Well-traveled couple Stuart and Colleen Ottinger set out to recreate their favorite big-city eating experiences at home. The Lafayette natives love sampling spots at chic hotels, sparking them to launch Mercy Kitchen, a neighborhood eatery and drinkery located at 1312 Verot School Road (formerly Bon Temps Grill). “When we set out to create Mercy, it was to fill a void that we feel Lafayette had,” Stuart Ottinger explains.
To quote Sheryl Crow, “This ain’t no disco. And it ain’t no country club, either.” It is about as close as you can get, though. One of the prices of progress has been the loss of the great American gay bar, and The Country Club is one of New Orleans’ last handful of establishments that caters to the city’s well-established LGBTQ+ community.
You know how annoying it can be to plan an evening out with friends. You want to go out to eat, but your friend wants to go drinking at a bar. Your other friend wants to hear some live music, and your quirky friend wants to go bowling. How can you possibly decide? You’re in luck. Lafayette has welcomed Rock’n’Bowl to our proud roster of entertainment venues, and it’s a wacky, novel concept that works well in our wacky, novel city.
STAR-STUDDED CHEF
Working his way up from dishwasher to restaurant owner at iMonelli, award-winning Chef Brian Blanchard has served up authentic Italian cuisine and Cajun specialties to loyal Acadiana customers for over 30 years.
Week after week, the grillin’ gurus, Keith Guidry and Curt Guillory, bring you their unique brand of delicious entertainment. See what all the buzz is about and get your weekly dose of cooking wisdom, straight from the gurus themselves: Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. or anytime online at kdcg.com and on their Facebook page at facebook.com/cajungrilling.
As a foodie from way back who also loves Louisiana-style home cooking, I was excited to explore KK’s Café on an early Sunday morning to sample the breakfast offerings. Because “breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all,” to quote KK’s website.
THE LEGACY BEGINS
Since 1934, Don’s Seafood has been the go-to place for authentic Cajun cuisine and fresh local seafood. At age 24, Don Landry Sr. originally established the legendary spot as a place to enjoy Cajun dishes and cocktails in the building where his father had operated a butcher shop in downtown Lafayette.