Baton Rouge Eats

Doe's Eat Place

2010-08-26T22:38:59Z

Okay so this was actually my last meal before I moved to Chicago...maybe it's ironic that I had a steak before I moved to the Midwest, but damn if it wasn't an amazing steak. You should definitely eat at Doe's if you can.

King filet and hand cut fries.

Medium rare done right. It was like butter in my mouth.

Two things

2010-08-09T23:55:30Z

First of all, I am moving to Chicago in two weeks, so I thought I'd see if anyone was interested in taking over the position of moderator.

Two, I ate at Calendar's the other night for the first time in many, many years.

I was under the mistaken impression that it was the equivalent of an Applebee's, but that shows how much I know because it serves some amazing food. The sign and the atmosphere are still very reminiscent of Applebee's, and they've certainly got some similar sandwich and burger options. But holy cow their specials and "river city favorites" look phenomenal, and the ones I got to taste were pretty yum.

Catfish Calendar's: Catfish filet, lightly battered and fried, topped with sauteed mushrooms in a rich dill cream sauce. This sauce is ridiculous.

Chicken Beauhall: Lightly paneed chicken breast topped with spicy crawfish cream sauce.

I guess it's normal for things covered in cream sauces to be OH EM GEE SO GOOOOD, but I enjoy it. They also have some pretty great honey mustard, if you're into that, which I am.

Bread in Baton Rouge

2010-05-20T20:32:01Z

Is there a good bakery that makes European style breads in BR?
So far, I was unable to find a good quality bread in this city.

Monjuni's

2010-02-22T06:45:02Z

I'm a huge fan of Monjuni's and their Aurora sauce, so I tend to crave it specifically. They have two locations in Baton Rouge, one on Jefferson Hwy (close to Government) and the other on Highland Rd (in the Kenilworth Shopping Center).

When I went recently, set on ordering pasta, the waitress was all "today's soup is twice baked potato" so I was like "fine". It was quite heavenly. I may have to start specifically craving their soup now.

I still ordered pasta, Chicken and Fettucine Alfredo, and subbed the Aurora sauce (pretty much any item on the menu you can sub the other sauces) and it was heavenly as well.

Cafe Americain

2010-02-22T06:37:48Z

I've been slacking here.

I really should go to this place more often, they've got some really good stuff. I used to order food to-go from the College Drive location...that was easily 8 years ago, so we'll ignore that for now.

It's located at the corner of Jefferson and Lobdell, between Baskin Robbins and Little Wars, which I assume is a gaming thing. Cafe Americain really has some amazing food (even if the name is stupid and not at all representative of the cuisine).

Check the chalkboard when you walk in for night's specials and their daily soup. I've never been for lunch, but they apparently have lunch specials as well.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip - some of the creamiest I've ever had. It's $10, but it's a pretty huge serving.

Crab & Broccoli Soup - if there is a cream based soup that includes crab, you can bet I am going to eat it. This was awesome (they also make Crab & Asparagus soup so like I said, check the chalkboard to see which one's available).

Shrimp Orleans - shrimp stuffed with crab, wrapped in catfish, deep friend, covered in a brandy tarragon sauce, comes with two sides, I chose french fries and...

...asparagus!

The pecan tilapia is somewhat their signature dish, and that is what everyone else in my party ordered.

Link to the menus. Looks like they have a brunch as well.

Wine Walk

2009-10-01T22:01:32Z

Something new at my favorite place, Perkins Rowe: the Wine Walk! My waitor at the Grillroom (Food was spectacular, as usual!) told me about it. Every Thursday, you pay $10 and you get two glasses of wine from four different restaurants. That's 8 glasses of wine for $10! I apologize that I didn't think to get the other restaurants' names or starting times and whatnot. I wasn't really worried because I can't go till next week. Just thought I'd share.

Coyote Blues

2009-09-28T01:56:26Z

Some friends and I decided to try out Coyote Blues on Acadian (in the old Lone Star building). We've heard people rave about the Lafayette location. We went on a Tuesday night, and it was 2-for-1 margaritas and martinis during Happy Hour (4pm - 7pm). I think the drink special varies daily (Monday is dollar margarita night from what I hear) *EDIT: see comments for all Happy Hour specials*. We weren't impressed with the house margarita (which we were able to try both frozen and on the rocks because they brought the wrong ones out first). But several of the martinis we tried were pretty yummy.

