Jazz Fest Grub

Jazz Fest has finally arrived and with it our annual cravings for those festival treats we usually only enjoy on the infield of the Fairgrounds with a lukewarm Miller Lite to wash it all down. Rene has opined before on how the setting vastly improves our opinion of the food at Jazz Fest, but we both agree that there are certain dishes which cannot be passed up. With so many options to choose from, you could eat all day long and still leave wanting to try more. Here are a couple of my favorites.



I must admit that the chicken fricasse never crossed my radar until a few years back, but now the Bennachin booth in Congo Square is one of my first stops upon arrival.  The combo plate with jama-jama and plantains is a feast that can last you through the entire day if necessary.

When the cochon de lait po-boy from Walker's (a/k/a Love at First Bite) is freshly made, there may be no better sandwich on the planet. However, last year those crazy kids over at St. James Cheese Company taught me a trick that takes this Jazz Fest staple to another universe - adding Fatty's Cracklins ON TOP of the cochon de lait po-boy. This must be what heaven tastes like.

Throw in a crawfish sack and softshell crab po-boy, and I'm almost ready for my mango freeze for dessert.