A taste of Eunice in The French Quarter

By Todd C. Elliott
todd.elliott@eunicetoday.com

There’s a taste of Eunice in The French Quarter.
Any visitor to Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails – which is a restaurant at the corner of Conti and Chartres – may first notice the interior design theme centered around Huey P. Long.
However, it is the lunch and dinner menu that has people from Eunice taking note of some familiar ingredients.
The first item on the lunch menu is a gourmet sandwich called “Barbeque Pulled Pork Sandwich”– which according to the menu is made with “Eunice Superette” pulled pork.
On the dinner menu, an item called “Superette Cochon de Lait”– served with a “crackling-crusted boudin cake” adds to the restaurant’s Cajun-Creole cuisine.
More mouth-watering menu items also include a seasonal, hearty, brown gravy “Eunice Stew”– which is made from the same Eunice Superette pork.
Kingfish Chef Greg Sonnier said that he is originally from Scott and believes that Eunice has the best pork available. He said that’s why he ships in pork products from the Eunice Superette to his French Quarter kitchen once a week.
“I’ve been really happy with the Eunice Superette and all of their products that they deliver to us weekly,” said Chef Sonnier. “The best part about the Eunice Superette and their pork and what they bring to us is the young, suckling pigs that are under 50 pounds – which I find is the best flavor of pig, when they’re that small.”
Chef Sonnier uses the Eunice Superette swine in the making of his own boudin and andoulle sausage.
“It was great to utilize the meat of the Eunice Superette because it’s so delicious that we didn’t want to just serve it one time,” said Sonnier. “We wanted to keep it going.”
Chef Sonnier said that people from Eunice have already begun to take note of the menu. He said that one night a Eunice resident was sitting at the bar of the Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails.
“They saw Eunice on the menu and they were from Eunice,” said Sonnier. “And believe it or not, they actually lived three blocks away from the Eunice Superette. I thought that was hysterical. I really enjoyed meeting people from there and I’m glad that they come here and eat.”
Willie Burson, Eunice Superette and Slaughterhouse co-owner, said that he provides at least three or four whole pigs every week to Kingfish.
“I just got hooked with Sonnier through one of our other clients that we deliver to out there,” said Burson. “Sonnier gave us a call one day and we’ve been delivering to him ever since.”
Burson said that Chef Sonnier knows what he likes and what he likes is true, “fresh hang” pork– which is a whole pig that has been gutted, hung on a meat hook and shipped.
“A lot of those restaurants do all of their fabrications themselves instead of getting their pork in from a box or packing middle-man, they go direct,” said Burson. “And mine have the skin on them. Versus the meat you get in a box, they don’t have the skin on them.”
Burson said that Chef Sonnier buys whole pigs, pork butts and occasionally a quarter of veal as the fresh Eunice meats add to the splendor of any meal.
Burson said that it’s not unusual to see a Eunice Superette truck making a delivery to the Quarter. He said that another restaurant, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, also receives shipments of fresh Eunice pork for their world-renowned dining.
When asked about the mention of “Eunice Superette”,“Eunice Stew” and “Superette Cochon de Lait” on the Kingfish menu, Burson said that it felt good to know that Eunice is being exposed to people from all over the world who visit the French Quarter for a unique taste of Louisiana.
“It feels good to get your name out there,” said Burson. “We also deliver to anywhere from LaPlace to the Westbank of New Orleans.”