On the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, near the end of the causeway that leads across this salty bowl of water to New Orleans,
a red and white sign beckons. The sign, attached to Morton’s Seafood Restaurant, reads: “Hot boiled seafood when arrow is flashing.”
Like hungry moths, diners flock to that sign. It overlooks the waterfront in tiny Madisonville, Louisiana, a drowsy place just up the Tchefuncte (chuh-FUNK-tuh) River from Lake Pontchartrain. “It’s a great little town,” says
Chris Binnings. “It’s kind of
apart from the world.”
Chris grew up in nearby
Abita Springs, then lived the island life as a restaurant manager in Key West, Florida. He came back home early this year to
help family members cope with hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Now Chris has partnered with the owners of Friends on the Tchefuncte, the only Madisonville restaurant that sits directly on
the water. They’re turning it
into Friends Coastal Restaurant, which they plan to open in
May. Chris is borrowing ideas from his favorite Florida seaside locations for a casual decor and menu he describes as “a blend
of Key West, Naples, Destin, and New Orleans.”
The town shows few visible signs of last year’s flooding and wind damage. The tree-shaded park still stretches lazily along the river. Sleepy streets have resumed their habitual state of welcoming relaxation.
“When you are in the New Orleans area or in other cities, people do not wave at you,” says resident Catherine Lynch. “When we first moved here, we’d drive through the neighborhoods, and people would wave at us. I’d ask my husband, ‘Do you know those people?’”
Catherine volunteers at the
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, which details the town’s surprisingly lively history as a port. The building stands on the site of a former shipyard. Appropriately, the museum offers boatbuilding classes on the ground floor. And in the fall
it sponsors the town’s biggest event, the annual Wooden Boat Festival.
The rest of the time, great seafood constitutes Madisonville’s biggest attraction. Morton’s, with its laid-back atmosphere and homemade bread pudding with rum sauce, draws the largest crowds. Locals favor Coffee’s Boilin Pot for terrific crawfish and other delights in a no-frills concrete-block building. Badeaux’s Drive-In serves an excellent po’boy (as well
as delicious malts and shakes).
Water Street Bistro—hunter green walls, soft music, fragrant crawfish pasta, terrific white chocolate flan with amaretto sauce—offers the most elegant experience. Many guests take advantage of the waterfront right across the street. “We get a lot of people on boats from Slidell, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, all around the area,” says Constance Monroe, whose family runs the restaurant.
Madisonville’s placid streets
and well-kept flowerbeds invite an after-dessert stroll. Shopping options pretty much begin and end at Flair Interiors & Artisans’ Showroom, which showcases Louisiana arts and crafts in a renovated gas station.
Otherwise, well, there’s always the next meal to anticipate. Madisonville isn’t selling excitement. Instead, it offers an increasingly scarce and precious commodity: tranquility.
