All The Jazz Fest Foods You Can’t Miss This Year

Weekend one of Jazz Fest has come to a close, and New Orleans is now in full-fledged fess mode. All anyone will be talking about this week are the pressing Fest matters like: What is the best food this year? How is the pork chop sandwich? And should I add cracklins to this po' boy?

Of course, the sheer quantity of food coverage is pretty overwhelming, so again Eater is here to help. Here, now, is all you need to know about pressing Jazz Fest food and beverage matters to help you get the good times rolling over the second weekend.

Best po' boys: There are over 20 po' boys at Jazz Fest and The Times-Pic selects its top ten including Vaucresson's hot sausage, Vucinovich's fried oyster and more. [NOLA.com]

Best food for big appetites: Catfish and jambalaya, barbecue ribs, chocolate eclairs and more fest foods that offer the most bang for your buck. [NOLA.com]

Plan ahead: Here's the link for food booths and both food demo stages, so you can plan ahead. [NOJAZZFEST.com]

Buy beer in bulk: Jazz Fest doesn't have a cap on how many brews you can buy at a time, so buy a bunch, then take a small cooler filled with ice to keep them cold for you and your crew. [NoDef]

The new stuff: Ann Maloney reports that the strawberry and yogurt trifle is a great way to start the day and the bacon pecan square (pictured above) is also a great new addition. [NOLA.com]

Food by the numbers: Attendees can choose from 70+ vendors, 250+ individual dishes, and 50 food demos at this year's Jazz Fest. [NOLA.com]

Behind the scenes food: Wondering how all that jambalaya gets made? Look no further than this video. [NOLA.com]

Make a boudin grilled cheese sandwich: Ian McNulty suggests that you combine the grilled cheese from the Kids Area with the boudin balls in Food Area 1 to make an EPIC Jazz Fest sandwich inspired by Johnson's Boucaniere in Lafayette. [Advocate]

Cracklin makes everything better: McNulty also suggests adding cracklins to the cochon de lait po' boy. Triple bypass not included. [Advocate]

More spots to eat around the fest: Here are more picks for dining near the fest include Toups Meatery, Katies, Cafe Degas and more. [Advocate]

Get Your Breakfest on: Bayou Wine Garden & Bayou Beer Garden are hosting Breakfest on Sunday, May 1. Get your brunch and Jazz Fest pre-game on with loads of food vendors and live music. $15 suggested donation for entry, and booze available for purchase. [Advocate]

Food critic's faves: Ian McNulty loves the catfish almondine and fried okra. He also suggests adding the fried peppers that come on top of the Guil's gator (in Food Area 1) to your Crawfish Monica to spice it up. [Advocate]

Queen of the food vendors: Della Hasselle reports that beloved yakamein lady Ms. Linda Green is presiding over a small Jazz Fest empire with two food booths, seven dishes, fan favorites including the pork chop sandwich and yakamein, and even her social aid and pleasure club The Lady Rollers now parading through the fest. [Advocate]

A few of Eater's favorite Jazz Fest eats:

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• Fried crawfish with jalapeno peppers and onions
• BBQ brisket sandwich with coleslaw and smoky bacon greens
• Fried oyster spinach salad
• Coconut pie
• German chocolate cake
• Jamaican chicken with steamed veggies and rice with curried chicken patt
• Trout Bacquet
• Fried catfish po' boy
• Crawfish Enchiladas
• Pizza Delicious representing at the Food Heritage Stage
• The Mango Freeze
• Stuffed crab with potato salad
• Crawfish streudel
• Chicken livers with pepper jelly, crowder peas, okra and rice
• Caribbean fish with steamed vegetables and rice
• Crawfish bread
• Shrimp & duck pasta
• Crawfish Monica
• Poulet Fricassee with Jama Jama and fried plantains
• Cracklins
• The softshell crab po' boy
• Crawfish Beignets