Lafayette, Louisiana is an up-and-coming city with young food enthusiasts. Chef Justin and his wife Margaret of The French Press share with G their sophisticated and luscious brunch spread. Johnson’s Boucaniere has pleased generations of locals with their smoked sausage. G learns what goes into making a great boudin and digs into a couple house specials. G finds himself teaching a lesson at The Accidental Chef Cooking School with Chef Carlos. He is inspired by local crawfish to create a quick jambalaya dish.
www.thefrenchpresslafayette.com
New Orleans trained Lafayette native, Justin Girouard has teamed up with his wife Margaret to open a new staple in the Lafayette restaurant scene. Located downtown across from Parc Sans Souci, The French Press serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday in a casual family friendly atmosphere. Also, dinner on Friday and Saturday nights allows Chef Girouard to showcase some his artistic and more technical abilities he honed at Stella in the French Quarter and in Southern France.
Leaving the original floors and walls intact, the couple designed an intimate restaurant and bar that easily allows for the casual dining of the breakfast and lunch crowd as well as the white linen service of the weekend fine dining. The back of the restaurant is dominated by a concrete-and-steel cocktail bar designed by Margaret; overall the décor plays with the idea of French-style dining and the building’s original use as a printing plant. Letter trays and old photos hang amongst and around full-sized replications of Picasso and Rousseau paintings.