There’s a lot of good eating to be had in Shreveport-Bossier these days, especially, it seems, in the “$10 or less” category. Two of the best food experiences I’ve had recently have been the brunch biscuits created by Chef Nick Simons at Wine Country Bistro and the habanero jack cheese-stuffed crawfish balls at Creole Café.
If you’ve ever had a pepper jack cheese-stuffed boudin ball, imagine what that’d be like if, instead of boudin, the ball was made of really good crawfish étouffée and rice. They are outstanding. The crawfish balls come three to an order for $8.72. There are also Creole shrimp balls – fist-sized balls of sticky rice, maque choux, shiitake mushrooms and shrimp puree. The shrimp balls are tasty, too, but the crawfish ball was the one that I couldn’t put down. Henry Griffin, the chef and co-owner at Creole Café, is someone to watch in the local food community.
Someone else worth watching is Nick Simons, chef at Wine Country Bistro and the man responsible for their brunch biscuits served every Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. These are not the fluffy, gravity-defying biscuits that grace cookbook covers; they’re crumbly and dense and buttery enough to cause blurred vision, but holy smokes, they’re good. Take a friend to Wine Country Bistro’s brunch and split a $10 biscuit board, which’ll come with a selection of homemade preserves including spicy apple butter and blackberry bacon jam.
Speaking of Biscuits: Louisiana Food Prize’s Gospel BrunchFest on Oct. 6
The annual marathon of film, music, and food that is Prize Fest returns to downtown Shreveport, Oct. 3-7. It’s easy for incredible events to be overlooked amid the busy schedule of film screenings and concerts, but this year’s biscuit brunch on Saturday, Oct. 6 is going to be something special. Regina’s Gospel BrunchFest featuring Pastor Brady Blade, Sr. and The Zion Baptist Church Choir will feature entertainment from one of the most awe-inspiring musical groups in the city, the Zion Baptist Church Choir led by the towering, joyful Pastor Brady Blade. Forty bucks gets you a seat for what is likely to be an unforgettable performance, as well as a biscuit bar by Chef Regina Charboneau and bottomless brunch beverages. Tickets are here.
Here’s a glimpse of the Zion Baptist Church Choir in action:
