Portico

11777 Coursey Blvd. (near Sherwood Forest)

Baton Rouge, LA 70816

225.778.7746

http://www.porticoetc.com

Portico is one of BR’s newest eateries, housed in the former Calendar’s restaurant near the very busy intersection of Coursey Blvd and Sherwood Forest.  While the look and feel of the restaurant as well as their website is nicely polished and quite appealing, the service and food are sorely lacking.

The layout is very open with an outdoor patio area complete with misters adjacent to the bar.  The décor is modern and very appealing.  I visited on a Saturday evening and my party was seated promptly.  Our waiter seemed a bit stressed but got drinks going pretty quickly while we looked over the menu.

The menu is fairly straightforward, consisting of mostly bar type food.  Nothing really stood out as unique or special.  They offer a variety of common appetizers such as spinach and artichoke dip, chips and queso, cheese fries and wings.  Pizza is on the menu as well, a variety of sandwiches and burgers, steaks, salads, very common items you would expect to find at an average eatery.  We opted to skip the appetizers and just order our entrees.

I ordered the flatboy, a meaty, pressed sandwich that sounded right up my alley, complete with a variety of meats that included pork, ham, turkey and roast beef, covered in Swiss cheese and served with barbeque sauce and gravy on the side.  I ordered the twice baked potatoes as a side item.  The sandwich was good, but the potatoes were cold and had little flavor.  Overall all of our food was cold, which implies that it sat too long waiting to be served to us.

Other food sampled by members of my party included the turkey & avocado club, spaghetti & meatballs, and grilled chicken sandwich.  The sandwiches and spaghetti were reported as good, but the fries were cold and soggy, and the presentation very sloppy.

Turkey & Avocado Club with Grits

  

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Flatboy sandwich with Twice-Baked Potatoes

Brownie (with whipped cream in place of melted ice cream)

The service was very lacking as well, as I asked for a beer prior to receiving my entrée and did not see it until I was nearly done eating.  Halfway during the meal, the table behind us was bussed and cleaned in a procedure that sounded like a bull passing through a china cabinet.

Service continued to go downhill when we were done and it came time for the check.  My wife asked the waiter if they do anything for birthdays, since it was mine, and he replied that he did not know but would check with management.  He then mentioned something about dessert, not specifically indicating that it was complimentary, but nevertheless, I decided to try the brownie with ice cream. 

He returned a short time later to inform me that all of the ice cream had melted, but if I still wanted the dessert he would get it.  So, he proceeded to bring it to me, sans ice cream.  It was decent, but nothing special. 

When the bill came, we were somewhat surprised to see a charge for the dessert, first given the fact that most restaurants will comp that for a birthday, and second because one key component of it was missing.  I was not in a mood to argue, but my wife did speak with the manager who informed her that the freezer was low on Freon and the ice cream had melted.  He did offer his apologies and said to ask for him on a return visit to “make it up to us”.  Later when giving this more thought (and ironically watching an episode of Restaurant Impossible) it occurred to me that if the refrigeration was not working properly then perhaps food safety was jeopardized. 

All in all, issues like this invariably point to bad management.  A responsible, competent manager is accountable for all staff, and communicates basic information to them to enable them to do their jobs properly.  Additionally, the manager should visit all tables to follow up and ensure that the customer is happy.  In this modern day of social media it is too risky to chance upsetting a customer and have that bad experience spread virally across the internet for thousands to see.

It’s a real shame that Portico doesn’t match its sleek, modern look with excellent service and an innovative menu.  Perhaps a few more negative experiences will kick start a much needed change.

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.

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.

Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe

14214 Airline Highway
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
225.751.7590
http://www.pimanyolis.com/

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4 plates

As the temperatures rise outside, so does the appetite for good BBQ. While Baton Rouge isn’t known for being a big BBQ town like Memphis or Kansas City, there are a few places that serve up some good stuff. Recently I have found a new spot that is doing an excellent job on the pit.

Pimanyoli’s is definitely a unique name, and is the result of combining the nicknames of the two owners. “Piman” is Creole for pepper, and he’s the pit master, producing some excellent BBQ. “Yoli” is short for Yolanda, who has been working as a professional caterer for over 30 years. Both come from families that have been in the food industry for a long time.

Keeping with our melting pot of Louisiana culture, Pimanyoli’s combines the best of the country’s various BBQ techniques to create some great food. The brisket is cooked up San Antonio style, the pulled pork on bun topped with coleslaw is straight out of Memphis, and the sauce is Carolina style, vinegary and tasty, featuring 21 different ingredients.

