Jada Durden, a Shreveport-based travel and food blogger and freelance writer, is a well-known personality in Shreveport-Bossier’s restaurant community. If there’s a specialty dish, secret menu item, or signature cocktail in town, she has likely chronicled it for her blog, Loving This Life Jada, or her Instagram account. Jada is also passionate about Mardi Gras, so we invited her to sit for an interview with 20×49 Live and share her opinions on the best sips and bites of Carnival season in Shreveport-Bossier.

Jada on King Cakes:
“Automatically, Lilah’s Bakery is like my number one place to stop for a king cake. Then there’s Lowder Baking Company, who are like the new kids on the block…I always tell folks that if those two are kind of out of your price range, the very best grocery store king cakes in Shreveport are found at Whole Foods.”

Jada on Po’ Boys:
“So, I like Kim’s Seafood‘s hot sausage po’ boy. It’s a traditional New Orleans style of po’ boy. I also like Marilynn’s Place‘s roast beef, with the debris and gravy and all of that good stuff…and people are sleeping on the po’ boys at Biscotti’s at Lewis Gifts. Their po’ boys are incredible.”

The Patton’s Hot Sausage po’ boy at Kim’s Seafood #2 in Shreveport.

Jada on Cracklins:
“I think Bergeron’s Boudin and Cajun Meats is probably the only place that you can get that authentic style of cracklins in our area, besides some of the gas stations. But I love ’em.”

Jada on the Mardi Gras Cocktail Flight at Abby Singer’s Bistro:
Abby Singer’s Bistro has started doing a flight of cocktails to go with each season. Their king cake martini is a cream-based martini. There’s a mule in the flight, there’s a kind of old fashioned that packs a punch. You need two or three people to share a flight, do not try to tackle this thing by yourself.”

Jada on Beignets:
“I have a pro-tip about the beignets at Marilynn’s Place. Tell them that you want the cookie butter beignets. What they’ll do is slice the beignet in the middle and put that Biscoff cookie butter spread inside. When the beignets are super hot, that spread gets melty and gooey, and it’s next level.”

The huge, delicious roast beef po’ boy at Biscotti’s at Lewis Gifts.

For lots more recommendations of great things to eat and drink during Carnival season in Shreveport-Bossier, check out the 2020 edition of the Gris Gris Guide to Mardi Gras in Shreveport-Bossier.

While you’re at it, enter to win a Mardi Gras prize package that includes the opportunity for the winner and a friend to ride on a float in a Mardi Gras parade! Entries must be received by Jan. 31.

20×49.com is a publication of The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.