Feature Beer Friday: Great Raft's Rhinestone Life Wheat NEIPA

By Eric Ducote

Hello again, another week, another Feature Beer Friday here at Bite And Booze.  Chuck keeps putting the bite in the blog, and I'll keep supplying the booze!  This week we're making our first FBF trip up to Shreveport, with an offering from Great Raft Brewing.  Great Raft Brewing was among the "second wave" of sorts of Louisiana craft beer, following Abita but now having been established for a number of years.  In addition to their flagship brews, Great Raft puts out some excellent sours, a number of collaborations, and some phenomenal hoppy offerings.  

Today's review is of their latest hoppy offering, the Rhinestone Life New England Style Wheat IPA.  By now I'm sure you're all aware that "New England Style" refers to the hazy trend that's dominating the IPA world and is often abbreviated as a NEIPA.  A lot of NEIPAs rely on flaked oats to create some additional body and haze, but the Rhinestone Life from Great Raft takes that up a notch by using wheat in addition to the oats and a base pilsen malt.  It's then hopped with a blend of Simcoe, Mosaic, and Citra.  

Great Raft's Rhinestone Life New England Style Wheat IPA

The first thing I noticed from this brew is a hazy orange-red color, definitely a deeper color palate than most beers of the style, which I can only assume comes primarily from the wheat in the grain bill.  The head is bubbly and white as you can see, and left some excellent lacing as I worked through the pint can.  The aroma is hoppy as expected, with the citra hops providing the bulk of the aroma that I pick up.  On the taste there is definitely some wheat malt providing a backbone of sweetness, but it's nicely complimented by the strong hop presence.  The mouthfeel is silky smooth thanks to the oats and the wheat and it really allows those hop flavors to meld together and stick around through each sip. 

Another well done beer from Great Raft, and I'm sure you'll see more of them on Feature Beer Friday in the future.  Cheers!  
  

El Cabo Verde: A Passion Project

by Blair Loup

The first time I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Gabriel Balderas, local food legend Chris Jay was taking us on a culinary dream tour around the Shreveport-Bossier area.

People always laugh when I tell them how much I love Shreveport, but it’s no joke. We found Chef Gabriel cooking some of the most amazing tamales I’ve ever had at Flying Heart brewery in Bossier City.

Instead of cooking them in corn husks, Chef Gabriel cased his tamles in banana leaves... and my life changed. Everything I didn’t really like about tamales before (dry & crumbly masa) seemed to be remedied by the moisture from the banana leaf. That’s the moment I knew Gabriel was onto some next level stuff.

We’ve kept in touch with Gabriel and watched the success of the El Cabo Verde name. Sure enough, Chef Gabriel was named one of 2016’s Chefs to Watch by Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine.

Reserved, but passionate, I could listen to him talk about food and ingredients all day. His dedication to the craft is serious and it shows on every plate he puts in front of you.

Fresh corn tortillas, chips, queso, salsa and salsa verde

Here’s a look at some of the dishes we had the chance to taste at his brand new brick and mortar:

Guacamole

Guacamole with fried plantains and radish

I find there’s always a fine line that separates good guac from bad guac. Too much of this or too little of that could make or break a guacamole’s reputation, and this one is made of the right stuff.

Quesadillas

Pork quesadillas 

A traditional quesadilla is the stuff dreams are made of. Creamy, melted queso enveloped around tenderly braised meat between a homemade corn tortilla is hard to beat. This is the snack of champions.

Chicken Tamales

Banana leaf tamales with chile de arbor salsa

These are as legendary as I remember them. Covered in a tangy salsa verde, these flavorful pockets of masa combined with a side of spicy chile de arbol salsa are a must-try.

Cricket Tacos 

Crunchy cricket tacos with guacamole on a fresh corn tortilla

As a very special treat, Chef Gabriel prepared a special off-menu item for our team. I’m probably the most adventurous eater out of the group, so I was super stoked when he put this cricket taco in front of me. The flavor is unique and flavorful with hints of lime. While this may not be something you can always find, I think it’s indicative of Chef Gabriel’s passion and culture. I know I enjoyed it and I can't wait to go back for more!