My first visit was for a quick lunch. It was obvious upon entering the place that lunchtime is big here, as I lucked out to get an open table immediately. I saw quite a few things on the menu that I wanted to check out, but chose the brisket sandwich. Deemed the “Brisket Meltdown”, it features smoked brisket topped with grilled onions and Monterey Jack cheese. A couple of technical things about the sandwich stood out to me, one being that there is no sauce on it. Given the fact that sauce is available on the table, this is a good idea, providing the diner with the option of adding it. Also, the sandwich is toasted, which is nice so that when you do pile on the sauce you won’t end up with a soggy mess. Of course the real deal here is the meat, and it was tender with a great smoky flavor, the kind you don’t get from quickly churning out meat like some more commercial type establishments.

On my next visit, I did a more thorough BBQ analysis, trying the pulled pork, St. Louis style ribs, and chicken. The pork was great, tender and smoky with a good texture. Often I find that pulled pork can be kinda ‘stringy’ and dry, but this was done right. The chicken was also well done, and although not my favorite type of ribs, the St. Louis style served here are very good, extremely tender and juicy. Several of the sides were tasted, the potato salad was a little too “pickle-y” for my tastes, and the sweet potato was nothing out of the ordinary. The ones that stood out were the macaroni and cheese and the baked beans. Pimanyoli’s resists the urge to take the easy path and serve up the quick boxed mac and cheese variety, and rather makes theirs daily from scratch using an old school recipe handed down from the owner’s mother. It’s one of the best examples I’ve tasted in the area. The beans were very good, not too thick and not too soupy, with a nice amount of sweetness and the bonus addition of little pieces of brisket added in.

St. Louis Ribs


Three Meat Platter

Also sampled were the tamales. These are delta style tamales hailing from the Newellton area of North Louisiana, just south of Vicksburg. They are from an over eighty year old recipe and are quite tasty. Desserts are fairly straightforward, fudge brownie with ice cream, and bread pudding with rum sauce, but the standout is the “Cobbler of the Day”. This homemade offering features a rotating variety of fruit (blackberry, blueberry, apple or peach) and like everything else I sampled is truly authentic.

Of course there are many other options on the menu, including other sandwiches, burgers, fried seafood and what is definitely on my list for my next visit – Buffalo style frog legs. If you’re looking for some real delicious down home southern staples, this is a place you should visit.

Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant

151 Third St.
Baton Rouge, LA
225.361.0372
http://www.lucysretiredsurfers.com

New to the downtown area is Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant.  An offshoot of the New Orleans location, they occupy the renovated space formerly held by D’Agostino’s Italian restaurant.  The décor and theme are almost overwhelmingly surfer related, with everything from pictures to posters and a full sized surfboard above the bar.  The surfing DVD playing in a constant loop over the TVs is somewhat annoying, especially on return visits when you have already seen it.

The menu is very much in line with the theme, featuring lots of seafood and “California” type items.  They do feature a full bar, and several specialty drinks that are tropical in nature and pack quite a punch.  One that stood out to me is the “Da Killer Blue Whale”, a mixture of lemonade, vodka, curacao, and Everclear.  Another unique drink item offered is the Bloody Mary shot.  A spice-rimmed shot glass is filled with vodka that they have infused with peppers and spices, and the drink is served with a cherry tomato.  They’ve deemed it the world’s fastest Bloody Mary.

Over the course of several visits, I sampled a couple of the appetizer items with mixed results.  The Jamaican Jerk Chicken was great.  Four grilled pieces of chicken breast seasoned with jerk spices are served with an accompanying sweet and sour sauce deemed “Pali sauce”.  The chicken was cooked perfectly, with great grill flavor but not dried out.  The sauce matched well with the spiciness of the chicken, and the portion was adequate for an appetizer.  On another visit, I tried the pulled pork sliders, which were decent in flavor and taste, but lacked an accompanying side item.  According to the menu, they were served with sweet potato fries, but I’m unable to report on those based on the fact that I never saw them.

Ordering that item uncovered an unfortunately very negative aspect of the restaurant, the service.  The bartender seemed to be completely unaware of the menu, and when asked about the dish, couldn’t seem to decipher what was going on.  Granted, I was seated at the bar, but I would suspect that the bartender should at least be familiar with appetizers on the menu, the items often ordered by patrons at the bar.

The entrée I tried was pretty good, a nice piece of fish crusted with ground tortillas.  In a move obvious to be a play to the Baton Rouge locals, they take tortilla chips, both standard color and purple, and crust each side of the fish with these, then its fried, and served with mashed potatoes.

Lucy’s is open daily from 11AM to 10PM, and feature several specials.  Happy hour is Mon-Thurs, 4PM – 7PM featuring $5 well drinks, $18 buckets, and 2 for 1 margaritas, along with free chips and salsa.  Tuesdays are “Taco Tuesdays” with $1 beef tacos, $2 steak or chicken tacos, and $3 shrimp tacos.