The wait staff needs some work, although I suppose it could have just been our waiter. People like to make excuses for wait staff at new restaurants, but I personally think that's the time when there should be no excuse. You should have started out with good training, started out with experienced staff...I don't think you should start out hoping things will get better. I do understand working out some kinks, but there's no reason you shouldn't be doing everything in your power to make things run extra smoothly in the beginning. How else do you expect to win people over? Slack off later, when we're already fans.

Anyway, things seemed to take awhile to come to our table (and as I already mentioned, drinks came out wrong). But all the food we had was very good. I think the prices are a bit high, like everything should seriously be 2 or 3 dollars cheaper. i don't feel like Mexican food should be very difficult or expensive. I do understand using better quality ingredients, or having large portions, but I don't think they really did anything so fabulous as to require the extra cost. They have a unique menu (duck quesadillas?) and lots of options. I think it's worth a try, and would easily be a place to frequent if there was something specific you really liked. However, if you're just in the mood for some Mexican and margaritas, I think there are plenty of cheaper options in town that would perfectly satisfy your tastes.

If memory serves me right, I'm pretty sure the Baton Rouge menu is the same as their Lafayette menu (there's no website for the Baton Rouge location yet).

They have a red salsa and green salsa, not exactly like Ninfa's, but a similar idea. We were also excited about the side orders, as corn grits are an option and we were all huge fans of corn grits (although for some reason, everyone's grits came out after all of the food). We also tried the southwest mashed potatoes and those were excellent. But they have the requisite rice and beans as well.

neuvo crab enchiladas

el patron burrito

fajita burrito

corn, crab & poblano soup - essentially a corn and crab bisque. very rich and very yummy.

I would say take a look at the menu, you may decide there's something you definitely must try. I don't think i would bother going if I wanted anything too generic, as I could spend half as much and get just as full elsewhere. Although going during Happy Hour will certainly make it more worthwhile.

Mexican food query

2009-08-25T20:25:27Z

Where can I find Horchata in Baton Rouge?

Zea's

2009-08-16T18:02:27Z

I'm glad to see they've gotten better at service. I think I actually saw two managers walking around.

Started with an old favorite, Duck Empanadas.

Also got some seasonal items off their Summer Menu:

Filet mignon medallions with bourbon butter...seasoned and seared on a bed of caramelized onions and mushrooms, with corn grits and potatoes

Peach Cosmo

Tsunami Tuesdays

2009-08-05T16:50:03Z

I know Tsunami isn't everybody's bag, but I like it, so I keep going. On Tuesdays the Happy Hour lasts all night, and it's half off a selective drink list (used to just be wine and beer, but they've added cosmos and appletinis to the list!) and 25% off rolls under $10. Since school is out it hasn't been ridiculously crowded like usual (so that'll probably only last another 2 weeks).

Ika Fries (calamari) with spicy mayo dipping sauce

Cucumber Wrap (snow crab, shrimp & avocado wrapped in cucumber served with crab sticks & kazan sauce)

Sahbum (shrimp tempura, grilled eel with eel sauce), Ragin Cajun (panko fried alligator, avocado, masago, eel sauce), and Lava (crunchy shrimp, cucumber, topped with salmon and sauce, baked and served warm)

Rainbow (snow crab, avocado, tuna, yellowtail, salmon) and Dynamite (diced tuna, yellowtail, fresh salmon, avocado & spicy sauce)

My happy hour cosmo

And the Mississippi is actually kind of pretty at sunset

California Pizza Kitchen

2009-07-13T14:37:19Z

Eh.

Hits and misses. One of the misses being the service. So I'll start there.

First off, once we were sat, it took awhile before anyone stopped by to check on us. The waiter's excuse ended up being that he was waiting for more people to sit down (only half our party was there). And I don't really mind the excuse, I guess I'm just used to someone stopping by regardless and ASKING if we want to wait for the rest of our party or not. And since we were all rather dehydrated from the night before, we didn't want to wait to just order some drinks.

