Shreveport, LA and Tulare, CA

Hello and welcome to my blog!

One of the perks that come with my job is that I get to see many new and interesting places.  Another benefit is that I get to try lots of great (and sometimes interesting) things to eat.  With that in mind, my wife Aly gave me the great idea of starting a blog to share some of these experiences with everyone.  So in this blog I will be posting some of the different sights and foods that come with being a Kagan trainer.  Enjoy!

Shreveport, LA
I arrived in Shreveport at 7:30pm and immediately noticed the numerous movie posters that lined the hallways.  As I continued down this hall, it occurred to me that these were all movies that were filmed here.  I don't recall any of the movies off the top of my head (you could say I'm not exactly a movie buff), but as I continued reading the posters I came across one that boldly proclaimed that Shreveport was "HOLLYWOOD SOUTH".  Who knew?

I got my car and headed to the hotel, some 4 minutes away (sweet!) and was welcomed by a very friendly staff (this is the south after all).  I told them that this was my first time in Louisiana so I wanted to try something Louisian -ian, -ish, -er... uh, Cajun.  They recommended a restaurant called Ralph and Kacoo's, located near the Louisiana Boardwalk where all of the casinos are located.  I also did not realize that Shreveport was a gambling mecca.  Man, this place is full of surprises.

That's the gator on the right

Once at the restaurant, I decided to try crawfish (don't call them crayfish here) and alligator for my appetizer.  After some encouraging from the waiter, I went for the blackened alligator, dipped it in the hollandaise sauce and ate it.  Wow, it was really good!  Cliche as it sounds, it really does taste like... well, chicken.  Dinner followed soon after.  I ordered the Shrimp Trawl, which consisted of shrimp au gratin, fried shrimp, shrimp stew, and crab-stuffed shrimp (did anybody else just read that in their Bubba Gump voice?)  The shrimp au gratin was outstanding and easily the best of the four, but the crab-stuffed shrimp was somewhat disappointing.

Shrimp Trawl

This was a quick trip, so 22 hours later it was back to the airport to head back to Vegas for a day, then to the next location- Tulare/Visalia, CA and an opportunity to see family and friends for three days.  It was great to visit with my parents, grandparents, and Uncle Manuel and do some catching up.  I also got to visit some of my favorite local eateries, The Old Spaghetti Factory and Taylor's Hot Dogs, as well as try a new place, Amigo's.  And, believe it or not, I even took in a movie (Taken 2) with John and Joe.  Overall, it was a great week.  Next, it's back to Vegas and a well-deserved week off and a visit from Aly's mom.