Underwhelmed in Lafayette

I like downtown Lafayette; its tight concentration of bars and restaurants give it an urban vibe Baton Rouge could learn from. But dinner there Saturday night was nothing to get excited about. A couple of years ago, I had a seriously inspiring lunch at the South and Central American restaurant, Guamas. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about those arepas (corn flour pockets stuffed with shredded pork and sour cream) and a tres leches cake that rivaled a favorite spot in Houston. But this time around, the service was slow, the flavors were drab, and my dish, the coconut shrimp, was a disaster. The only thing worse than overcooked shrimp is mouthfuls of overcooked coconut. Others at the table fared better, but no one went home with a food crush. The shrimp al ajillo, simply prepared with a sauce of garlic and papaya, was tender and mild. The marinated ribeye (carne a la plancha) was cooked spot on, but its accompanying chimichurri sauce was undetectable. As for drinks, the margaritas effervesced with the powdery aftertaste of a mix. Thank God for the well-executed mojitos and the still-good tres leches cake. The restaurant was steady, but nowhere close to crowded. That changed later. The real draw at Guamas, it seems, is the 10:30 p.m. Latin dance party. The kitchen shuts down, the tables go up, and the diva grips the mike. Food is an afterthought.