Fat Cow

4350 Suite B1

Highland Village Shopping Center (at the south gates of LSU)
Baton Rouge, LA
225.761.9272
http://www.fatcowburgers.com/

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4.5 plates

Doug Hosford is a man who knows his meat. Although he lives in Natchez, he and his wife have opened a gourmet burger joint just outside the south gates of LSU called Fat Cow. The burger is always a favorite, a staple of the American diet, and Fat Cow definitely does it justice.

“It’s all about the meat”, says Doug as I talk with him after sampling his tasty fare. “Salt and pepper, that’s it. If you add anything else to the meat you’ve got meat loaf.” My sentiments exactly. Too many places serve up a burger whose flavor relies on toppings, sauces, and spreads and don’t focus on the meat, which should be the star.












Of the various burger offerings at Fat Cow, the Hundred Dollar Burger is the one that first grabbed my attention. While it doesn’t actually have a $100 price tag, the toppings of foie gras, Balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese and truffle oil give the name credibility. Of course I had to try this, and it was excellent. The bun is slightly sweet, and the toppings enhance the flavor of the freshly ground beef, instad of masking it. The burger was cooked as I requested it, med-rare, and was very juicy and flavorful.

I must take a moment here to stand atop my soap box to discuss my feelings on burger cooking. If a place doesn't cook to order, and insists on cooking the life (and flavor) out of the meat, then don’t even tell me about it. The cow is already dead, there is no need to kill it again. "Well, what about e-coli?," you might ask. What about it? Keep in mind, I’m not wandering into a third world butcher shop with live chickens running around asking for this preparation. If you are at a reputable, clean, well-maintained restaurant with culinary professionals handling your food then there’s nothing to be concerned about. This of course doesn't ensure your safety 100 percent, but neither does getting in your car and entering the Baton Rouge traffic.

Okay, I’m done.

Back to the burgers.

My wife tried the Smokestack Burger, and it was great, although she said it was a bit on the salty side. Overall, it was wonderful, though. Smoked cheddar cheese, Benton’s apple smoked bacon, fried onion straws, and drizzled with a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. Drizzled is an important word in that description. The burger is not coated in BBQ sauce where that’s the only flavor you taste. All of the flavors and textures come together to make this a great burger. The bacon is ridiculously smoky and really brings out the flavor of the beef.  The bun also brings a bit of sweet heat as they use the same sweet bun but this time it's flecked with small pieces of jalapeno peppers.  Not too spicy, but just right.

We also tried the parmesan and duck fat fries, and I can honestly say that I was not impressed. I found the fries to be overcooked, and really didn’t get anything from the exotic ingredients that I wouldn’t get from any basket of fries.  My wife wondered if perhaps the dark color was due to the fact that they use real potatoes which they cut fresh daily -and that she knows potatoes can brown a bit like apples if left out for too long.  She found that they were good in ketchup, but alone, they were slightly bitter with a faint burnt flavor.

They also offer a variety of salads, and serve a Sunday brunch. If you are a true burger aficionado as I am, I suggest checking it out.

Le Creole

18135 E. Petroleum Dr. (off Highland Rd.)
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
225.752.7135
www.lecreolebr.com

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4.5 plates

Le Creole's tagline includes two important words that set up very high expectations for a dining experience there. The two words are in fact the name of a city - a city whose name invokes an instant menagerie of thoughts filled with colors, sights, smells, sounds and most of all flavors. Those two words: New Orleans. And so that's where the bar was set, right there at "New Orleans" considering their website proudly announces "Where the Gulf of Mexico meets New Orleans."

Upon entering, we were greeted by the hostess and an incredible bouquet of aromas, which was indeed promising. The most overwhelming fragrance was that of fresh seafood, so, as far as we could smell at least, they were delivering on their promise of bringing the delights of the Gulf to your plate. The ambiance in the tastefully decorated dining room was wonderful. The lighting is dim and romantic, yet the overall feel is not too stuffy and a large family wouldn’t feel out of place. In fact, a family with children dined next to us. I was particularly delighted to see a piano player skillfully playing jazz and standards on a tremendous grand piano in one corner of the restaurant. Live music is always a wonderful addition to a dining experience, as long as it's not too loud or distracting. This was perfect. And again - it hearkened back to that "New Orleans" feeling I was expecting.

