Dear Mr. Kwon,
First off, in case you find the idea of an open letter to you creepy, please allow me to explain. As an Avett Brothers fan and a food blogger, I know that you are also a food blogger/photographer for your Taste on Tour blog. When I heard that the Avett Brothers would be performing at CenturyLink Center in Bossier City on November 9, I immediately wondered: “Where is Joe Kwon going to eat in Shreveport-Bossier?”
Having read about your proclivities towards Asian food and pork, I thought it couldn’t hurt to make a few recommendations. Local food lovers and 20×49.com readers, please feel free to hold me accountable via the comments section if I missed on these recommendations. I limited myself to three, taking into account that Asian food and pork must be heavily-represented on the menu.
Bergeron’s Boudin and Cajun Meats of Shreveport
7805 E. Kings Highway
Shreveport, La. 71115
(318) 670-7204
Why: Bergeron’s serves fresh pork cracklins – a delicacy around these parts – by the pound. Also, I thought you may be interested in their boudin products, which include spring rolls stuffed with boudin (they call these “boudin wraps”), fried boudin balls, smoked boudin links and more. I recommend the Shreveport location of the shop because it’s about a five-minute drive from the CenturyLink Center, just across the Red River via the Jimmie Davis Bridge.
Lucky Palace Chinese Restaurant
750 DiamondJacks Boulevard
Bossier City, La.
(318) 752-1887
Why: Lucky Palace is a really difficult-to-explain local gem. While the bulk of the menu consists of popular Chinese food that could probably be had in most cities, Lucky Palace has a spectacular house specialties menu. The Thai green curry prawns are a personal favorite, as are the Korean pancakes and duck and scallion pancakes from the house specialty appetizers list. To top things off, Lucky Palace owner Kuan Lim is one of the more talented sommeliers in Louisiana, and the wine program at Lucky Palace is completely off-the-chain, crazy good. The restaurant is tucked away in the corner of a hotel lobby – this is definitely one place that should not be judged on appearances.
Wine Country Bistro and Bottle Shop
4801 Line Ave.
Shreveport, La.
(318) 629-WINE
Why: It seems we share an affinity for pork belly, a cut of meat that Wine Country has a lot of fun with. There’s usually some sort of fun presentation of pork belly among the nightly list of specials at Wine Country. Executive Chef Kevin Bourg is big on utilizing locally-sourced ingredients, including the restaurant’s Valencia greens, which are raised by urban youth farmers in Shreveport’s Stoner Hill neighborhood.
Have a great show at CenturyLink Center in November. I’ll be there, rockin’ out.
