Dingo's

UPDATE: After a move from Coursey to the Shenandoah Country Club, Dingo's closed after just a few months in it's new location. I miss the curry so much, I can't stand it.  Thinking of calling Patrick and begging for the recipe.


Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4.5 plates

Wow.  You know, there are a relatively large number of restaurants here in the Baton Rouge area, but despite that, there isn't much variety.  You can choose from a long list of places from the typical categories, but rarely is there a place that stands out.

One of the city's newest eateries, Dingo's is such a place.  Located in what was at one time Semolina's restaurant on Coursey Boulevard near Sherwood Forest, Dingo's maintains the same basic look, but a totally different atmosphere.

Owner Patrick Muller hails from Perth, Australia and his friendly and captivating persona contributes largely to welcoming environment you'll find inside.  When you combine this with the great food, you are sure to become a fan.

The menu is relatively short, but covers a wide range of different types of items.  Appetizers include standard fare such as potato wedges and spinach dip, but also features some interesting things such as the shrimp bong, jumbo shrimp perched high upon skewers served in a glass bowl containing a tasty dipping sauce.

There are a nice variety of salads and sandwiches on the menu offering a variety of different flavors.  My wife had a side salad that was served with a delicious honey mustard dressing.  For lunch I had the chicken club, a basic sandwich regularly seen on a lunch menu, but the crispy applewood bacon, tasty honey mustard sauce and wheat bun elevated it to another level.  It didn't hurt either that the chicken breast was cooked perfectly, very juicy and sporting a great grilled flavor.

Other sandwiches on the menu take on an exciting flair, and offer a nice departure from their boring counterparts.  Turkey and brie Panini with fig spread, the turkey burger with chipotle cranberry sour cream, and the veggie burger with freshly made mango salsa are all as tasty as they sound.

Continuing the trend of tasty and exciting are the soups.  The tomato basil and homemade chili made with chicken are quite good, and the pumpkin soup is an unusual and delicious offering.  It is thick and creamy with a hint of spice giving it a really nice flavor.

The two entrees that I sampled were excellent.  The pan seared sea scallops were perfectly cooked, and served atop butternut squash risotto.  The squash were not overcooked, with a nice bite, offering a great textural contrast to the creamy risotto.  The chipotle chicken curry has applewood bacon, artichokes, green peppers, and tender pieces of chicken swimming in a decadent coconut red curry sauce.  I'm fairly certain you won't find a dish this exotic and flavorful anywhere else in town.

If you have managed to save any room for dessert, you are in for a treat.  There are a variety of selections, including a rotating 'sweet of the day', but I recommend the chocolate croissant bread pudding.  The creamy, buttery richness of the croissant makes it an excellent candidate for incorporation into a bread pudding.  Together with the chocolate chips and the rum cream sauce, this will put all other bread puddings you have tasted to shame.

In conclusion, this is a great restaurant, and a more than welcome wakeup call to the standard fare of Baton Rouge cuisine.  Do yourself a favor and head 'down under' to Coursey Boulevard for a great meal.