Traveling the Boudin Trail

   "Traveling the Boudin Trail," sounds like an old west movie doesn't it?  This had been on my bucket list for a few years but I just kept putting it off.  I recently retired and when my husband, JC, asked me what I wanted as a gift I immediately responded; "I want to travel the Boudin Trail." JC didn't "bat an eye."  He has been married to me long enough to know that what may seem strange to others is typical "Shelley."  He has traveled six hours away with me to Hermann, MO to eat and buy German sausage so driving 10 hours to eat Cajun sausage didn't seem odd to him. 

   For those not familiar with boudin, it is Cajun sausage. There is Boudin blanc, crawfish boudin, shrimp boudin, alligator boudin, hot, mild and smoked boudin.  Every town or area has their own recipe for flavoring and preparation method.  It can be made into links like hot dogs, horseshoes, or balls.  It is most commonly made from ground pork with rice as a filler. Some is stuffed into casings and can be grilled, fried or steamed.  The boudin balls are typically coated and deep fried - my favorite. 

    I first learned about boudin a few years ago.  I was attending a science conference in New Orleans and picked up a Lousiana travel brochure.  I realized that I had never been to Southwest Louisana and as I was perusing the travel info on that area the Boudin Trail caught my eye.  I had never heard of boudin and had no idea what it tasted like but I'm a sausage lover (not Vienna - that stuff should be illegal) so I decided it must be good.  Now that I had become familiar with the term I began to notice it in the sausage section at my local grocery stores.  Upon looking at the packaging most wasn't made in Lousiana so I didn't buy any.  My first boudin experience was when dining at a Cajun restaurant in McKinney, TX while visiting family.  I saw "Dirty Balls" on the appetizer menu. As I read the description I saw that it was deep fried boudin!  It tasted just as heavenly as I thought it would so now my desire to travel the Boudin Trail became an obsession.

   I am, by nature, a planner.  I like orderly, well laid out plans in all areas of my life.  Before any trip I will thoroughly research the area; hotels, attractions, restaurants, etc.  Many times, upon arriving, I will feel as if I have already been there.  This idiosyncrasy drives my family nuts.  They encourage me (sometimes not too nicely) to just "fly by the seat of my pants" and look for those serendipitous moments.  I am trying hard to work on that so when JC asked me not to pre-plan this trip, I agreed (though I did tuck the Boudin Trail map in my purse when he wasn't looking).  And away we went!

   We had no particular route - just watch the compass and head southwest.  We could have driven to Lake Charles, LA in one day. It was only a 9 1/2 hour drive but we wanted to sight see and decided to drive until dinner time and stop for the night.  We had been to Shreveport and Bossier City several times so we decided to head south out of Magnolia, AR and cross into LA.  Once in LA we noticed that on both sides of the road there was nothing but pine trees - miles and miles of pine trees.  No stately homes or farms (which I had envisioned) to be seen.  Now - if I had done my research we would have known that the Kistachie National Forest is 604,000 acres, encompassing 7 LA parishes.

   We decided to stop for the night in Minden, LA.  Once again, had I researched we would NOT have stayed here.  Our accommodations were horrible and the recommended BBQ diner was not to my liking. JC said it was "OK" and finished off my food.  The next morning we happily left Minden behind and headed toward Natchitoches, where we stopped for breakfast.  As the old saying goes "hindsight is better than foresight."  Shoulda' driven the extra hour the night before and stayed in Natchitoches.  Following that we headed south once again with only trees, trees, and more trees as scenery.

   Upon arriving in Lake Charles, I pulled the Boudin Trail map out of my purse and we began to look for a restaurant.  Listed as the #2 favorite boudin eatery in Lake Charles was Billedeaux's Cajun Kitchen.  We easily found it and the smell of smoked meat made our mouths water!  We ordered a plain boudin ball and a spicy one along with a smoked meat sandwich.  Our waitress assured us that it was the best sandwich in town (and it was very good).  The boudin was as good as I had imagined it would be. 

