Grillades and Cheesy Grits. A New Orleans classic, grillades rely on succulent beef top round that's cooked low and slow for hours until it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served with savory, cheesy grits and a luscious gravy using the fond (flavorful browned bits of food that stick to the bottom of a pan) from the beef. Do you generally enjoy foods that are slow-cooked?

Creole Crawfish Pie. Across south Louisiana restaurants, street food stalls, and eateries, numerous chefs and cooks all claim to offer the best crawfish pie — a flaky, buttery pie filled with herbs, aromatics, and, of course, Louisiana crawfish tails. It's often served in the form of a hand pie, but for the winter holidays, many people will make their Creole Crawfish pie in the form of a 9-inch double-crust pie. As with many Creole dishes, making a fine, peanut butter–colored roux is essential here, as is a steady eye and patience. The rewards are profound: Loaded with perfectly tender and buttery crawfish tails, the Creole-spiced filling picks up a slightly sweet flavor from the softened vegetables and succulent crawfish. Have you ever had Crawfish in any form?