The Guide to Outside: Eat

D.I.’s Cajun Food and Music
Basile, LA

Right smack in the middle of nowhere, South Louisiana, sits the real deal, a bona fide crawfish “boiling point” out on the Cajun prairie amid rice fields and crawfish ponds, remote and isolated enough that you’ll be certain you missed a turn somewhere. (It’s north of I-10, on the Evangeline Highway roughly equidistant from Lake Charles and Lafayette, if that helps.) D.I.’s has been serving up platterfuls of cayenne-spiked boiled bugs, as well as crawfish pie, fried catfish, and frog legs, for twenty-five years.  discajunrestaurant.biz

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar
Austin, TX

Austin’s go-to spot for unfussy presentations of superfresh seafood, laid-back people watching, and a Gulf Coast vibe, with an inviting and spacious umbrella- and oak-shaded patio right on bustling South Congress Avenue. Hardcore seafood lovers find it hard to choose between oysters on the half shell flown in from all over, Texas bouillabaisse, the soft-shell-crab BLT, oak-grilled ahi tuna...you get the idea. perlasaustin.com

Sylvain
New Orleans, LA

Not often does a new French Quarter eatery elicit raves from locals, but since opening in October around the corner from Jackson Square, Sylvain has done just that. Among the attractions: Tasty and well-thought-out comfort food that doesn’t take itself too seriously, including braised beef cheeks, duck confit, and a Chick-fil-A tribute fried-chicken sandwich. An intimate dining room with rough-wood floors and ersatz-tin ceilings, and a candlelit courtyard permeated with French Quarter charm. And a bar that celebrates cocktail culture but also offers a can of Schlitz for two bucks. sylvainnola.com

Windy Corner Market
Lexington, KY

Windy Corner Market is the latest venture from Ouita Michel, four-time James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef Southeast, and her husband, Chris. Local ingredients anchor a lineup of po’ boys, burgers, and salads, in a green-credentialed building. Rustic reclaimed siding, floorboards that once fenced in horse farms, and a screened-in porch overlooking  rolling pastures all make for a welcoming, unhurried feel. windycornermarket.com