Gator on the menu

Louisiana is home to many unusual dishes that make inexperienced Yankees cringe—from bug-eyed boiled crawfish to cracklins and hogshead cheese. One menu item that commonly gives pause is alligator meat. For those seeking an alternative to chicken, pork or beef, however, gator is an interesting and tasty alternative—and there’s something satisfying about eating meat from an animal that could just as easily chow down on you. Below are just a few places where you can enjoy an authentic “bite” of this big predator. D&A Gumbo pizza: Oscar’s Ice Cream and Pizza Joint serves up gator on a pizza pie. The D&A Gumbo pizza is topped with gator sausage as well as smoked duck, andouille and green onion. The Swamp Dawg: The brand-new Frankie’s Dawg House just off of Perkins Road has gator in a bun—alligator sausage topped with grilled onions and spicy mustard. Blackened Alligator: This menu mainstay is one of The Chimes’ most famous appetizers, served in a small iron skillet with a creamy dipping sauce. It’s converted more than a few doubters into gator gourmands with just one taste. Ragin’ Cajun roll: Tsunami makes alligator sushi a tasty prospect, wrapping up panko-fried slices of tail meat with avocado and masago, and drizzling the whole thing with their special Tsunami sauce.