Lord knows the results of the races themselves were not making me feel especially smart. There are two very good appetizers here. The first is the crab and crawfish cake, which is generous enough that I stopped wondering where they're getting these crawfish. The other is a crabmeat pastry half-moon, set in a pool of a slightly peppery cream sauce. This was not only tasty but elegant.
Soups are a big deal here.
At racetracks elsewhere in the country, people place bets on the Fair Grounds' soup du jour. The best of the soups I tried was the oyster and artichoke, but none were bad. A crawfish and corn chowder was almost like a chili, and very spicy. The famous corned beef is served very generously with some slow-cooked cabbage and new potatoes. The best entree I had at the Fair Grounds was a gigantic fillet of trout, broiled with some lemon butter and served with a bunch of vegetables.