And honestly, I would not have even mentioned that mishap normally, but the fact that things didn't stop there, I feel like I might as well give full disclosure.

So, we order drinks and an appetizer. Mainly we got glasses of water, but my friends also ordered some strawberry banana smoothies. The smoothies were ready and sitting on the counter for quite awhile, the bartender even had to remove their whipped cream topping and re-top them because they sat there so long and sorta melted. Eventually they made it the table (like, 3 feet away from the bar) and were absolutely delicious. But we were still waiting on our appetizer. Then, once the rest of our table arrived, the waiter took their drink orders, and then asked us to let him know if we wanted an appetizer...and I was like "we already ordered one". I think he then immediately remembered that we had, but he didn't remember what it was, and obviously hadn't put it in. We ordered another to go along with it, and he said he'd put a rush on it. (Again, another mishap I'd overlook, but there's a list so you're getting all of them).

We ordered the hummus and avocado egg rolls. I didn't try an egg roll (I'm not a huge avocado fan) but I hear they were awesome.

The hummus was good too, but it required an entire extra plate of pita to finish. And we were not taking small dips.

I find a lot of places don't give you enough bread/chips/pita to use up all of whatever dip you order, but usually you only need a few more pieces. Never have I needed an entire extra plate (and honestly, could have still used a few more pieces). It just disappoints me when places obviously don't do enough pre-test to determine the correct portions. And I don't think they charged for the extra pita, so it's not like they were short-changing us just to make an extra buck. (And if they did charge, then I'm disappointed with them pulling such a scam).

And here's the main problem really. This is what our table looked like, BEFORE we got our pizzas. Seriously, pre-bus anyone? We had 5 people, yet there were like 10 glasses on the table. We actually started stacking everything in the hopes that someone would notice.

And it wasn't like everyone had just finished their smoothies, this stuff all sat on the table for about 10 or 15 minutes. Our waiter made several stops to deliver new drinks and check on other things, but never touched an empty glass or plate. It wasn't ridiculously busy (it was the late lunch rush, but nothing really excessive). And not only did our waiter not pick it up, but no other waiter picked it up, and no manager came by...like, no one in the entire restaurant managed to notice and do something about it. We were sitting right in the middle of everything too. What kind of training did this team have?

Eventually our pizzas came, and it all seemed a bit mediocre. Some people's were piping hot, while others were barely lukewarm. This restaurant sits over 100 people, so you cannot tell me that it's impossible to manage the ovens well enough to produce 5 hot pizzas at the same time.

I only have pics of two.

This was next to me...it wasn't even warm

My BBQ Chicken pizza...luke warm, and not the best BBQ Chicken pizza I've had. I was looking forward to it because these people apparently invented the thing. I guess other people have just improved upon it since then.

I am not a big pizza person in the first place, so I may or may not go back. It's possible this waiter was the worst of the lot, but I'm a little disappointed that no one else stepped in to help. The menu is extensive, the appetizers were great, and there are a lot of salad and pasta options. It's worth another shot I suppose, or maybe would be good for to-go orders. Overall I was just really underwhelmed by everything.

Dingo's

2009-06-10T13:13:38Z

So last night we went to Dingo's. Already mentioned here, it's this new place that is supposed to be sorta Australian/American I guess, the owner is Australian (he brought out our food actually). Most items are pretty familiar but with flair. We ordered some generic items, but the menu has some unique twists here and there, and everything was good.

We started with the spinach dip with feta...super creamy and super yummy.

The veggie burger, which apparently was pretty yum. Loved the roll...it was a little sweet and reminded us of the cafeteria rolls we had in elementary school.

I had a bacon cheddar burger and it was super yum as well. i didn't have the same bun as the veggie burger, mine wasn't as sweet, but it was very soft and fresh. And we both had sweet potato fries.

We also ordered an Australian beer (not Fosters) and a mixed drink that like pink lemonade.

