B&C Seafood Restaurant New Orleans

We spent the morning in Vacherie, touring the Oak Alley and Whitney plantations for two vastly different experiences. Oak Alley is stunning – the picturesque row of huge oaks lining the front entrance to the main house is a sight to behold. The tour focuses on the lives of the plantation owners – the guides are dressed in historical costumes and go to great length to make visitors feel like they are being transported back in time to the period. Mint juleps are served on the porch to the throngs of tourists wandering by.

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On the other end of the spectrum, the less commercial Whitney plantation focuses primarily on the lives of the slaves and the methods of survival they used to get through the day to day. A close look at the slaves’ living conditions, the tools they used and the weapons used against them provide more somber look at America’s darker past. Note this is the only plantation museum in New Orleans that focuses on slavery.

After a morning of plantation touring, we were in desperate need of some grub. A portion of the previous night was spent at the historic Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt for a couple of… you guessed it, famous New Orleans Sazeracs. We made friends with the barman and told him our plans for the next day. He recommended we stop by B&C Seafood for lunch and that’s exactly what we did. Locals know best, right?

B&C Seafood is a Cajun deli and restaurant – you can purchase fresh crawfish, alligator as well as assorted spices and homemade desserts at the front. In the rooms next door, wooden picnic tables and friendly waitresses make up the two part dining room. Framed by local antiquities, a collection of empty beer bottles, animal mounts and international bills from around the world, the place is a no frills, super casual spot that locals hop to for a quick bite to eat.

The crawfish is pretty much the thing to get. I mean, it’s New Orleans! We got the 3LB portion to share between the two of us. A huge flat pot landed on the table minutes after we ordered, steaming hot and full of beautiful bright red boiled crawfish. Topped by two cobs of corn and two potatoes, we had our meal cut out for us. While we had waited for our food, we observed the couple next to us devour what must have been at least a hundred crawfish, easy. Silently plucking, twisting, sucking and chewing the meat out of the poor suckers in an almost rhythmic fashion, these guys were pros. They ate their entire 5LB plate in less time than it took us to eat less than half of ours. We watched in wonder.

Crawfish

Crawfish Meat

As first timers to crawfish, our lovely waitress gave us a quick 101. Grab the crawfish by the upper middle section, around the neck area. Twist in opposing directions to free the meat inside. Suck the shell where the head was for added juice and flavor, then go for the main meat section. Don’t be afraid to get messy. Some of the best food requires a little work. Yum.

Catfish Po Boy

After a bit of a struggle, we finished every last bit of crawfish on the plate. Feeling proud of ourselves and in the mood for a little something else, we ordered the popular catfish po boy to top us off. Fried catfish, lettuce, tomatoes, and a good serving of pickles on fresh homemade bread. Damn good.

Pecan Pie

While paying up, we were convinced by the baker in house to try their pecan pie. Sweetness overload of buttery, nutty goodness.

Your best bet for some of the best classic, Southern cuisine in the area.