In December of 1957, Leebob Cox opened La Fonda in Lafayette in hopes of making a living by selling Tex-Mex food and charcoal broiled steaks.  Unfortunately, his restaurant didn’t do so well in its beginning.  Cox later moved La Fonda to a new location on Johnston St., and business boomed.

And it’s been booming ever since.  La Fonda is now one of the premier Tex-Mex eateries, not just in Lafayette, but in all of Louisiana.  In addition to being a restaurant, La Fonda is also a well-known social scene, complete with a bar which serves notoriously potent margaritas.  The atmosphere is simultaneously fun, friendly, and semi-formal.  It’s the perfect place to celebrate birthdays or other special occasions.  At La Fonda, you’re guaranteed to be welcomed with a smile and served outstanding quality Mexican cuisine.

Here’s the kicker–perhaps one of the most popular entrees that La Fonda serves isn’t Mexican at all.  La Fonda’s fried chicken is only one of several items on the restaurant’s “secret menu”.

Actually, if you know La Fonda’s history, it’s no secret at all.  Fried chicken was on the original menu at La Fonda.  In the 60s, Cox opened up a fast-food restaurant called Yankee Doodle, where he sold some of La Fonda’s more popular menu items, such as the fried chicken and tacos and enchiladas.  But as La Fonda’s business grew, Cox decided to close Yankee Doodle and focus on La Fonda.  The fried chicken was later removed to make room for new menu items.

So, La Fonda’s secret fried chicken is merely a very old menu item.  And even though it’s no longer officially on the menu, La Fonda’s staff will still happily serve it to anyone who asks for it.

In addition to fried chicken, other items on the secret menu at La Fonda are:

• the super nacho, an all-inclusive classic
• the waiter style nachos, which are cooked until the cheese is nice and crisp
• sauce-less chicken wings appetizers, served with homemade dressings
• the Don Briggs, a ribeye steak topped with queso, onions, and peppers

“Nothing ever dies,” says Ryan Gagnard, Cox’s son-in-law. “If it was on the menu once, we will make it, so we have more than 57 years of off-menu items, really.”

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

This Labor Day weekend, head to Opelousas, the Zydeco capitol of the world, to have a foot stompin’ good time at the 33rd annual Southwest Zydeco Music Festival!

In addition to hearing the best Zydeco, Cajun, swamp-pop, swing, R&B and southern soul artists Louisiana has to offer, you can also take part in dance events, listen to traditional storytelling, and sit in on discussions and presentations to learn about the music’s history, as well as its different cultural influences.

And, of course, it isn’t a festival without authentic, sinful Cajun and Creole cuisine!  The festival will feature a Black Pot Cook-Off, and local vendors will provide you with foods such as buffalo catfish, red beans and rice, fried chicken, smothered okra, and more.

The event begins on the morning of Saturday, September 5 with the traditional Zydeco breakfast, hosted in the heart of downtown Opelousas.

The Southwest Zydeco Music Festival will be held at Zydeco Festival Park until the last person stops dancing!

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Technology abounds our daily lives.  Its everywhere–in our schools, our offices, our hospitals, and our own homes. And yet, there are still some who don’t have the slightest idea about how to use technology to their benefit. There are people who still don’t know how to type correctly, or navigate a smartphone, or use those fancy new soft drink dispensers at fast food restaurants.  

But who can blame them, really?  Technology is evolving exponentially, and unless your life revolves around tech, it may be difficult to stay up-to-date with new advances.  And there is a learning curve, especially when most people don’t know the most basic features of technology.  

Thankfully, we tend to catch on to new tech fairly quickly, which is a good thing, because technology will only continue to become more and more complex.  Not every aspect of technology, however, is complex.  In fact, there are innumerable small tips and tricks that can facilitate your technology experience.  

In this short TED Talk, David Pogue, a technology columnist for the New York Times, shares 10 time-saving tech tips for computers and cell phones.  If you’re more tech savvy, you may know most of these tips already, but I wouldn’t doubt there’s at least one you didn’t know!

 

With seven total locations spread across South Louisiana, Don’s Seafood Hut is a highly-respected regional chain.  But quality has most certainly not been lost in the chain’s expansion; each dish is prepared with fresh ingredients and seafood caught right here in the Gulf of Mexico, and will taste just as delicious regardless of the location.

Here in Lafayette, Don’s is especially famous for its seafood platter, an all-inclusive dish containing stuffed crab, fried shrimp, stuffed shrimp, fried catfish, fried oysters, and shrimp étouffée.

But what Lafayette rages about most is Don’s gumbo–Don’s Seafood Hut was rated number 1 by the Times of Acadiana for best gumbo this year!  Of course, every dish at Don’s is absolutely sinful.  Don’s is actually one of my team’s personal favorite local Cajun seafood restaurants.

Did you know that Don’s Seafood Hut has a secret menu?  It’s not uncommon to see another customer eating a dish you’ve never seen before.  That’s because Don’s is open to the creativity of customers or employees who want to design their own meal.  Some secret menu items are even old menu items that have been removed to make room for new specials.  But if a customer wants an old menu item, Don’s will happily comply.

