Shrimp Quesadilla

No Penance

Living in South Louisiana has many benefits; great friendships, great beauty, and of course great food.  Many people traveling through Louisiana often refer to it as God’s Country.  Louisiana was inhabited by a large number of Indian tribes living off the land for food.  Records show an exploration of Louisiana in 1605 followed by a large deportation from Nova Scotia in the early 1700’s. Acadians traveled to Louisiana for their final settlement.   The French settlers, with their wagons and supplies, also brought their strong Catholic beliefs.  Every year Catholics in Louisiana start with Mardi Gras, followed by Ash Wednesday as the beginning of the Lenten season.  Local church leaders push a strong participation in penance by encouraging followers to refrain from eating meat during Lent’s Fridays as a joint sacrifice in the community.  The local restaurants adjust their menus with seafood to accommodate their customers. 

My wife and I took the road less traveled tonight to enjoy a local Mexican Restaurant, La Hacienda in Broussard, LA. We walked into an authentic Mexican experience. The tables, fixtures, and personnel were all from Mexico.  The menu has a wide range of dishes with vegetables, chicken, beef, and of course seafood. I can normally tell how great food will taste based on the restaurants salsa. If a Mexican restaurant makes a great salsa, then the rest of the meal will be enjoyable.  I would indulge this Friday with a Shrimp Quesadilla. As in most Mexican restaurants, it doesn’t take long for the food to arrive. Our waiter warned me saying, “Caliente! Caliente!” I expect the food to be smoking hot within the quesadilla.  The shrimp were plentiful and the grilled peppers, tomatoes and onions inside were caramelized to perfection. The price, a reasonable $12.99 compared to $29.95 for 5 pounds of boiled crawfish a few blocks down the road. I enjoy a restaurant where the wait time is none and the parking is easy. La Hacienda is a well kept secret for the locals. I hope more people will discover it.


Good Job      La Hacienda Mexican Cantina.            You Rate     4

Need to turn down the mariachi music. It competes with a quiet conversation, but does give a festive atmosphere.