Hook & Boil (Now with a Bar!) Reopens Monday, Dec. 7th!

Hook and Boil has had one heck of a year. The seafood-centric restaurant, located in a prime location just off of Hwy. 90 in Broussard, made a name for itself when it opened in January 2014 due in part to the monstrous crustaceans that all Louisianians love. 

That success is aiding in the expansion of the dining area of Hook and Boil. The need for a greater seating capacity and revised menu also means the addition of a full bar, something that Hook & Boil doesn't currently have. 

"Most of our customers are fine with just beer, but the more refined the menu, the more refined the drinks." Heather Girouard, General Manager of Hook and Boil.

Patrons will find new cocktails soon added to Hook & Boil's regular menu. Along with beer and cocktail flights, Hook & Boil plans to include a "Build Your Own Bloody Mary" menu to the drink selections with options as Cajun as a cracklin-laced rim. 

Friday 5: Pig & Plough's Tyler Thigpen

 Photo: Tracie Fontenot

Tyler Thigpen, Coordinator of Pig & Plough Suppers; a slow foods dinner series celebrating our Louisiana foodways by promoting chef collaborations that feature foods grown and raised in south Louisiana, is passionate about food. From her time as President of Acadiana Food Circle to her current stint as Farm-To-Table Columnist at The Independent, the goal of promoting sustainability and culture are paramount. Check out her "Perfect For" picks in this week's Friday 5.

Friday 5: David Meaux of Rank Wildcat Spirits

It's 5 o'clock somewhere in this week's Friday 5. David Meaux is the founder and distiller of Acadiana's first fully licensed rum distillery, Rank Wildcat Spirits. Their award-winning small-batch white rum, Sweet Crude Rum, is produced using sugar cane grown right here in Acadiana. The lawyer turned land-man turn distiller's current goal is to make Sweet Crude Rum and their even smaller batch (only 588 bottles produced in its first batch) Black Gold Rum household names. 

Friday 5: Jacob Hamilton of The Little Big Cup

Photo by Robyn Bazar St. Romain

Jacob Hamilton is the Executive Chef at one of the hottest restaurants in Acadiana, Arnaudville's The Little Big Cup. With his experience in fine dining, the former Sous Chef for Charley G's, Hamilton is bringing big flavors to the little bistro on the Bayou. 

Shreveport's Great Raft Brewing Coming to Lafayette

The town of Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company, a corporation established to develop a town at the juncture of the newly navigable Red River and the Texas Trail. A 180-mile-long (290 km) natural log jam, the Great Raft, had previously obstructed passage to shipping. The Red River was cleared and made newly navigable by Henry Miller Shreve, who led the United States Army Corps of Engineers effort to clear the river. Shreve used a specially modified riverboat, the Heliopolis, to remove the log jam. The company and the village of Shreve Town were named in Shreve's honor.