In Pizza We Trust

by Daniel Harris

First, a haiku:

Pizza, so yummy

I could eat it all the time

I love you, pizza

Here at Bite and Booze, we believe pizza is less a food and more a way of life. #Pizzaluminati

#pizzaluminati

Some like it simple, maybe just cheese or pepperoni, and others like to throw on so many toppings you can barely see the cheese. Despite how you enjoy your pizza, you’ll love to feast your eyes on a few of our recent pizza pics.

Il Forno a Legna

Shrimp, smoked salmon, mushroom, mozzarella, parsley pizza at Il Forno in McAllen, Texas.

Jay D’s Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Jay D's Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Frank's Pizza Napoletana

Crawfish lagniappe pizza from Frank's in Shreveport

Lüke

Starting off brunch at @lukeneworleans with the flammkuchen, a southern German style caramelized onion, cheese, fig and bacon tart. Have you eaten at Lüke or other @chefjohnbesh restaurants?

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Oct 11, 2015 at 10:59am PDT

Dat'z Italian

Wood-fired pizza from Dat'z Italian at the Baton Rouge Blues Fest

Red Zeppelin

Loving on this leaning tower of pizza @redzeppelinpizza with @ruerusike! What are y'all getting into for lunch today? 🍕

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Sep 8, 2015 at 11:32am PDT

Jay D’s Barbecue Venison Pizza

Gimme pizza! P-I-Z-Z-A! Head to biteandbooze.com and check out @jayducote's Barbecue Venison Pizza recipe, using @hugjayd barbecue sauce and ingredients from @indieplate! #pizza #gimmepizza #yummy #indieplate #foodpics

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Mar 7, 2016 at 8:27am PST

Great Raft Brewing + Restaurant Calla: A Flavorful Balancing Act

by Blair Loup

Southwest Louisiana is the place I call home. I grew up in the small city of Sulphur near what some might call the “main drag,” in this case the street with the most chain restaurants. We had to go across the bridge to Lake Charles to go to a mall or see a movie; you know, the fun stuff.

While it was a great place to grow up, I’ll admit throughout college I didn’t find myself itching to leave Baton Rouge to go home for a visit, but that’s changing.

Lake Charles is booming, and there are some cool people working hard to showcase what the area has to offer. One of those shining stars is Chef David Sorrells at Restaurant Calla.

The relatively new restaurant is one of the first businesses to open in a sparkly new development, Walnut Grove. Chef David has a long history of restaurant experience, but perhaps the most notable is his time at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry.

So what’s he doing in Lake Charles? He’s plating up some of the tastiest and creative bites I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in the region.

Recently, Jay teamed up with Restaurant Calla and Great Raft Brewing to kick off our Louisiana Winter Beer Festival weekend. Great Raft's Chief Brewer Harvey Kenney claimed it was easily the best Great Raft Beer pairing dinner he’s experienced.

Blue Crab Beignet + Southern Drawl Pale Lager

Blue crab beignet, malt vinegar aioli, red pepper confit.

What I imagined would be a bready fritter with a few chunks of crab turned out to be this magical delicately fried ball stuffed to the gills with blue crab. The subtle sweetness of the crab met with a malt vinegar aioli to give it a tinge of acidity that set off the flavors. This lovely, bright but sweet red pepper confit added a necessary savory element. Pair that with a crisp, clean lager and the first course was set.

Red Snapper Ceviche + At Arm’s Length India Pale Lager

Red Snapper ceviche, tropical fruit, coconut cream.

Easily one of the best ceviches I’ve eaten, Chef David’s balance of flavors in this dish was spot on. Ceviche is the art of curing fish or other seafood in citrus juices. The tango of that popping citrus with tropical fruit and a coconut cream set off the hop-forward lager in a way that will stay with me.

Grilled Octopus + Commotion American Pale Ale

Grilled octopus, avocado, chipotle, barley, cilantro, grapefruit, Commotion vinaigrette.

