Tuna tartare, tortilla soup and cheese curds: Best things we ate this week

Tuna tartare from Pamplona Tapas Bar & Restaurant

Previous to my visit, I had heard great things about Pamplona. One of my friends even told me it was her favorite restaurant of all time, so I was more than excited to try this downtown Lafayette establishment.

The atmosphere at Pamplona is moody, with dim lighting, candles and tables situated right next to one other. When it comes to the food, they don’t miss a beat, either. My friend and I decided to split everything, as many people do with tapas, so we ordered the tuna tartare, Castilian mushrooms and duck fat fries. Truth be told, though, the duck fat fries came out first, and we were too hungry to remember to snap a picture.

The tuna tartare included greens, tomatoes, turnips, cranberries and tuna, which offered a blend of sweet and salty. Everything tasted fresh, healthy and flavorful, with a mix of ingredients I would necessarily put together myself. Though, I’m already thinking of ways I can remake it at home. The mushrooms were equally exceptional, with a smoky garlic sauce and parsley. I highly, highly recommend Pamplona for your next food outing. 

Pamplona Tapas Bar & Restaurant, 631 Jefferson Street Lafayette, 70501. (337) 232-0070. Hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 10 pm. Friday and Saturday. (Lauren Cheramie, staff writer)

Wisconsin Cheese Curds from Overpass Merchant 

As a Wisconsinite who moved to Louisiana in January, I was surprised to see “Wisconsin Cheese Curds” on the Overpass Merchant menu.

“Is the chef from Wisconsin?,” I asked the bartender. “Nope, he just went there once and really liked the cheese.”

You have to understand that words like that are irresistible to a Wisconsinite’s ears. We in the Dairy State are obsessively, aggressively, proud of our cheese. Wisconsin cheese routinely wins more awards than any other state or country, as anyone in the state will find an excuse to bring up at any time (like now). Obviously, I had to try the cheese curds — and they were amazing!