2010 Jazzfest

[philadining]

It's pretty cool that the food at Jazzfest doesn't change all that much, so those favorites that you crave will probably still be there next time. So this report won't be too different from any of the previous ones, but I figured an update can always be helpful. I'd love to hear impressions from other folks who went.

I missed the first day, but was there on saturday and sunday of the first weekend, and had a great time eating my way around the grounds, pausing now and then to hear some music. It was pretty muddy on saturday, but not actually raining, and just about perfect on sunday, which let the grounds dry up fairly well. Slogging through deep mud to get to the food stands is never ideal, but it was worth it...

Favorites:

Cochon de Lait Po Boy

Pheasant, Quail and Andouille Gummbo

Crawfish Sack

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Hot Sausage Po Boy

Mango Freeze

La Divina Gelato (Chocolate Sorbetto, Bourbon and Pecan Gelato)

Good:

Lamb Tagine with Merguez Sausage

Nachitoches Meat Pie

Crawfish Bread

Crawfish Po Boy

only OK:

Crabmeat Po Boy (too plain)

Cajun Duck Po Boy (bland meat on squishy roll)

Sno Balls (too sweet)

It's pretty amazing that even the "worst" of what we had was perfectly fine, not bad at all, we'd probably think it was good food at any other festival. But the level is high here, some of these items are so good, I'd be impressed with them at a fancy restaurant. That gumbo might be the best I've had anywhere, it's at least in the running.

The other cool food moment was catching a cooking demo by Donald Link from Cochon and Herbsaint.

He did a quick, easy gnocchi (apparently pronounced "nah-ki" in Lake Charles... ) with Andouille and spring onions. He was a very entertaining speaker, and gave some very good tips along with the amusing digressions. And then the best part: we got to sample his dish, which was delicious, featuring light, tender sautéed dumplings along with the excellent andouille from Cochon Butcher.

We also watched Tee Eva make Jambalaya. She was so charming that I felt bad that I didn't like the Jambalaya very much - it's very tomatoey, and not very spicy.. Great sausage in there though...

I'd definitely go back to Jazzfest just to eat. But it's nice that they have some good tunes to entertain you while working up an appetite for the next round...

Any other experiences?

[saturnbar]

Looks like you had a fine time. No softshell crab poboy? Or Boudin Balls? The weather really was nice on Sunday. Its been a touch cooler than years past. I just might get these old bones out to see Van Morrison on Sunday. Thanks for the picks. ch

[philadining]

The softshell crab po boys looked awesome, and we fully intended to get one, but kept getting distracted... And I have no idea how we managed to not eat boudin balls, we usually have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, if possible!

[saturnbar]

They are ridiculously addicting, brings meaning to the phrase, nobody can eat just one. ch

[KatieLoeb]

How on earth did you get all of that down? I sincerely hope that was at least two days worth of eating, if reported together. Good gravy! That's a whole mess of good eats that requires at least a bit of rest in between, no?

[angevin]

Fantastic report and the pictures have me salivating.

What's a crawfish sack?

[philadining]

The Crawfish Sacks are fried phyllo dough bundles, filled with crawfish tails and the rich sauce that you can see pooled around it. They're about the size of a racquetball, crisp, and quite delicious!

[Tri2Cook]

I miss Jazzfest (ok, what I really miss is the food at Jazzfest). When I lived in Alabama, I made the short trip every year. Where I live now, not only can I not get that kind of food but I can't even get many of the necessary ingredients to make it myself. Anybody wanna smuggle some crawfish into Canada?