A friend once told me that Ruston peaches are not long for this world, a tidbit that I have neither the time nor the intellectual curiosity to fact check. In any case, the world itself is not long for “this world,” in the figurative sense, so his notion will inevitably turn out to be true. One day, there will be no Ruston peaches. I shudder at that realization, and also from the biting frigidity of this delicious Ruston peach Zydeco Freeze I’m slurping from Zydeco Poboys & Daiquiris. Never in my life have I taken such pleasure in clearing a clog in my straw than I have with this tangy, sweet delight.

For my trip to Zydeco Po-Boys, I have elected to order everything on the menu that has the word “Zydeco” in it, mostly because my employers will reimburse me in the name of journalism, but also because I need a themed reason to eat anything these days. Fortunately, such ad hoc roulette of thought has rendered three solid choices: The eponymous Zydeco Poboy, replete with an unctuous pot roast debris; the aforementioned Zydeco Freeze, featuring live nude Ruston peaches; and the Zydeco Chicken Salad. It’s not lost on me that this column is both self-righteous and hyperbolic, but I’ll be damned if it’s not the best chicken salad this fair city has to offer. Far too often, gourmet chicken salads surrender to chunkiness in the name of transparency. When I eat chicken salad, I want mechanical separation and mayonnaise. The geniuses at Zydeco have devised a third way — white breast meat, wholesome with a fine shred. Or maybe it’s the capers. It’s probably the capers.

Pro Tip - As the blind poet said, you can’t win friends with salad. But you can win friends with chicken salad.

Save