After a quick spin through what little there is of a downtown in Tallulah, Louisiana, things didn't look good. The usual fast food joints were in evidence but nothing else.

There was, however, one speck of hope — a sign pointing the way to the visitors' information bureau. They don't seem to get many visitors seeking information in Tallulah. I was the first person to sign the guestbook in a week. But the woman behind the counter was very helpful, providing me with precise directions to LouAnn's (even if what she called "the bayou" looked like a creek to me) and assuring me that I'd like the food.




Outside of LouAnn's

She was right about the food — I hereby pronounce my meal at LouAnn's to be the best meal overall I ate during my cross-country roadtrip.

At lunch, LouAnn's offers a buffet and a menu. Being the difficult type, I wanted a little of each, a wish that was accommodated for a small price.

From the buffet, I grabbed a cup of jambalaya as an appetizer. I really like jambalaya but suspect that I sometimes order it simply because I like saying the word. Jambalaya. Jambalaya. Jambalaya. I dunno, it's just fun to say.




LouAnn's Jambalaya

LouAnn's jambalaya was a bit soupier than I'm used to but was very tasty. It was chock full of bay shrimp and sausage. Spicy heat was present but it was a late heat, warming my mouth at the end of each spoonful.

From the menu, I chose the blackened catfish with macaroni and cheese plus rice and beans as my sides.




LouAnn's Blackened Catfish

The blackened catfish was awesome, two generous fillets (maybe a little too generous — I prefer my catfish fillets to be a bit thinner) coated with classic blackened seasoning and cooked to perfection. The rice and beans was mostly rice, nicely seasoned and a few beans thrown in for color. Good, not great shakes but one really shouldn't expect rice and beans to be great shakes, should one?

The only sour note of the meal was the mac and cheese. Literally. It tasted a bit sourish. And, it was room temperature. Not good. Left uneaten after two bites.

Unsweetened iced tea good. One thing I really, really, like about the South — good iced tea everywhere. I think that Southern restaurateurs would rather give away their first-born than serve iced tea out of a bar gun.

LouAnn's is clearly a barebones local joint, pleasant but not even approaching luxurious, filled with townspeople enjoying (at the time I was there) lunch. If you ever find yourself in Tallulah, Louisiana (and I have no idea why you would), I recommend that you make the jaunt a couple of miles off the Interstate and check it out for yourself.