The waitstaff was polished and attentive, as well as and very enthusiastic about the food, which is always a great sign. Our server answered our questions accurately and was knowledgeable regarding the wine list and nightly specials.

We chose two appetizers - one that appears on the regular menu, the crawfish and warm goat cheese crepe, and a special, the crab cake.

The crawfish and warm goat cheese crepe is served with fresh herbs in a nantua sauce, which I'd never heard of. It was absolutely amazing. The flavors were very good - a hint of bell pepper, a bit of spice all rolled into in a creamy sauce that tickled the palate. The crawfish were fresh, plump and tender. The crepe was lovely and perfectly crisped. It was an amazing dish packed with flavor.

The crab cake was made completely of jumbo lump crab, no fillers to speak of, and broiled, not fried. It rested in two distinct sauces, a remoulade and another creme sauce - the name escapes me. The crab had a good fresh, sweet flavor and the sauces were delicious. However, my fourth or fifth bite in left me with a bit of shell in my mouth, which caused me to stop eating it completely. I know that it happens, and I didn't make a fuss. But once I come across anything like that in a dish - a bone, a shell, etc, I can't continue eating it because I'm immediately paranoid after each bite taken. They were very small pieces of the shell but just enough to make the dish unpleasant.

We also ordered a soup and salad - the crispy iceberg wedge and the turtle soup - just to try them out. While we waited for our second course, we were presented with a surprise from the kitchen - the chef had send out a specialty to our table - Roasted pork belly on a bed of stone ground cheese grits in a chipotle pepper sauce with a fried egg perched atop.

Wow!

Neither of us have had the pleasure of trying pork belly. We know that it's offered in several restaurants in New Orleans (there's that city again), but we've never heard of it being served here in Baton Rouge.

In a word: sumptuous.

The dish was very rich and flavorful - full of bold flavors, like the sweet heat in the chipotle pepper sauce and the sharp cheesy goodness of the grits. The egg, pork belly, grits and sauce all paired together was a real treat. Quite an interesting and delicious combo.

Our entrees arrived next. We'd almost forgotten that we'd ordered soup and salad, but were so nearly stuffed from the chef's gift to our table that we shrugged our shoulders and said "Next time. Next time we'll try them."

I chose the crispy fried chicken and sweet potato waffle. The dish is accompanied by a creole coleslaw and Jack Daniel's and Steen's Cane Syrup sauce for drizzling. So, so wonderful. It was comforting. It was complex, flavor-wise. It was just plain good. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the waffles were fluffy, yet crisp with that hint of sweet potato coming through. Although I'm not a big coleslaw fan, I did take a few bites and it was quite good.

Our other entrée was the fish special, and of the two fish offered, he chose the red snapper. You can then choose one of two methods of preparation, which basically can be described as southern and northern. The northern version features the fish roasted on a cedar plank and served with grilled asparagus, herbed potatoes, and a tomato buerre blanc. He chose the southern preparation, entitled the “Pointe Coupee”; where the fish is crusted in Bergeron pecans and fried, topped with jumbo lump crab, set atop a bed of sautéed spinach and surrounded by a sweet corn sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and there was no greasiness to it. The crab was fresh and tasty, and the sauce had a good rich flavor. All in all it’s a very good dish, but nothing extraordinary.

Although we were near popping, we knew we had to try at least one of their signature desserts, and what screams New Orleans louder than Bananas Foster? A simple, yet incredibly delicious offering consisting of two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and a small cast iron skillet filled with fresh chopped banana and that gooey caramel, bourbon and cinnamon combo. The chef lit our skillet and we oohed and aahed a bit before blowing it out and serving up the steaming sauce onto our ice cream. It was delicious - and the bits of burnt crunchy sugar were an added treat.