This is not your mom’s grilled octopus dish. Super tender grilled octopus sprinkled with accoutrements like creamy avocado, smoky chipotle, cilantro, barley, and juicy grapefruit tossed in Commotion vinaigrette had my taste buds partying like it was 1999. Those flavors combined with the relaxed hoppy Commotion were money. Commotion is one of those hoppy beers that even even a Coors Light drinker can get behind. It’s easy to drink and refreshing.

Coffee & Cocoa Rubbed Tenderloin + Reasonably Corrupt Black Lager

Coffee and cocoa rubbed tenderloin, creamed yucca, charred leeks, ancho hollandaise.

This dish spoke to me on levels I didn’t know beef tenderloin could speak on. The bitter but savory rub on the beef married with the ancho hollandaise seamlessly. Drag that buttery soft bite through the thick creamed yucca, and it’s on. The toasty notes you get in the Reasonably Corrupt from the roasted paired perfectly with the chocolate-peppery notes in the dish.

Chocolate Short Bread Cookies + Provisions and Traditions Vol. 3 Oak Aged Oktoberfest with Louisiana Cane Syrup

Chocolate short bread cookies, banana sorbet, dulce de leche, peanut butter powder.

Chocolate short bread cookies with a banana sorbet drizzled with dulce de leche and peanut butter powder is never a bad decision. What I love about flavored powders like peanut butter, strawberry, green tea, etc. is that you get the entirety of the flavor full on, but not the substance. It’s a very cool way to accentuate dishes. This Oak Aged Oktoberfest is slightly sweet from the malt with a bittersweet cane syrup taste…now if only dipping the cookies in beer were a good idea!

Wish You Were Here: Postcards from Our 2015 Travels

by Sydney Blanchard

As much as we at team Bite and Booze love to celebrate the local culinary scene, on occasion we don't mind checking out other cities and seeing the best they have to offer.

We got to do a good bit of traveling in 2015, and obviously we blogged about it. Check out our take on Oxford, Shreveport, Oklahoma City, and New York!

Oxford, Mississippi

"Oxford doesn't preen or parade; it waits patiently to unravel itself to curious passersby."

"There’s plenty of old school historic Oxford to fall in love with, but it’s the vibrant group of new culinary talent that captured my attention."

Shreveport, Louisiana

"The general theory tossed around as I was growing up is that North Louisiana is essentially Yankee territory, with a disturbing lack of Catholics, culture, and alcoholic beverages. "

"Sure, they say, the food is phenomenal, but that's not what makes Lucky Palace special. It's the location, the decor, the service."

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"If there’s one thing I learned about Oklahoma, it’s that it isn't what you'd expect."

"I'm okay with Jay shipping me off to Oklahoma any day. The people are passionate and forward-thinking in a way that's making room for some very cool stuff."

New York, New York

"While winning a James Beard Award is one of the ultimate milestones of a career in the culinary arts, getting invited to cook at the James Beard house is also one of those monumental achievements for aspiring chefs."

"No trip to Momofuku Noodle Bar would be complete without a walk to their sister bakery Milk Bar a few blocks away."

Best Bites of 2015: Sydney's Picks

by Sydney Blanchard

Looking back, 2015 has been a pretty big year for me. I graduated from college (Manship, represent), landed a real job (thanks to Jay), and started paying bills for the first time (the Internet is expensive, yo).

I've also had the opportunity to travel across the country and try some amazing dishes. Whittling my 2015 eats down to my five favorites was no easy task. But as you'll see, a pattern emerged.

For me, Louisiana food wins 80 percent of the time.

Boudin along the Boudin Trail Lake Charles, LA

Smoked boudin in Lake Charles

Smoked, boiled, or balled, the state's best boudin inarguably hails from Southwest Louisiana. My family is from Eunice, Louisiana, and growing up I was convinced there was no better boudin than the boudin coming out of Eunice. My trip to Lake Charles proved me wrong. Any stop along the Boudin Trail yields delicious, smokey, seasoned results.

