re: Is food disappointing outside of La?

I think it all depends on what type of food you eat and where.

My wife is from rural Minnesota (farmland). There are a few instances where I have discovered their food is better than ours.

Meat - while I'm not talking about sausage, etc - their quality of beef and pork is much better than what we find in our local restaurants and grocery stores. I am not sure if that is because there is so much farmland in that part of the country- but just getting a basic hamburger at a local restaurant you find the quality of the beef superior than in Louisiana.

Baked Goods - whether it's one of my wife's family members or a bakery they have fantastic baked goods. Cinnamon rolls, scones, along with some of their traditional goods (lefse, krumakake) I don't think I have ever had one that wasn't fantastic

Fast food - you all might laugh at this one - just something as simple as a trip to Dairy Queen or McDonald's you'll find that the restaurant is very clean, fantastic customer service, and your food is always how it should be - unfortunately in Louisiana is almost never the case