So, to sum it all up - it was a great finer dining experience with all the charm, flavor and sophistication of New Orleans plus the casual friendliness of the staff. I felt at home and pampered while in the midst of a beautiful and elegant setting eating luxurious cuisine. It's a great new addition to the Baton Rouge restaurant game and definitely a place that would serve as a great destination for a special occasion or a family evening out.

Le Creole is located on Highland Road past Blue Bayou on the right and directly across from Ruffino's.

Man Shall Not Live By Bread Alone

Little Village
14241 Airline Hwy.
Baton Rouge, LA
225-751-4115
http://www.littlevillagebr.com/


Cuisine Rouge Rating:

I’m sure most of us are familiar with the origin of this review title, but in case you’re not, it’s a biblical reference. Not that I’m here to get preachy. Absolutely not. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that I think I’m going to get quite a few “Amens” on what I’m about to say.

Chad and I decided to visit The Little Village (Airline Hwy) location, for what we sincerely hoped would be a quiet and relatively elegant dining experience highlighted by phenomenal Italian fare. And the bread. Let’s not forget about that bread. I’d had the pleasure of experiencing this creation a few weeks back at a work function, so I knew that the bread would be a big hit that night.

We arrived on a Saturday evening, and it seemed to have a Saturday-night type of crowd, which is nothing unusual for Baton Rouge. What was unusual, to our delight, was that we didn’t have to wait. We were seated right away at a cozy table not too far from the front doors. Not necessarily the best table in the house, but it was fine for us. We placed our drink orders with a person we thought was our waitress, only before walking away she said “Your waitress will be with you shortly to take your order.”

So we examined the menu and prepared to place our order. I was thrilled to see that in the appetizer section, they offered aracine – something I have been desperate to try for a very, very long time. In fact, I’ve even pulled up the recipe a few times, but have a slight fear of frying, so I’ve always hesitated to give it a go.

According to Wikipedia, “Arancini or arancine are fried (or, less commonly, baked) rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century. Arancini are usually filled with ragu (meat sauce), tomato sauce, mozzarella, and/or peas.” I was imagining an Italian twist on a fried boudin ball, and could not wait to try it for the first time, so I chose it as my entrée.

We made our selections, quite pleased with what we’d be feasting on, and waited for the waitress to come.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The drink order waitress came by after 20 minutes had passed and apologized profusely, explaining she had no idea where the “real waitress” might be. She then presented a delicious bribe – a free full loaf of their signature bread! I was pretty excited. We were going to order the half loaf, but this was a treat. And on the house, at that. It was a literal “buttering up.”

For those who haven’t experienced this bread, allow me to clue you in. It’s more than bread. It’s an experience. Italian manna. This is the kind of bread you want to be alone in a room with. It’s a very large braided rope studded with sesame seeds that’s baked to golden perfection. After baking, it’s placed in a pool of olive oil, dusted with cracked black pepper and then topped with more olive oil and a heaping portion of freshly grated Romano cheese. It’s served with a side of their signature olive tapenade. For the most part, I steer clear of olives – but I ate this tapenade. It was, in a word, amazing.

But, the bread honeymoon was short-lived. After we’d had our fill of their incredible manna and were ready to order, we found ourselves waiting and waiting yet again.

We had two unpaid for drinks and no cash to throw down on the table and just walk out. And so I began to feel almost as if I were part of a hostage crisis. I took to Facebook and Twitter to voice my complaints. And then began getting responses and comments. A friend had just waited over an hour for take-out soup and salad. She was livid. Another friend had a similar experience weeks back and vowed to never go again. Then a really big clue was delivered – Little Village had just offered a coupon on one of those websites specializing in half-off deals.

Ah!

Now it all made sense.

Was it an excuse for terrible, practically non-existent service?

No.

From what I understand, businesses use those coupon sites to increase their sales, not ruin their reputation. Apparently, this backfired on Little Village that evening. Sure enough, we saw several employees with the vouchers in their hands, looking a bit confused.

Over an hour after we had been seated, our meal arrived. I was hoping against hope that the quality of the food would redeem the bad experience. I was keeping my fingers crossed that incredible Italian flavors and artful cuisine would wipe away the sins of the wait staff (or whoever might have been to blame). But, it was not the case.