“‘No’ isn’t in our vocabulary for customers,” says Dawn Landry LaBorde, a partner in the restaurant.  LaBorde claims that it’s hard to keep track of all the off-menu items customers have ordered.  In fact, some off-menu items have even been given their own names due to their popularity.  For example, the Spicy Cat is an entree of spicy, fried catfish topped with shrimp and crab meat etouffee; and the hamburger Pontchartrain features grilled vegetables and a spicy Don’s sauce.  Other secret menu items that are yet to be named are gumbo fried rice, steak étouffée, and homemade hamburgers and cheeseburgers.

The fact that Don’s accepts orders from the secret menu shows that customers are their highest priority.  “It kind of makes you feel good because you know people love your food,”  LaBorde says.  And how could we not?

So the next time you visit Don’s Seafood Hut, order off of the standard menu, the secret menu, or make up a dish of your own!  Either way, you’re sure to leave with a happy stomach!

Click the Don’s Seafood Hut logo to visit Don’s website and explore their menu.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Since its inception, Windows 10 has been the talk of the town in the tech world.  Microsoft promised us an operating system unlike anything we’ve seen before–and they delivered.  Windows 10 is loaded with new features and a modern look, but simultaneously it is very familiar to use because its design was based on earlier versions of Windows.  From the moment you install Windows 10, you’ll feel right at home on your computer, eager to experiment with the new operating system’s features.  Although Windows 10 has been riddled with controversy concerning privacy since it was released, it seems that the initial concern has dwindled as more and more people are switching over and experiencing the new OS for themselves.  Good thing, too, because whether or not you like Windows 10, it’s here to stay.

Interface

I can remember when Windows 8 was released and EVERYONE complained about how different and confusing the new interface was.  Frankly, I agreed.  With Windows 8, Microsoft’s attempts to create a more streamlined and widely compatible interface were fruitless.  What was meant to be fun and new turned out to be confusing and inefficient.  Microsoft took this into account when designing Windows 10, which is more reminiscent of Windows 7.  But Windows 10 isn’t just a prettier version of Windows 7–it’s been completely revamped with several new and interesting features.

The new Action Center contains all of your most used tabs–WiFi, Bluetooth, screen brightness, etc.–and notifies you when you receive emails or new updates.

Included in Windows 10 is a completely new internet browser, called Edge.  This slimmed down browser is much, MUCH more efficient and reliable than its predecessor, Windows Explorer.  (Any other browser is better than Internet Explorer, in my humble opinion.)

The Start menu is perhaps the biggest and best change.  The perfect combination of Windows 7 and 8, the Windows 10 Start menu combines standard start menu features with semi-opaque live tiles, so you can stay updated on the weather, stocks, or even Netflix while working on your current task.

Cortana, Microsoft’s voice recognition software, is also included in Windows 10.  Your new personal assistant, Cortana will be waiting to help you complete your daily tasks at the click of a button or by addressing her personally, “Hey Cortana.” Although there have been reports that the voice recognition is still pretty rough, Cortana has much potential and shouldn’t be written off just yet.

One significant downside to Windows 10 is a severe lack of modern, useful apps.  Fortunately, this problem can easily be solved and Microsoft is already working to give its consumers what we want.

Privacy

Since its release, it seems all I’ve heard about Windows 10 is that it invades your privacy.  To some extent, this is true.  Microsoft has made it very clear that Windows 10 will collect data from Internet searches and frequently used apps and documents while deleting any personal data that may be accidentally collected.  And while some parts of their privacy statement seem a bit iffy, at least Microsoft is being transparent.

It is important to understand that there are several ways in which Windows 10 will collect data, and you can opt out of almost all of them if you choose.  For example, Cortana has the ability to read your emails to you.  If you opt into this feature, Cortana will also collect data from the emails she reads.  However, the if restrict Windows 10 from collecting data, you’ll lose access to several of Windows 10’s new features.

Microsoft has clearly stated that the purpose of collecting all this data is to personalize your Windows 10 experience by recognizing your searching and file opening patterns and using targeted advertisements, and while you can choose the level of data Windows 10 collects, you will still see ads no matter which settings you use.  Personally, I see nothing wrong with seeing an ad that is more likely to be of my interests if I have to see one anyway.

Where Do You Stand?

So far, it seems that the pros of Windows 10 drastically outweigh the cons.  However, pretty soon Windows 10 will be the only choice; Microsoft is calling the new OS “the last Windows”.  There will be no Windows 11 or new versions of Windows 10.  Instead, there will be plenty of small updates to keep the OS running smoothly.

So how long will it last?  Many people think that Windows 10 represents the obvious future of operating systems.  Do you think it will stick with us for years to come, or will we be craving something new long before then?

For those of you who are still on the wall, what about Windows 10 concerns you most?  What could be a deal breaker for you?

For those of you who are already using Windows 10, what’s your favorite feature or features?  Do you think it’s all it’s cracked up to be?

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News