Lake Charles, Louisiana: Seafood Palace Restaurant

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Mardi Gras season has officially begun and there is no doubt Louisiana is the best place in the United States to revel in festivities. But while you’re there, besides catching beads, you can catch some really good seafood.

As a kid growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, one of my favorite family adventures occurred every weekend. My parents would load us kids up in the aqua-colored station wagon and cruise the scenic byways of Louisiana. When lunchtime rolled around we’d file out of the wagon and into a new-to-us Louisiana restaurant. Hushpuppies, fried shrimp, jambalaya and seafood gumbo were some of my favorite menu items, and as I grew up my taste evolved to accommodate seafood-stuffed jalapeños and crawfish étouffée. It has been many years since I’ve had a Louisiana address, but I’m still a Cajun girl at heart – after all, not everyone learns how to peel a crawfish at age two.

This fall I returned to my childhood state and my trip included a stop at Seafood Palace in Lake Charles, one of the many participants of Louisiana’s Seafood Sensation Culinary Trail. The casual atmosphere swirled with local patrons, Tabasco, plastic tablecloths, sweet tea, neon signs and the friendliest staff I’ve ever experienced.

As I walked through the buzzing restaurant to my table a server whisked by with a tray of freshly boiled crabs, it was then I noticed that every table of the 36-year-old restaurant was filled – once I saw the menu (and experienced the food for myself) I knew why. All of the classic Louisiana dishes were listed, sounding tasty and reasonably priced. I sampled a little bit of everything, well, not everything, but it felt like it. With each bite of boudin, gumbo, seafood stuffed jalapeños and fried okra “C’est Magnifique!” came to mind (Cajun for “That is great!”). And that it was.

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January 6, 2009 | Filed Under Culinary Travel, The Cookie Jar 

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5 Responses to “Lake Charles, Louisiana: Seafood Palace Restaurant”

  1. Lake Charles, Louisiana: Seafood Palace Restaurant | Traveling Mamas | Louisiana Modular Homes says:
    January 6, 2009 at

    [...] More: Lake Charles, Louisiana: Seafood Palace Restaurant | Traveling Mamas [...]

  2. Allyn Evans says:
    January 6, 2009 at

    Did I ever tell you I was born in New Orleans? I’ve never been to Lake Charles. But of course have frequented other LA towns.

    And I, too, have such wonderful memories of eating some of the foods you mentioned. Although in Mississippi where I grew up we had our hushpuppies with fried catfish!

  3. Prill Boyle says:
    January 6, 2009 at

    Sounds fabulous! One of these days I’m going to make it to New Orleans. (For the first time last year I went to Savannah, another one of those great restaurant “towns.”)

  4. Barbara says:
    January 6, 2009 at

    You made me very hungry with this post! Yummy! I was in New Orleans years ago. Wow, it was amazing.
    Barbara Techel
    Author of Frankie, the Walk ‘N Roll Dog
    http://www.joyfulpaws.com
    http://www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com
    http://www.joyfulpaws.typepad.com

  5. Anthony says:
    September 26, 2009 at

    Guess what, Lake Charles is not even close to New Orleans.
    This little restaurant is great, and very much off the beaten path.
    I work at a fine dining restaurant, world class restaurant names get dropped in comparison all of the time.
    I still would like to recommend The Seafood Palace.
    By the way, Lake Charles is closer to Houston than New Orleans.
    That last statement has nothing to do with culinary ideas, just geography.

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