Jay's Brisket at the Gnarly Barley GnarBQ Hammond, LA

Jay's brisket is one of the best things in the world

My official nickname since starting with Bite & Booze as an intern back in January has been "brown nose," because apparently my enthusiasm for all things Bite & Booze comes across as sucking up for brownie points. That being said, back in October, Jay cooked all sorts of smoked barbecue goodness for Gnarly Barley's GnarBQ. My favorite of all the proteins served was this brisket, rubbed down with Jay D's Sweet & Spicy Rub. Tender, juicy, sweet and spicy with a crispy exterior, this brisket melted in our mouths. If that makes me a brown nose, so be it!

Alligator & Mashed Mirliton at the James Beard House New York, NY

#bayouinthebigapple

Chefs Sam and Cody Carroll of Sac-A-Lait in New Orleans have had a hell of a year, arguably culminating in their invitation to cook at the James Beard House in New York. To show our support, we took a team trip up to New York to help Sam and Cody where we could and to enjoy a phenomenal dinner in the famous house. The sweet fried alligator and mashed mirliton dish was one of the first courses, and it simply wowed my taste buds. The Carrolls' cuisine tastes nostalgic to me; just like the food I grew up eating, only elevated with beautiful plating and a sense of nuance. Luckily, this dish is on their New Orleans menu, and comes highly recommended by me.

Strawberry Pie at Strawn's Shreveport, LA

This is what dreams are made of

Around Shreveport, Strawn's Eat Shop is an institution. They're known for their icebox pies, and while there on a media trip I was lucky enough to see first hand how the pies are made and to try a variety of their famous pies. The strawberry icebox pie is simple in construction: fresh strawberries are combined with a red, syrupy strawberry red sauce, topped with a heap of confectioners sugar, and then finished off with whipped cream. That's it. But this pie is the stuff of dreams, light and fluffy and not overly sweet, but decadent nonetheless. Word on the street is City Pork Kitchen & Pie took some inspiration from Strawn's when drawing up their icebox pies.

Family-style Lunch at Woodson Ridge Farms Oxford, MS

Every element of this Woodson Ridge Farm lunch was aesthetically perfect

It's safe to say I fell in love with Oxford, Mississippi. My trip was filled to the brim with delicious food, the weather was perfect for our entire stay, and I got to learn about the historical importance of the town. One meal in particular stood out, and that was a homestyle fried chicken lunch prepared by Elizabeth Heiskell of Woodson Ridge Farms in Oxford. Every element of this meal was perfect: we had spicy collard greens, roasted root vegetables from the farm, a brussel sprout slaw, served family style outdoors at a big wooden table in the middle of the farm. It was true Southern decadence.

Lucky Palace in Bossier City: You Either Get It or You Don't

by Sydney Blanchard

Since I began as an intern with Bite and Booze nearly a year ago, I have heard whispers of Lucky Palace in Shreveport, Louisiana.

It's safe to say Jay and Blair are obsessed with the place: these two actively fantasize about the restaurant, and they tell everyone about this place if the topic of best places to eat ever comes up.

Sure, they say, the food is phenomenal, but that's not what makes Lucky Palace special. It's the location, the decor, the service.

It's the unexpectedness of it all.

So when Jay, Blair, and I were invited to hang out in Shreveport-Bossier with the tourism bureau's PR and Social Media Manager Chris Jay in late September, I stayed focused on my one true objective throughout our trip. I had to see whether Lucky Palace lived up to the hype.

Here's the thing. Lucky Palace is situated in a seedy part of town within an interstate-side hotel. The parking lot looks like the kind of place where people meet up to buy or sell prescription pain medication. It's poorly lit, and getting to the restaurant requires entering through the yellowing, smoke-smelling hotel lobby.

Entering Lucky Palace is akin to entering another dimension. Lucky palace exists in another place and time.

The interior is shrouded in red-tinged darkness. It's impossible to sense how large or small the place is, or to determine where the walls end and the floors begin.