The long-anticipated aracine arrived – a large single fried rice ball – about the size of a baseball. I had expected a few, but I wasn’t sure how they are traditionally served, so I chalked that up to ignorance on my own part. It was . . . ok. Strangely I didn’t see much rice. I noticed meat. And peas. Lots of peas, which I do enjoy, but my husband does not. If we would have gotten this as our appetizer he would have been in for a rude awakening. It was in a pool of their Village red sauce. The only flavor that really dominated this dish was salt, and plenty of it. In fact, the red sauce was so salty that it seemed more like salty red gravy with very little hint of tomato.

At some point, we heard yelling towards the back of the restaurant and assumed that another disappointed diner was tired of waiting for something that clearly wasn’t worth the wait. All around us, patrons had scowls on their faces.

Chad ordered the chicken parmigiana –also served in the red sauce with a bed of spaghetti. I told him my take on it and he readily agreed. Like salty red gravy. The chicken was mediocre, at best.

And that’s what we don’t expect when we dine out: mediocrity. We don’t have the stomachs for it. And considering the bill, we shouldn’t have had to pay for mediocrity. But we did. Lesson learned.

We skipped on desert and chose to go to Latte et Miele, a place that’s fast becoming famous for being extraordinary in every way. (And was it EVER!)

And so, I hearken back to my title. Little Village, your bread is phenomenal and the best I’ve ever had. But you’re a restaurant, not a bakery. And if you want to drum up business by offering coupon deals to the public, be prepared for the first weekend after you offer it. If not, you’ll end up angering the people who didn’t come in to get a “steal of deal” but wanted a nice evening with their significant other. Not that I’m coming down on the use of those coupon sites – I use them myself and very often.

That being said, we won’t be back any time soon. But, here’s a little secret: they sell the bread unbaked with all the trimmings for a very decent price -to go! Just call ahead. Way ahead.

La Mestiza

14724 Airline Hwy. Ste. 10

Prairieville, LA
225.313.4191
http://www.mestizorestaurant.com

Cuisine Rouge Rating: 

3.5 plates

Not to be confused with the typical Mexican restaurant, La Mestiza and its big brother, Mestizo, are Louisiana Mexican restaurants, a point of clarity that chef/owner Jim Uridales wants people to know about.  With his creative menu he has managed to incorporate our delicious seafood bounty into traditional Mexican fare, creating a fusion of cuisines that is delicious and unique.

We visited La Mestiza on a Thursday evening and found it to be moderately busy, but not overcrowded.  In keeping with tradition, I felt compelled to order a margarita immediately, for professional evaluation purposes of course.  For a house margarita it was pretty good, better than most that I have had.  Just the fact that it wasn’t that disgusting neon green color that is so often seen was a good sign.

Mestiza Margarita

The obligatory chips and salsa were presented, and I found the salsa to be okay.  Personally I like it a bit spicier; I found this one to be a little too much on the mild side.  The addition of carrots was unusual, but I think it adds nice little hint of sweetness, which some extra heat would have paired with nicely.

Mestiza's salsa

The plethora of seafood dishes on the menu was instantly appealing to me.  Crawfish and spinach con queso, shrimp and crab nachos, crawfish burrito, and shrimp and Portobello quesadillas to name a few.  Although I would have loved to sample all of these, time and money dictated otherwise.  I opted for the best combination of seafood items available, the Mendoza.  This combination platter consisted of a crawfish chimichanga, shrimp and crab chili relleno, and a guacamole salad.  I requested rice in the place of the salad since I’m not a big fan of guacamole, but sadly my request got lost before I received my dish.

Mestiza Combo

The highlight of the combo was easily the chili relleno.  The stuffing of crab and shrimp was delicious, and was great with the pepper which was softened nicely from the frying.  The chimichanga was good, not too bready as some I have had, but didn’t stand out remarkably.

My wife, who loves tamales, was quite disappointed that the masa on her tamales was a bit on the dry side.  

The dessert offerings were fairly typical, and tempting, but this time around were skipped.  All in all, Mestiza is a nice place to go to fill the need for Mexican food, but not be subjected to the same ordinary dishes.