Stroube's Chophouse - Best New Restaurant in Baton Rouge

107 Third St. (downtown)
Corner of Third and North Blvd.
225-448-2830
http://www.stroubeschophouse.com

Cuisine Rouge Rating: 

By: Chad

Now, as I’m sure you astute readers have noticed, another restaurant in town was deemed by my fellow contributor as best in the city, but with time comes change, and I’m confident in saying that for me, Stroube’s currently holds the title as the best BR has to offer.

Chef Justin Ferguson is good.  Not just good as you might describe a good movie or good book, but good as in the way you talk about an athlete or actor.  He is clearly meant to do what he’s doing, and it shows vividly in his food.  He’s an avid believer in scratch cooking, baking his own bread, making his own pancetta from pork belly, and even churning his own butter.  It is this kind of dedication to cuisine as an art form that truly sets Stroube’s apart in the Baton Rouge dining scene.

I had previously visited the restaurant several times for lunch, and sampled a few items from the impressive lunch menu.  The wild mushroom pizza was excellent, a delicious mix of sautéed mushrooms, pancetta, and mozzarella topped with a drizzling of truffle oil.  The Wagyu burger was ridiculously good, undeserving of being lumped into a food category that shares it name with fast food chains.  Served with Yukon gold potatoes, it redefines what a burger and fries should be.

For my ‘official’ visit, my wife decided that this was her choice for a birthday dinner.  Seeing as it was a celebration, we didn’t skimp.  We started out with drinks; she opted for the Pineapple Martini, while I tried the Vanilla Manhattan.  Both are made from infusions that they create, something rather popular in bars these days.  Both were very good, and given the fact that they were made with premium liquors, $5 wasn’t too steep a price.  We tried the baked brie as an appetizer, and it was delicious.  The brie is topped with a sweet butter and honey based sauce, golden raisins, and roasted pecans; and comes served with slices of house made bread.

We then split the blue cheese wedge salad.  A wedge of iceberg lettuce is topped with a creamy blue cheese dressing and bits of pancetta, with a few cherry tomatoes garnishing the plate.  This was also excellent, and that should register with some gravity, given the fact that I’m basically the polar opposite of a vegetarian and rarely eat salads.  The only slight complaint with it was the lack of pancetta bits.  They added such a great element to the salad that it was almost torturous to see only a few.

For entrees, she got the herb marinated chicken breast, served with risotto and sautéed greens.  This was a good dish, but nothing out of the ordinary.  The chicken was cooked perfectly, and the risotto was tasty, although lacking a bit of exotic flair, expected due to the other items on the menu.  I ordered the nine ounce filet, and it was easily one of the best steaks I have ever eaten.  Now that should be framed within some context.  One could make such a claim, and if the extent of their steak consumption has been Ryan’s steakhouses, then it would be laughable.  However, as evident in my size, I have had many fine steaks at many fine restaurants, and this one was truly remarkable.

All of Stroube’s meat comes from Allen Brothers, a company which prides themselves on the quality of their meat.  The steaks are wet-aged, hand selected and hand cut from only the finest of USDA prime meats.  The filet is priced at $29 without any accompanying sides, but for the quality and flavor experienced, is worth every penny.  It had a buttery taste without a sense of greasiness, and really needed no topping, although I was unable to resist the gorgonzola demi glace, one of several sauces offered.  Besides being unneeded, it was also below expectations, containing a trace amount of the cheese and a watery consistency.  Don’t be lured by the sauces, you won’t need them.

We also got the fresh corn and sage parmesan grits, which were awesome.  Being fans of a very similar item at another restaurant, it was impossible not to draw comparisons, but these truly stood out as superior, if for nothing else than the fact that they are freshly stone ground.  They had an excellent texture and flavor often sorely lacking in the afterthoughts of steakhouse side dishes.

Perhaps the biggest overall disappointment of the meal was the dessert.  While both were done very well, they lacked the same thread of innovativeness present in the rest of the meal.  The cheesecake was simple and basic, and the flourless chocolate cake is a common offering found nearly everywhere these days.  On a previous visit, I had sampled another dessert which seemed more in line with my expectations, however tonight it was not offered.

Service and décor were as to be expected in such a high level restaurant, both impressive and without any negative aspects.  Stroube’s is a welcome addition to the downtown scene, offering something that has truly been absent from the atmosphere trying to be established there.  A world class restaurant with great food providing a great experience.

The Promised Land - Latte E Miele

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

5 plates

It’s hot outside!  You need a cool treat to fight the heat.  Of course there’s ice cream, or frozen yogurt if you are watching calories.  And there’s frozen custard in our area now, which is much richer but in the opposite direction of frozen yogurt on the calorie chart.  There is another option though that combines the richness of custard with the lower calorie content of the yogurt, called gelato.  The simple definition of gelato is that it is the Italian version of ice cream.  Gelato however, has less air in it than ice cream (which makes it denser and creamier) and it is made with milk rather than cream, making it lower in calories.  Also, gelato is served slightly warmer than ice cream, giving it a semi-frozen consistency that makes it extra smooth.

Of course the problem with gelato is that to get really good, authentic Italian gelato, you have to go to Italy.  True Italian gelato is an art form, and something that is not easily replicated without the long held traditional methods perfect by artisans.  Lucky for us here in Baton Rouge, Latte E Miele has recently opened on Highland Road near I-10, next to the Country Club of Louisiana.

Owner Corrado DiMartino is a native Roman and his nephew Simone Romano is not only a gelato artisan, but was one of the best in Italy before moving to Baton Rouge.  He won the very prestigious Gambero Rosso award, which basically declared his gelato as the best in Italy.

Corrado’s  son Luca also moved to Baton Rouge from Boston to help out with the business, and he describes it as being more akin to a bakery than your typical ice cream shop.  “We make everything fresh, every day”, he told me.  Flavors like strawberry, melon, and the unbelievably delicious pineapple are made from the freshest produce around, picked up every morning from Fresh Pickins, a local produce market.

Every flavor that I sampled (and you can sample as many as you like) was crazy good.  The flavors are so intense and rich that it will make you never want to eat ordinary ice cream again.  For $4 you can get a small cup of two flavors of gelato, like orange chocolate, tiramisu, swirled white chocolate, or banana.  If you’re really hungry for a sweet treat, the $10 sundae is enough to feed 3 people, and comes in a variety of exotic variations.  The signature version features simple cream gelato topped with the freshest seasonal fruit, and drizzled with Louisiana orange blossom honey.

If you’re a coffee lover, take a break from the green and white chain store coffee to have some real, authentic Italian espresso or cappuccino.  Or, get a signature drink that combines a scoop of the gelato topped with a shot of espresso, for the best of both worlds.

Give this place a try.  Not only do they produce one of the most delicious treats you will ever have, they also make it a point to use local ingredients; fresh Louisiana produce from Fresh Pickins market, and milk from Kleinpeter Dairies.

Latte E Miele is open seven days a week, from 10AM to 10:30PM, has wireless Internet connectivity, and will quickly become one very busy place.