Smoked oxtails and dirty rice at Boutte's BBQ trailer in Fresno

During a recent trip to Louisiana, I pulled into Alexandria just as lunchtime rolled around. Cities of this size — 50,000 to 100,000 residents, whether here or across the border in Texas — pose a particular challenge for travelers in search of a memorable meal.

The pattern is familiar: a small downtown dotted with lawyer’s offices around the courthouse, then, farther out, a main drag anchored by a faded shopping mall and lined with chain restaurants. Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Culver’s — you know the drill. Pull through, grab some finger food, and you’re back on the highway before the fries even cool.

GUIDE: Houston's best barbecue joints

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But in Cajun country, that feels like a cop-out. The odds of stumbling upon something great at a roadside joint, barbecue shack or otherwise, are far higher here than anywhere else.

So I drove on. That’s when I spotted

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