Imagine a cross between a very ornate Chinese restaurant from the 1970s and the Red Room from David Lynch's Twin Peaks. That's the only way to describe Lucky Palace.

The menu offers typical "Chinese-American" fare: sesame, orange, and General Tso's chicken, egg drop soup, and egg rolls. But a keen observer will head straight for the House Specialties: Northern style duck with steam buns, squid with sour cabbage, Korean pancakes, and more.

Roasted Duck on Scallion Pancakes

It almost goes without saying that the food is incredible. The roasted duck on scallion pancakes makes for a perfect bite. The crunchy "pirate boats" filled with crisped scallops chopped and served on Belgium endives topped with black bean sauce is breathtaking. The sweet, pecan inspired sesame 

ball dessert is a dream.

Pirate Boats with Black Bean Sauce

Everyone agrees the food is exceptional, but Lucky Palace’s reputation was built on its highly curated selection of wines. They have more than 250 to choose from.

Tamarind Marinated Rack of Lamb with Jalapeno Mint Glaze

Since 2003 the restaurant has nabbed Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator, and since 2006 it's been recognized by Awards of Unique Distinction by Wine Enthusiast. Lucky Palace has also twice
been named in the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in America.

Steak with onion and bell pepper

The proprietor, Kuan Lim, is a local legend. His smile illuminates the dark restaurant. Lim excels in customer service, and he has the ability to make every diner feel looked after. He will personally pair a wine with any dish at Lucky Palace, and to quote Chris Jay, "this may be the world’s only restaurant that serves a $7 sesame chicken lunch special as well as a $760 bottle of 2002 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon."

Battered shrimp with peppers

After all the hype, I have to say, Lucky Palace exceeded my expectations. It’s easy to see how a place like this can be overlooked, and it made me ever grateful to be experiencing Lucky Palace with people who knew enough to appreciate it.

There's nothing like Lucky Palace.

Flavorful Shreveport/Bossier: Sabores Brings a Dominican Flare to Northern Louisiana

On a Shreveport-Bossier media trip this past May I had the pleasure of eating at an authentic Dominican restaurant in Bossier City. Sabores is a family owned and operated eatery with dishes reminiscent of those I had on my trip to the Dominican Republic (Parts Uno, Dos, and Tres). I'm extremely glad that we got to try some of the international cuisine in the area because they rolled out the red carpet for our group. We feasted on their favorite traditional dishes and a few surprises. I really hope I get to go back to Sabores and the entire area about the Barksdale Air Force Base. I understand that there's even more ethnic restaurants to explore!

Shrimp Mofonguitos: a plantain pedestal topped with an avocado mixture and a sautéed garlicky shrimp, garnished with a fried plantain spear.

Shrimp Mofonguitos

Picadera: essentially a snack tray, this dish is decorated with a creamy cilantro sauce, cracklin-esque morsels of pig, fried plantains, and mini sandwiches.

Picadera

Sancocho: a traditional stew made with bone in cuts of pork, hearty potatoes, and other veggies. Sabores typically only serves this on Sundays, but the owners were nice enough to fix a pot for our visit and didn't disappoint. The rustic and earthy stew packed plenty of flavor!

Sancocho

This dish is sort of like a Dominican take on Shrimp Creole served atop gulf fish. A tomato based red sauce sprinkled with red and green bell peppers and succulent shrimp is poured over a dramatic whole Red Snapper that's crispy fried and heaven in my mouth.

Red Snapper with Shrimp

Pernil Herneado: Slow-roasted pork with cooked down onions. Sometimes the simple things are the most delicious.

Pernil Horneado

Bandeja: literally meaning platter, this bandeja consisted of fried pork belly, white rice, avocado, fried egg, chorizo, and red beans. It reminded me a lot of an authentic Dominican rice and beans dish.

Bandeja

Mama Juana: The family prepared this traditional liquor in celebration of welcoming a new baby to the family and was kind enough to allow us all a few sips. This isn't a great picture, but you can clearly see all the leaves, twigs, and roots packed in the bottle. All of these bits and pieces of tree and herbs are soaked in rum, red wine, and honey to make an end result tasting like an earthy, licorice-y port wine. On the beaches of the DR the locals would sell Mama Juana and rave about its aphrodisiac properties. It can't hurt to take a shot, that's for sure!