There are some more exciting items I'd like to try from the menu, I was just a little in the mood for comfort food, and dip and chips and cheeseburgers fit that bill quite nicely.

br_eats @ 2009-05-31T00:42:00

2009-05-31T17:52:10Z

Hunan is currently on my shit list. We were having a terminator movie marathon before we went to see Salvation and the guy I'm seeing ordered take out from Hunan. I ordered the braised tofu from the vegetarian section. It was supposed to be tofu, button mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Sounds easy enough, right? He confirmed there was no meat in it. He brings it home and there's no button mushrooms or bamboo shoots. What I got was a bowl of tofu and PORK. I tried ordering the steamed vegetable dumplings, but the lady on the phone said those have pork in it too. Um, then advertise it that way?

I've gotten my family hooked on Nagoya and we all went Wed. I've learned that they usually only do the vegetarian sushi rolls on the weekend. The past few times I've gone during the week, there was nothing on the sushi bar I could eat. I really wanted sushi last week, so I asked one of the sushi chefs if he could make one with just vegetables. He asked me exactly what I wanted on it and made it for me on the spot. So major bonus points there.

I'm also big on Greek food. I order the eggplant mousakka where ever I go because it's my favorite food EVAR. We were going to go to Serops Express on jefferson because they make it the way I like it and I think they have the best baba ganoush in town. They aren't open on the weekend. Romans and Arzi's are right by my house, so we went to arzi's. I ordered the mousakka appetizer and was not impressed. It looked like they used canned tomato paste instead of stewing it with tomatoes and there was only maybe 2 pieces of eggplant in what I got. It was mainly onions and peppers.

If I had to rate the mousakka in town, I'd give Serops express and A+. Roman's is ok, but they don't leave the skin on and you have to ask them not to put feta on top of it. Albasha ranks right behind Serops. They leave the skin on and you get lots of eggplant. I just wish there was more tomatos in it. I'm interested in going back and trying the squash mousakka

rice noodle craving.

2009-05-12T03:06:29Z

Where's the best place to get Pad Thai in Baton Rouge?

Bonus points if they have a really good Pad Se Ew.

The Grillroom

2009-04-30T13:17:54Z

New place in Perkins Rowe

I thought it was neat that they have several different versions of sliders

People apparently rave about the Mac & Cheese (with options to add chicken, crawfish, or shrimp). They also have mac & cheese as a side, so I'd probably try it first that way before I ordered a whole plate of it.

They start you with fresh bread and honey butter

The specials for the night included a Baked Brie appetizer that was likely divine...But we started with spinach and artichoke dip (I wanted chips). It was a little too artichokey for our tastes, and the pieces could have been cut up more. Made it hard to dip near the end, it was just huge slices of artichoke that had to be spooned out.

My first visit I went pretty generic, just a burger and fries. It's a decent burger, but I likely wouldn't order it again simply because there is plenty else on the menu I'd like to try.

My friend kind of made her own sandwich since she's vegetarian. It was items you could find on all the other sandwiches (lettuce, tomato, onions, avacado, and mushrooms).

Pinoy

2009-04-29T03:44:16Z

New Filipino restaurant, Pinoy, on the corner of Coursey and Sherwood Forest Blvd.

http://pinoybr.com

We ordered three of the four appetizers, and then each had a different entree. Everything was yummy. I've no experience with Filipino food, but it appears to have an Asian and Spanish influence for the most part. There are some dishes served only on Friday and Saturday that look promising as well.

Sisig: Pork sliced in small pieces with hot sauce, lemon, onions, and served on a sizzling plate.

Bicol Express: Spicy pork cooked with sautéed shrimp paste and coconut milk.

Lumpia: Pinoy egg rolls: pork meat with vegetables

Adobo (with chicken): Your choice Pork or chicken, cooked in soy sauce, black pepper and bay leaf.

Pork BBQ: Pork meat on a kabob, marinated in a Filipino BBQ sauce.

Beef Steak (Pinoy style): Beef tender loin with soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and onions.

Fried Tilapia: One whole piece fried tilapia, served with white rice and pickled papaya

Perkins Rowe

2009-04-20T15:23:22Z

I know we've talked Kona Grill to death, but I never really thought their food was all that. Now, for reasons of health, vanity & economics, I haven't been eating out as much as I used to. So I don't know if it's that I'm more appreciative of the food when I do eat out now, or if my frame of reference just isn't as vast, but anyway.... I visited Kona recently and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to share.

