5 Lafayette Restaurants That Would Kick Butt Anywhere

When I first visited Lafayette many years before I actually moved here, I ate at Deano's. Truth be told, I found it by accident. I was looking for the Mall and forgot to take the Bertrand split. It was truly a stroke of delicious luck. While Deano's offers some very unique and very Cajun inspired pizza, I really am more fond of their sandwiches. I like the California Turkey Club. The bread is wonderful, the turkey delightful and the avocado brings it all home. They also make a Fiesta Salad with firecracker chicken that will let you eat light while firing up the flavor.

A Chris' Special.

Is there any better reason to need a napkin? I have never bothered to see what exactly is on a Chris' Special. All I know is that when the "special" arrives on my plate, God is good, God is great! There is something they do with the roast beef that must involve magic or unicorns. If you've never had a "special" you are missing a real treat. Go ahead and have one before Lent, then you can go back to the shrimp, oyster or fish.

The first time I had a Morvant's burger, I took a nap in their parking lot. This big beefy behemoth of a burger may be mainstream in appearance, but it has a very Cajun soul. The meat is always spicy and juicy and the bun and condiments are merely a meat delivery system.

The only knock I have against this place is the location. Sure it's on Ambassador Caffery and right by Johnston, but it's too damn hard to go any direction other than right out of the parking lot. Okay, now that I got my one non-food gripe out of the way.

Phares' truly has a Cajun heritage, but what they do with seafood involves a lot more than a shake or two of Tony's. The char-grilled oysters are so delicious that you'll want an extra loaf of bread just to soak up the juice. If you have room for dessert, one piece of cheese cake will feed 14 women. It's that big, and it is really out of this world delicious no matter what kind you choose.

The white cheese queso dip at Agave is worth the trip downtown or to the location across from Cajun Field. Agave is part bar, part restaurant, part celebration and they do all of those things equally well, if you ask me. For lunch I recommend the stuffed avocado. This is a big, firm, but ripe avocado over flowing with some dynamite chicken salad. It's not Rice City Liquors chicken salad but it's pretty darn close. I hear that Agave mixes a mean margarita too. They serve one that comes with a test tube of something that will make even the meekest and mild dance on a table top. I don't suggest the margarita for lunch unless you are an elected official and productivity isn't necessary in your day.