Mama Juana

Louisiana Culinary Trails: Red River Riches

Tommy Talley leads the tommysTV crew at Inglewood Farms

The Shreveport/Bossier area may not be know for their food, but Louisiana Culinary Trails says otherwise. Follow the Red River through the Northwest corner of the state all the way to Alexandria and you'll find some great local eateries. In filming, tommysTV and I were able to chat about what makes this area of the state so delicious with Chris Jay of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau, Jason Brady from Wine Country Bistro, Shreveport food lover Steven Jackson, Steven Reed of Inglewood Farms, Angie White from Slow Foods North Louisiana, as well as Angela Lasyone of Lasyone's Meat Pies and Lacey Tanner from Lea's Lunchroom.

tommysTV getting set up for Chris Jay's interview at Herby K's

Dan Jones captures the magic of Herby K's Shrimpbuster

Sherry's Diner in Shreveport, Louisiana

Lindsay Nations: Baroness of Beer

The Louisiana craft beer scene has taken off in the past few years and we definitely haven't seen the last of it. There are already talks of a handful of new breweries planning to open within the next couple of years. One of the newer kids on the block, the Great Raft Brewing Company out of  Shreveport, Louisiana,  has made quite a splash since they came on the scene a little over one year ago.

Lindsay Nations, Co-founder and Vice President of Great Raft Brewing Company in Shreveport, Louisiana

Lindsay Nations, the Co-founder and Vice President of Great Raft Brewing Co., says her love for craft beer took off once she moved to Washington, D.C.. After growing up in Shreveport, she earned a degree in journalism from Baylor University then moved to the nation's capital where she worked for in enterprise communications. "There are different distribution laws in DC so you have access to craft beers from all over the world. It was a unique opportunity to learn what beer can be. It doesn't always have to be an amber or a lager, it can be a lot of different things. I think being exposed to that variety got me interested," Lindsay explained over a pint of their Commotion Pale Ale. Homebrewing with her husband Andrew Nations (Co-founder and President of Great Raft Brewing Co.) also really sparked the couple's involvement in the D.C. beer culture. "Everything we did outside of work revolved around beer: spending time at breweries, friends were opening breweries, doing beer tastings and education events, just being really involved to the point of having an influence in that community," said Nations, "It just became our lifestyle."

After Nations received her MBA from George Mason University, she and Andrew began talking about owning and operating their own brewery. Once the pair decided their brewery would be back home in Shreveport there was no turning back. Lindsay is in charge of the brewery's taproom operations and marketing in addition to administrative duties, accounting, and legal work. In conjunction with running the brewery with Andrew, Lindsay "has a day job" where she does strategy, planning, and communications work for Cisco. As if her busy schedule didn't present enough of a challenge, Lindsay expressed that it can be hard to be taken seriously as a female in the beer business. "A lot of times, people think that you are, as a woman, just in a supportive roll. 'Andy the owner of Great Raft... and his wife, Lindsay,' it's not necessarily 'Andrew and Lindsay are the co-founders and part owners of Great Raft Brewing,'" said Nations. While it's upsetting that assuming such a thing is just a creature of habit (pardon the pun, Creature of Habit is the name of their new coffee brown ale), it is something that Nations says she thinks may change over time. There are more and more females entering the industry all the time. Not only do their duties go beyond supportive roles, but these women are the ones who are in large part running the show.

"I can't grow a beard and be the typical face of the company in the brewing industry, but there are so many things that would fall apart if I left one day," Lindsay said laughing, "You don't get to be the face of the company when you don't fit the stereotype sometimes." Nations then began talking about Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewing, stating how much harder she must have to work to get that recognition in the industry. "When I hear New Belgium, I think Kim Jordan. Maybe one day that will be the case with Louisiana breweries."