Since I was recovering form oral surgery, I thought pasta would be easy on my mouth. So I chose the Basil Pesto Linguine. The description is chicken & Andouille sausage (Cajun comes to mind) in a chipotle-cream sauce (I'm thinking Mexican). Then you got basil pesto & tomato (Italian?). So I didn't know what to expect, but any of the above sounded good. Well, it tasted neither Cajun, Mexican, nor Italian. I suppose that's because it's HAWAIIAN, hello! It was good, only mildly spicy. Can't say I really tasted the chipotle very strong. All the flavors just kind of mellowed out together & combined into this yumminess with a little hint of spice in the background.

I definitely had entre envy, though, for David's Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp.

Ah, there's just something about those crazy flavor & texture combinations, the spice, the sweet, the sour, the crunch... Ah, those Thai people got it goin' on!

I'm a long-time fan of Kona's Happy Hour. That's where we do our girls nights. Just get there before 7 PM during the week, and certain drinks & appetizers are 1/2 price. I'm talking you can get a dish & a drink for $6 plus tip. You can't beat that! And if you do it on Wednesday, you can walk over to The Loft when you're done for their wine tasting. You get to try 4 different wines, and if you like any, you can buy a glass or bottle for 1/2 price. Oh, and they got cheese & crackers, in case you didn't fill up at Kona.

Something new! In the park square, they now have music & art on Sundays between 12:30 & 3:30. Great place for brunch, eh?! We wanted to try it out this weekend, but we're going to wait for a prettier day.

AND I hear there's a new restaurant, The Grillroom. I ran into my old boss from Clinique. She said she's head chef there now. I wanna check out the new restaurant! Anybody try it yet??

br_eats @ 2009-04-14T21:53:00

2009-04-15T02:53:16Z

I'm out right now eating at a new restaurant that just opened up. Dingo's is in the old Semolina's on Coursey at Sherwood.

I'm eating right now, and boy I've got to say, they do some things really well.

The menu is not typical fare. The items that are familiar, like spinach and artichoke dip or a turkey burger, are altered slightly. Usually, I find it annoying when restaurants try this nouveau cuisine approach. However, for some reason, it seems to work here.

That said, there doesn't appear to be anything tying the menu together. I am not exactly a connoisseur of Australian food, aside from what I've seen in the Crocodile Dundee movies. But I don't think they've got a rich tradition for fish & chips, avocado, or curries in their cuisine.

I ordered the Chipotle Chicken Curry. The sauce was good, with coconut, fresh veggies, and brown rice on the side.

It tasted delicious. Nice burn to the mouth, without being overpowering. The brown rice was slightly underdone. Chicken was cooked through without being dry.

For desert, I had the Croissant Bread Pudding.

It was dense, with chocolate chips and a hot, runny, icing-like sauce. The "croissant" in the name comes from the fact that croissant dough is laid on top of what appears to be a normal bread pudding. The waitress said it was the best in town, better than Voodoo BBQ. I'm not sure I'd go as far as either of those statements, but it was very good.

The drink menu included some hometown favorites, like Abita Amber, Abita Seasonal, Abita Strawberry, and even Dixie! They also have a number of Australian beers and wines (it is called "Dingo's", remember?).

Service was that over-the-top service that you get with any brand new restaurant. Once the initial hires have rotated out, I'm sure there will be a change. I am just now finishing my Curry, and I have been checked on (over and above normal waitress procedures) at least 4 times by 2 different people.

The atmosphere is... rather, attempts to be... rustic. However, the fresh new ceramic tile floor is juxtaposed with unmatched, distressed wood paneling on the ceiling. 80's music like "Land Down Under" stands out against "Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me, Kill me".

Oh, and before I go, I have to say it....

THE DINGO ATE MY BABY!!!!

Zea's

2009-04-13T14:55:59Z

Despite some failed attempts at good service, they always succeed at having good food.

Mango Mojito. I'll actually probably be writing about this for 225...might have to go back and do some more research. There's also a pineapple mojito, and I think a ginger mojito.

Appetizers...

We went for these, a limited time special, Alligator and grits

An old favorite, Duck Empanadas

A classic, garlic hummus

It's worth blogging about

Entrees...

