Most New Orleanians consider Laplace the end of the Big Easy and the beginning of the place where the Yat accent dies and a coon-ass accent kicks in. But true lovers of the Cajun culture know that you have to go west on I-10 to Lafayette and its environs to be in the heart of Acadiana.

That's where you can find the best crawfish, the most authentic music, the trappings of the culture, unique in the world, and some of the best times this side of heaven.

Chef Paul Prudhomme was the human ...