Despite some service issues that may be corrected in time, Lucy’s is a very welcome addition to the downtown scene, and a great alternative to the standard fare.  Hopefully once some of the bugs are ironed out, they can focus on more specials so that they can take better advantage of the downtown lunch business.

Brandon's Cajun Cafe

Update: Brandon's Cajun Cafe went out of business in 2010.  We were sorry to see it go.


4215 S. Sherwood Forest
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
225-292-6262

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4 plates

By: Chad

Whenever I learn about a new restaurant in town, I get excited. This is especially the case when it’s a locally owned establishment, and one that offers something different or unique. When I learned of Brandon’s Cajun Café my excitement over the newness was quickly extinguished by the word ‘Cajun’. Another Cajun restaurant in Baton Rouge isn’t what we need I thought. There are already a laundry list of places where one can get Cajun food, and as most of us know, none are as good as own grandmothers.

However I was quite pleasantly surprised by the new and interesting items on the menu. They take some standard Cajun staples and really rework them in innovative and interesting ways. For starters, the appetizer of Couyon Sushi is as tasty as it is unique. They take nori (the traditional flavorless seaweed wrap used for sushi), put boudin stuffing, crabmeat and avocado inside, then roll it up and slice it,top it with remoulade sauce, and dust it with cayenne pepper. It’s something that even people who aren’t fans of traditional sushi will enjoy.

Another great item on the menu is the boudin burger. Boudin is mixed with pepperjack cheese, formed into a pattie and grilled, then placed on a bun and topped with bacon and remoulade sauce. Very tasty. The rest of the menu is fairly straightforward Cajun eats, with items you would expect to see like fried seafood and etoufee. I sampled the etoufee and it was not that great, the gravy had a strange consistency, almost gelatinous. The flavor was good, but the rice was also a bit undercooked for my liking.

For dessert, they once again offer a little something different in the form of their red velvet bread pudding. Yep, red velvet cake is given the classic bread pudding treatment, resulting in a rather unattractive yet tasty glob of red goo, topped with vanilla ice cream. This dessert is definitely sweet and has great flavor, but could use some texture, perhaps in the form of nuts.

All in all, this restaurant impresses me with its innovative approach to Cajun cuisine. I think that with a few refinements this place can really stand out and make a name for itself. I look forward to seeing more innovative items on its menu.


Couyon Sushi



Red Velvet Bread Pudding

Pinetta's European Restaurant

3056 Perkins Rd.
225.387.9174
no website

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4 plates

by: Chad

As exciting and impressive as some new BR restaurants are, sometimes you just want to find a nice, quiet, cozy place where you can enjoy a simple meal. That’s what Pinetta’s is all about. Opened in 1962 by the Bubola family from Eastern Europe, this tiny inconspicuous bistro has been a favorite of many locals for many years.

From the moment you walk through the door, you get the impression that nothing has been touched since that opening day some 47 years ago. The atmosphere creates the feeling of another time and place, with old artwork adorning the walls, and a variety of beer steins and empty Chianti bottles hanging from the ceilings. To say this place is romantic would be an understatement. It has the classic “romantic Italian restaurant” theme down pat, complete with red checked tablecloths and candles on every table. It’s definitely has the appeal of a date night spot but is also suitable for families and groups of friends.

The menu is an interesting one, featuring a mixture of dishes from Italy, Turkey, and Germany. The majority of the items are Italian, and all the dishes are very simple and rustic. The menu features two Turkish dishes which we did not sample, Musaca potatoes and the Shish-Ka-Bob. The German selections are four; Sauerbraten, Thuringen Bratwurst, Schnitzel Holstein, and Weiner Schnitzel. Despite this being a very small selection, it’s the only German food you’ll find anywhere in this area.

We did order the Weiner Schnitzel, and it was okay. The breaded veal was tender but dry, and not very flavorful. The riced potatoes served as a side were over-seasoned and could not be finished. However, on a positive note, the apples in the sauerkraut were an interesting touch, and added a good flavor and texture. We tasted several of the Italian dishes, starting with the polenta appetizer. This was a bit different than polenta I have had before, it being in a more solid form, cut into slices and served with their signature red sauce. The entrée I sampled was the lasagna, also served with the same red sauce. The sauce shares the same old world, rustic quality that the whole restaurant showcases. It tastes like something your grandmother would make, very rich and hearty, with chunks of vegetables and a great flavor.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the meal was the dessert. The chocolate tiramisu was not only the best tiramisu dish that I have had, but overall one of the best desserts period. The portion was large, easily enough to share with at least two people, and the flavor and texture of it was just perfect. Not overly sweet, and with a great chocolate taste that wasn’t overly bitter or chalky.