To that I say cheers to Lindsay Nations and cheers to women kicking ass in beer.


This post is part of a new monthly series spotlighting Louisiana women in the business of booze. Previous features include:
Natalie Parbhoo: Duchess of Distribution

Shiny New Toys: A Taste of Shreveport-Bossier's New Kids on the Block

While there are plenty of Shreveport-Bossier staples, some of which we covered yesterday, there are also some new kids on the block that aren't afraid to make a scene. One of those is Sevendipity Café. Husband and wife duo Scott and Liz Roebuck have taken a whack at the famed Cronut (fried croissant dough in the shape of a donut)...but what's more is Scott's Creauxnuts! He fills alternating pockets with different fillings, hits them with a glaze and then blows your mind. Simply put, this guy has creauxnuts that make you go nuts, and has been selling hundreds a week. If you're ever in the area, you've got to stop by--word on the street is they have phenomenal lunch as well. Before you try anything though, you have to have a slice of their homemade bread. It is, as Scott Roebuck says, "our bread and butter."

Sevendipity's Homemade Bread topped with fresh Mayhaw Jelly

This particular creauxnut, filled with raspberry blackberry filling and banana filling melted in my mouth. The citrus glaze brightened up the flavors and the crushed pistachios added a nice texture element to the dough.

Raspberry Blackberry & Banana Filled Creauxnuts with a Citrus Glaze and Crushed Pistachios

Frank's Pizza Napoletana opened its doors in 2012. The area's only true Pizza Napoletana, Frank gave us a show of some of his best pies served with some Great Raft beer. They have excellent salads and pastas served alongside some phenomenal cocktails as well!

First up: The Crawfish Lagniappe Pizza. One would think the flavors of Louisiana don't belong on a pizza, but one would be wrong. With spicy sautéed Louisiana crawfish covered in Cajun Trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery), roasted Andouille sausage, Creole roasted garlic panna, Pecorino Romano, homemade Mozzarella, and a spritz of basil oil the flavors came together so well, I like to think of it as the gumbo of pizza.

The Crawfish Lagniappe Pizza

The Too Duckin' Good pizza at Frank's is, well, better than good! An Italian flour dough is topped with Panna, Parmigiano, caramelized onions, fontina, gorgonzola, house made Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Confit, sliced pears and then drizzled with a little local honey. If you've never tried a rich, decadent pizza, you're missing out. This pie had character and a luscious flavor profile that would go great with a bottle of red wine.

The Too Duckin' Good Pizza

The Margherita Pizza

Hot Passion Geauxsicle: Pineapple, Passion Fruit, and Jalapeño

There's nothing like grabbing a gourmet popsicle after a day of exploring Shreveport! Luckily for us, Shreveport is home to a killer popsicle shop: Geauxsicles. Geauxsicles is located in an old bank where they use the deposit drawer to transport drive-thru patrons their tasty pops. They have a bunch of flavors to choose from so it was hard to make and delicious decisions! I went for the Hot Passion...this icy treat was made with fresh pineapple, jalapeños, and passion fruit. The spice kicks you in the back of the throat like a stubborn mule but the sweetness of the fresh fruit balances everything out. If you want to try some, you can have them shipped right to your door!

Last but not least, Great Raft Brewing Co. is making a crazy amount of waves in the craft beer scene. The first brewery to open up in Shreveport since before prohibition has recently been named one of the "10 New Breweries to Watch, from D.C. to California" by Bon Appétit and they have rooted themselves in the heart of locals. One of my favorite things about the brewery is their taproom. It has a great design and atmosphere, their pint glasses are unique, and the owners and staff couldn't be friendlier. Specializing in both lagers and ales, Great Raft has three year-round brews and quite a few seasonal taps as well. Their flagships, Southern Drawl Pale Lager, Reasonably Corrupt Black Lager, and Commotion American Pale Ale are super popular and come in beautifully designed cans as well as on tap. If you're ever up in North Louisiana, stop by, grab a pint with some friends and taste some food from local food trucks that park on their loading dock!