Next up we found a nice hotel and headed out to explore Lake Charles.  My first stop is always the visitor's center.  After the prior night's disappointment in Minden, JC didn't utter a word about my "planning."  The visitor's center was helpful in suggesting things to see and do in the area.  (you can only eat so much) We viewed amazing artwork there, checked out the gator pond, and took a long walk around the lake. 

One of the center's suggestions was visiting one of the two local breweries. Rikenjak's was located just down the street so we chose it.  I am not much of a drinker but am open to trying new things. I told the bartender that I wanted to try a drink that was a local favorite. I don't remember the name of it but it was a tasty drink made with 3 types of rum.  JC had a pale ale that he liked.

We checked out more of the town and soon it was dinner time.  We had been told that you must eat at Steamboat Bill's when visiting Lake Charles.  I was a little miffed because JC wanted seafood and I wanted to check out another boudin place - Steamboat Bill's was not on my list!  I gave in, hoping that there would be boudin on the menu and fortunately it was.  JC was in heaven eating jumbo gulf shrimp and I was in heaven with my boudin ball and red beans and rice.

As much as I hate to admit it, the boudin at Steamboat Bill's was my favorite of the trip.  It was spicy and crispy fried and the dipping sauce they brought was wonderful. While dining at Steamboat Bill's we noticed a very elderly lady sitting alone in the corner. She ordered a family sized portion of crawfish.  As she peeled them she would use another plate to create a wreath.  It was so cool.  I wanted to take her picture but I was afraid to ask. Our waitress told us that she comes in often, wears an apron and plastic gloves, orders the crawfish and creates the wreath. What a human interest story!

   We dragged our overly stuffed bodies back to our hotel and fell into a deep sleep (me dreaming of more boudin).  The next day we headed southwest to Cameron Parish.  It is the southern most parish and is home to many shrimping boats and fishing companies.  My much prized Boudin Trail map said to try the boudin at Brown's market.  Shoulda' planned again.  We couldn't locate Brown's and we just kept driving.  We came upon a ferry. If you have followed my blogs you know I love ferries.  It is my dream to ride every inland ferry in the US and write a book about them.  I was so excited to ride the ferry even though the ferryboat captain was cranky and the ride was short.  Upon reaching the other side we saw a sign for Holly Beach and headed there.  I learned that it is called the Cajun Riviera and while not pretty like Alabama and Florida beaches, it was nice.  It reminded me of Galveston. 

We left there and headed north toward Sulphur.  This was my favorite part of the trip.  The wetlands are beautiful.  There are wildlife drives open to the public, bird viewing areas, and in many of the bayous there are platforms for fishing.  Oh, and we did find Brown's market.  Not being familiar with some of the LA terms I had confused the town of Cameron with Cameron Parish.  We had already decided to eat lunch in Sulphur so we didn't stop and sample the boudin at Brown's.   Upon arriving in Sulphur we checked my map and it recommended Hollier's Cajun Diner.  When entering the restaurant there were freezers filled with all kinds of boudin to purchase and take home.  I decided to try some before buying.  (Good move).  This was my least favorite boudin.  I ordered a deep fried cheese and jalapeno stuffed boudin ball.  I don't know how to explain the taste other than to say it was "wet."  I was not impressed and ordered some jumbo shrimp.  (Shoulda' stopped at Brown's) 

We were both miserable after the jumbo shrimp and headed back to Lake Charles.  We checked out some gift shops and stores.  By dinner time we were still too full to eat again so we took in a movie and got a good night's rest before the trip home.

    For the trip home we chose to go through Alexandria, Rustin, El Dorado, AR and on up through central Arkansas.  The trip was beautiful.  Rustin is a picturesque old town and I would love to have spent more time there.

   My final thoughts on the Boudin Trail, and this is coming from Shelley the planner.  If I were to make this trip again I would drive straight through to Holly Beach, LA in one day (about 11 hours), rent a beach house there for a week.   All the Boudin eateries listed (there were at least 50) are within driving distance from the beach and you need at least a week to try just a few of them.  You could take advantage of the beach activities in between meals.  There are swamp tours, birding tours, fishing, boat excursions, playing in the water and just relaxing on the beach.  It would be a fun vacation.  Spontaneity is great but sometimes a little advance planning needs to be done to have the "joie de vivre" attitude.

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"