chevy Impala because Ryan Newman is my boy!

Alas, this here is a food and drink blog, not a NASCAR hootananny, so let's eat!  Before getting to our seats in the grandstands, I picked up a handfull of hotdogs for me and Eusebio.  Some unknown meats on an enriched flour bun with a "squirt" of yellow mustard sure hit the spot!

Two Talladega Dogs with Extra Mustard

I don't seem to a have picture of the beer, but rest assured they were consumed in mass quantities.  If I remember correctly, which oddly enough I do, we each drank a mixture 14 ice cold Budweisers and black and gold (representing the Saints, but I also know they matched the black and gold of th #39 US Army Chevrolet) Bud Lights.  They tasted delicious amidst the carbon monoxide fumes that filled the air from the race track below.  We really couldn't have asked for a prettier day.  I mean, look at that picture below!

Race Cars Lined Up for the Start of the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

During the course of events in a 500 mile race and 14 refreshing cans of macro-brewed swill, one is bound to eat more than just a couple of mustard-drenched wieners on a bun.  Leave it to Eusebio to find something a little more interesting for the palate.  Behold the Taladega pulled pork sandwich!

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Enough Slaw to Make a Slack-Jawed Yokel Feel at Home

The pulled pork sandwich made me happy while I was upset that I couldn't even see Ryan Newman's wreck (click here to watch the highlight with French broadcasters... hilarious) because it happened on the other side of the track.  No worries though, I had a belly full of beer and pork and we were going to a green-white-checker finish!  The slaw seemed a bit excessive to me and I pulled some out, but the pork was actually quite edible.

Talladega made me miss my three consecutive years of going to Bristol for the Spring race.  I'll be back for sure.  As much as I joke and make fun, I really do love NASCAR races.  They are always a great time and they let you bring your own beer and food into the track.  What other major sporting league can say that?! 

After the race Eusebio and I found a shortcut through the pastures of people and vehicles to get back to my truck.  We climbed in and set off to the West where were hoping to find something to eat for dinner and eventually our home in Louisiana.  We had to be at work the next day and being in Alabama wasn't going to help that situation!  Unfortunately, in order to get home we had to drive through Hell... I mean Tuscaloosa.  It was there that I ate one of the most disappointing burgers of my life, and certainly the worst since the River Queen Drive Inn.  For that, you'll have to check back for the next post.  The checkered flag is waving... I'm out! 

Things To Do
Talladega