Noteworthy
M A Y 2 02 1
N E W S , T I M E LY F A C T S , A N D O T H E R
CURIOSITIES
LO O K C LO S E R
W
Late Lunch at the Little Easy NATCHEZ’S NEWEST HOTSPOT BOASTS A BOOZY BRUNCH FROM SUN-UP TO SUN-DOWN
B
y the time we got to The Little Easy after a morning spent in Natchez, we’d already received recommendations from five or so different locals to try: the jerk waffle and chicken, the BLT, the brisket sandwich, and the salmon salad—“You’ve just got to try the salmon salad!” Driving up to the highly-anticipated new eatery— which is helmed by the husband-and-wife duo Ashley Allen and Sarah Sookraj and occupying the same building that once housed Steampunk Coffee—we were greeted by a pair of older women standing
out front, brightly-colored cocktails in hand; and whatever they were talking about, well it sounded fascinating. It was two in the afternoon, on a Thursday—the weekend was practically here. Associate Publisher Ashley FoxSmith and I fell right in line with that sentiment, seating ourselves at one of the bistro tables outside; she ordered a rosé, and I opted for the Scratch Margarita, a refreshingly simple mix of Resposado, Cointreau, and lime. We were joined shortly by local gallery owner Stacy Conde, who promptly started agonizing
about whether she should get that famed salmon salad again or if she should try something else. Before any of us had finished perusing the Southern-winking-atthe-Caribbean menu (which promises a “Boozy Brunch from sun-up to sun-down, Mon-Sun, 7 am–7 pm”), blustery winds with the threat of downpour shooed us inside, where we found ourselves seated cozily at a gorgeous wood-slice table in the corner of the little café. The best way to eat in Natchez is to eat with a local, especially if they are a new friend. We’re all Southerners here: we get close fast. I had met Stacy only that morning, but before the first round of drinks was complete, we were recommending new hairstyles to Ashley and discussing their relationships with their daughters. But in between all of that came, one after another, introductions to essentially seventy percent of the restaurant’s patronage that day: Stacy knew all of them, including Tate Taylor, who was seated at the bar with a group of locals. The Natchez-based film producer and director of Academy Awardnominated film The Help is behind much of the buzz going on in the city these
days—including the opening of The Little Easy, part of a series of ventures which imagines Natchez as a newlyenlivened and thriving cultural center for years to come. Ashley and Stacy each ordered a salad—Ashley went for the slow-smoked salmon salad (someone certainly had to), and Stacy relented for the “Cluckin’” salad. Both were presented beautifully on beds of greens, with fresh seasonal vegetables sourced from a collection of local vendors, microgreens, edible flowers, and a sous vide egg to boot. As for myself, I never turn down anything with the words “Smoked Brisket” in it, and the sandwich—dressed with tomato, arugula, tomatillo avocado salsa, caramelized onions, and gouda—was about as good as they get: juicy, flavorful, and surprisingly delicate. At some point, an unaccounted-for serving of truffle fries showed up at our table, giving us a reason to linger a bit longer, and order a second round of drinks. It was Thursday afternoon, after all. The weekend was practically here. —Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
thelittleeasynatchez.com
A River Runs Through It AT OUR MAY COUNTRY ROADS SUPPER CLUB, OBSERVE THE ART OF FLY CASTING
F
ly casting, as anyone who has tried this ancient, but challenging, fishing method will tell you, is no easy business. Hand most of us garden-variety fishers a fragile, nine-foot flyrod and the only thing we’ll catch is adjacent vegetation at best, or possibly an unfortunate bystander’s ear. But when demonstrated by an expert, fly casting is a beautiful thing. Standing by a riverbank, tracing graceful arcs of weighted line through the air, the accomplished fly fisherman might shoot a dry fly, weighing just one or two grams, upwards of fifty feet before setting it lightly on the water’s surface, inches ahead of a hungry trout. In the popular imagination it’s usually the wary, elusive rainbow trout that is
8
the fly fisherman’s main quarry. But here in Louisiana, with our muggy weather and murky water not generally suited to trout, the state’s fly fishermen have adapted, casting flies for bass, bream, sac a lait; and in saltwater for redfish, jack crevalle, and even tarpon. So, while planning the visual diversions for the latest in our Country Roads Supper Club series—an outdoor dinner entitled River Run that will take place on the banks of a trout-stocked artificial river running through the West Feliciana estate of Mr. Mike Wampold—we wondered whether there might be a few accomplished, local fly casters who might like to come along and demonstrate their craft. That’s how we got in touch with the Acadiana Fly courtesy of Royal Carriages. Rodders’ flyPhoto fishing club.
M A Y 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M
“You can catch just about any kind of fish on a flyrod,” observed Clint Crowe, Lafayette resident and longtime Acadiana Fly Rodders member, who plies a flyrod in saltwater marshes across South Louisiana. In addition to actually catching fish, Crowe explained that many fly fishermen are drawn to the sport for the sheer pleasure that comes from a well-cast fly-line. “It’s quite hard to do well, and can be just mesmerizing to watch,” he said, noting that an accomplished caster can send a fly fifty feet or more, and land it within inches of the target. As a member of the Acadiana Fly Rodders, Crowe knows some accomplished casters, several of whom will be demonstrating their craft at Country Roads’ River Run Supper
Club in the Felicianas on May 15. They’ll be casting, and also sharing information about Reel Recovery, a nationwide volunteer organization that provides support and companionship to men living with cancer by taking them fly fishing. —James Fox-Smith
Learn more about Reel Recovery and how to support its good works at reelrecovery.org. Acadiana Fly Rodders will hold a fly fishing event in Youngsville, LA on May 12. Non-members are welcome. acadianaflyrodders.com.