Thai ribs, with roasted corn grits and buttered sweet potatoes

Tuna Sashimi Stack

Shrimp Breaux Bridge pasta

hello sushi

2009-03-27T13:04:29Z

honestly, one of my least favorite places to go. there just aren't that many rolls that i like. and even the things that i normally like at other places they seem to mess up a little here.

that being said, i know plenty of people who enjoy hello sushi. so whatever.

that bomb roll (bottom) honestly wasn't too bad. i was hoping from the description that it would be somewhat like Tsunami's Lava roll, but it's spicier, and not warm. so none of that creamy melt-in-your-mouth type feeling, but still tastes pretty decent.

these were the two special rolls of the night, one of them was called the Lucky roll.

crunchy roll. they don't put eel sauce on it, so i had to ask for some on the side. who doesn't put eel sauce on a crunchy roll? (okay, besides Ichiban's, but who else?)

i also started with a snow crab salad. i absolutely LOVE the ones at Ichiban's and Drunken Fish, but hello sushi's was lackluster. maybe not as fresh? also not as creamy. not horrible, but knowing it's better elsewhere i wouldn't order it here again.

Taqueria

2009-03-26T03:59:50Z

i don't think i'm really any kind of Mexican food expert to write on the authenticity of this. so i'll let 225 do it.

http://www.225batonrouge.com/news/2006/mar/01/taqueria-legit/

the requisite chips and salsa

coworker's nachos

other coworker's taco and gordita

my enchiladas with sour cream sauce

we all enjoyed what we had. wouldn't mind trying it again.

Moveable Feast

2009-03-24T20:28:11Z

Best Buddies Louisiana is a non-profit organization that partners mentors with people who have intellectual disabilities to help foster a richer lifestyle for them and to integrate them into society.

They are holding an event called Moveable Feast, which will take place on Perkins Road from Zippy’s to Chelsea’s on April 16 from 6–9 PM. It will feature appetizer-size samples of food from Zippy’s, Pinetta’s European Restaurant, George’s, DiGulio Brothers, Zee Zee Gardens, Chelsea’s Café, and possibly more. Also, Glazer Distributor will provide a drink with these food stops along the way.

Tickets are $35.00 in advance and $40.00 the night of the event. The food and drink you will get will be more than enough to cover the cost of the ticket; plus you would be donating to a great cause! For more information, visit www.bestbuddieslouisiana.org/moveablefeast.

Sangria

2009-01-27T17:50:42Z

Has anyone tried Sangria Bar & Grill on Lee (in the old Portobello's)?

Perhaps we should plan a meetup.

We're Cooking

2009-01-22T21:37:34Z

We're Cooking - off of Highland Road near Perkins & the Country Club of Louisiana

This place is the same vein as Maxwell's Market - prepared foods, steaks, cheeses, catered trays, wines. They also have a deli which serves soups, sandwiches, and salads. At my office we order in every now and then, and we did so did today. I have to say, it is very rare that every person who orders lunch raves about how delicious the food was!

I only got a picture of my own:
The Harvest Salad (spring mix, toasted pecans, mandarin oranges, crumbled bacon, dried cranberries, bleu cheese, and a raspberry vinaigrette) and their new soup - Guinness & Cheddar with Bacon.

The salad looked small to me but it was pretty filling - they were very generous with the toppings - and tasted fabulous. For $5.99 it really wasn't a bad deal at all. The soup was a bit peppery, but it had a good flavor otherwise. I had their cream of mushroom soup recently and it was also very peppery, so maybe the chef is just heavy handed when it comes to pepper.

They have lunch specials daily, usually for around $10. Today the lunch special was a crab cake sandwich with either pasta salad or green salad, for $10. There is an online menu available at www.werecooking.net. Most people spent $7-$12 on lunch.

They also have a dessert case with lots of pretty cakes served by the slice or available to order whole. The chips included with the sandwich are Ms. Vickie's brand. The only drinks available are bottled. There is a small cafe-style dining area.

The place is kind of hard to see from Highland Road, because the shopping center is a bit downhill, so I thought I'd post here and get the name out for those of you looking to try something different and a step above the usual lunch options.

p.s. I checked their Website, and they have some neat specialty cakes, too.

SNOW!

2008-12-11T13:33:17Z

Lets eat snow!