Festival International is held every year in April and located in Downtown Lafayette. I remember when it was held because it is normally around the same time as finals. I always plan out my studying schedule to leave time for Festival International. Aside from the festival, most local restaurants will have “festival” specials which are always so cool and yummy. For instance, Pop’s Poboys has “Mimi Mac and Cheese” for festival week.
I started off the festival by connecting my card to my wristband so I can pay for my food. The first thing I tried was the Potato Tornado from Zeus. I asked for more sauce and the flavor hit just right. The sauce tasted like crawfish dip. The potato was massive and was comparable to my forearm. The potato tornado was very yummy, crispy and $7.
Next, I got the Duck Quesadillas from Mandez’s Seafood, Bar, & Grill in Lafayette for $13. They were creamy, crispy and cheesy. With the first bite, the creamy duck flavor exploded in my mouth. The sauce on top was a sweet and creamy sauce. I devoured it in seconds.
The Braised Pork Wonton Tacos from Umami Bites for $13 was my next in my food lineup. They were a little salty for my taste, but overall it was a good flavor. The meat was moist and I loved the pickled onions on top. The sauce they had on the tacos tasted like sweet Thai chili sauce that you would use to dip egg rolls in and the wonton shell was crispy.
The Crawfish Spinach Boat from Bon Creole Seafoods for $12 is a festival classic. My spinach boat lacked a little flavor but it had a good amount of crawfish. My coworker got a Crawfish Spinach Boat from C’est Bon Manger for $9 and it was very well seasoned and cheaper. I’ll definitely get it from there next year. The crawfish boats were identical to each other.
I made my way to LUS LA Craft Biergarten to get Jamaican Jerk Chicken Quesadillas from La Casa Del Taco for $14. The salsa was spicy and very good. The chips were crispy and were seasoned beautifully. I couldn’t quite taste the jerk flavor in the quesadillas. However, I could taste the grill, smokey and cheesy on them.
My last food adventure was the Crab Balls and Fries From Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn for $13. The sauce that came with it tasted like honey mustard. The crab balls are my favorite. Once you take a bite, the creamiest flavor inside just hits your tastebuds. The crab balls were crispy and packed with crab meat. The filing with the crab meat inside was creamy and sweet.
Although Festival International food isn’t cheap; it is worth it. It is a nice place to go with your friends to take a break from studying for finals. I’m always excited to see who the food vendors are every year.