Glenda's or ...not?

We got up early on Friday and began our second leg of the southern trail. We were headed to Austin, Texas. But first we had an important mission. 

We had to drive to Breaux Bridge for a meal at Glenda's Creole Kitchen. It was featured in Anthony Bourdain's Cajun Country episode and it was such an authentic example of the real deal we knew we had to try it. It wasn't a simulation of or a spin off of country cooking, it was just that ...country cooking. And, of course, all of the enthusiastic exuberance was helpful. And, of course, pork chops smothered in gravy just needs to be eaten whenever possible. 

So we were confidently on the road. I had timed everything carefully and we would arrive at Glenda's around 2 or 2:30 for a sort of late lunch dinner combo. We stopped at the Nottoway Plantation and had a great tour. I'm really impressed with tour guides. They are so knowledgable and engaging. I might be one when I grow up.

I was navigating brilliantly thanks to Siri, my iPhone GPS queen. I was also surfing for reviews of Glenda's. One of the Yelp reviewers crackled us up. He said her cooking was like his mom's cooking when he was little...except his mom didn't cook that good! He also said the dining room closed at 1! Oh my God! I panicked. My brilliant navigation was all for naught. We would miss lunch! this could not happen. When would we ever be in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana again?!?  But there was a brief hope that we could get there before 2 which was when the drive thru window closed. Siri said our ETA was 1:41. I begged John to drive faster. We were lucky that the speed limit on Louisiana highways is 75. We drove in a frenzy and made it to Breaux Bridge in what we thought was the nick of time. But Siri (that bitch) told us to go right at Poches. We drove down the road and she kept saying "You have arrived, you have arrived." But we had not arrived. No Glenda anywhere. I saw a woman fetching her mail and I jumped out of the car and approached her.

 She must have sensed my anxiety because she said, "Now Honey, you just go back down this road and you'll come to a place called Poches. You just go past that place for about three miles and she's right there on your left. Just a little white building. You won't miss it." I imagined that she has had a few other panicked fledgling foodies desperately scrambling to retrieve their lost time at Glenda's. We turned around and raced down the road. There were few houses and lots of fields around us. There it was. A little bitty place with a hand painted sign and a tattered flag. We pulled in and I jumped out and tried the door! Locked! A woman was getting into her car. 

 "You can still get food at the drive thru around to the other side" she said. 

I walked around and John drove next to me. I think I scared Glenda cause I was not in the car but standing next to the window instead.

"All we have left is "shrimp and crab smothered okra" and "fried catfish". 

We said yes please and got our meals to go. 

We added two pralines for dessert and settled onto the picnic table for our lunch. Siri had not completely sabotaged our plan.