225BatonRouge.com

They call themselves “Dr. C” and “Coach T” and they’ve rated more than 60 boudin purveyors within and outside Louisiana. From their home base in Lafayette, the so-called “Linksters,” school administrator Nolan Theriot and college professor Bob Carriker, get wind of noteworthy boudin and take to the state’s rural byways to taste for themselves. Their Web site, boudinlink.com, features a simple rating system—A, B or C—and tasting notes.

It might seem obsessive, but it’s all in good fun and ultimately sheds valuable light on one of South Louisiana’s cultural treasures.

“The greatest thing about having this boudin reviewing Web site is that it gets me, my friend and my family out and about to places that we’d never otherwise go,” says Carriker, a Washington state native. “Along the way we find all sorts of wonderful people and fantastic food. I love the fact that other people find it useful in helping them to get out and do the same thing.”

In addition to the healthy selection from the self-described real boudin country west of the

Mississippi River, boudinlink.com features reviews east of the river as well, including some recent selections. Read how they rate, or better yet, visit these Baton Rouge-area purveyors yourself.