Sometimes the goal of an evening at the bar isn’t to partake in a liquid diet — sometimes the drinks are simply a compliment to a fare one particular bar has become known for.  

John Caulfield, the owner and chef at Knotty Pine on the Bayou has been serving up Cajun-influenced classics for 16 years. John and his wife have just come back from New Orleans where their son will begin his freshman year at Tulane. After a visit to such a dining mecca, I expected his last great meal to involve some sort of delicious NOLA offering, but this family man covets local food cooked on the family grill.