I would highly recommend Pinetta’s to someone looking for a romantic, quiet, intimate setting for a meal. You won’t have the vast menu options of a larger restaurant, but you also won’t have the noise and chaos that often goes with it. In fact, I’ll go a step further and say that unless you are looking for a nice, relaxed meal, you shouldn’t go there. The service isn’t the fastest, and some would even say it borders on bad, but it’s part of the experience. The idea here is that you are taking your time, and I think a waiter that is running back and forth from the kitchen would take away from the atmosphere and the experience.


Polenta

Chocolate Tiramisu

Coyote Blues - Fresh Mexican Grill

By: Chad

3014 S. Acadian Thruway
225-329-2055
http://www.coyotebluesrest.com

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

Lafayette based Coyote Blues has taken over the former spot occupied by Lone Star steakhouse off Acadian Thruway near I-10, and has done so in a huge way. The new building is quite spacious, brightly decorated and features an interesting array of menu options, starting with their selection of 300 tequilas. Everything from your typical brands you can find at any bar up to the $40 per shot varieties like Herradura Suprema and Gran Patron Platinum.

We started out with drinks, sampling the house margarita and the Cosmopolitan, both of which were on a happy hour (4-7 daily) type special, priced at only $4. One nice touch I liked about the drink selection was the addition of mocktails to the menu. This offers those who don’t partake of alcohol the opportunity to join the party with some tasty drinks. Of course we were also presented with the standard Mexican restaurant greeting of chips and salsa, with the addition of another dip, an interesting combination of creamy avocado and cilantro that was quite tasty - almost like a guacamole blended with sour cream.

The food offerings are quite interesting with the menu showing a Cajun flair applied to many dishes. One that stands out is the appetizer, Fried Oysters on the Half Chip. Oysters crusted with ground corn, served atop nacho chips with a chipotle aioli. For our visit, we opted for the exotic sounding Mayan Pyramid, a pork tamale shaped like a pyramid, sitting on a bed of two sauces, black bean puree and roasted corn sauce. It was quite tasty, but also quite rich (a little too much for an app), and quite expensive for what was a relatively small portion ($7.29).

For entrees, we tried the Chicken Chimichanga and the Nuevo Crab Enchiladas. The chimichanga was straightforward and nothing outside of what you would expect out of the dish. It was well prepared, not overly greasy, and with good flavor. The enchiladas were very good, a nice twist on the traditional enchilada, featuring roasted corn crepes in place of the typical tortilla. They were filled with a flavorful crab stuffing and topped with a mango and red pepper salsa. They were placed atop two cream sauces, a roasted Poblano, and a red pepper Ancho. This was served with the sides of Poblano rice and cheese corn grits. While this is a very good dish, to call it rich is an understatement. The cream sauces provide a nice flavor and add to the quality of the dish, but be prepared to feel stuffed.

While we were not physically able to really enjoy dessert, we ordered one for the sake of our review, and tried the Tres Leches cake. It was served in an interesting presentation, cubes of the milk-soaked cake served in a margarita glass with the milk sauce and topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut and fresh fruit. It fell in line with our other items, tasty, but over the top with creamy richness.

Coyote Blues is a fun, indulgent restaurant. On the plus side, there’s great food, good service, and a fun environment. On the down side, it is quite loud, rather expensive for Mexican fare, and the food will leave you feeling like you’ve consumed a million calories. Overall, it’s a good restaurant worth giving a shot.


Mayan Pyramid


Tres Leches

Chicken Chimichanga

Nuevo Crab Enchiladas

Worth the Drive? Roberto's River Road Restaurant

River Road (3 miles south of Gardere Ln, or 1/4 mile north of Bayou Paul Ln)
Sunshine, LA 70780
225.642.5999
http://www.robertosrestaurant.net

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

5 plates

by: Chad

So you might be asking, with all the restaurants in the Baton Rouge area, why would one venture out on these deadly Louisiana highways way out to the far reaches of the parish to find dinner? After you navigate your way to St. Gabriel, you carefully watch the street signs to direct you to the river road, and once there, you arrive in the tiny town of Sunshine, home of Roberto’s River Road Restaurant. Upon parking my car in the gravel parking lot and looking over at the building, I silently asked myself again if this was a good idea.

The 150+ year old building the restaurant resides in what was once a general store, and still has that type of look to it. I remember thinking, “I’ve heard this place has great food, but is it going to be as old fashioned as its décor?” That thought would quickly disappear once the food came into play.

Looking at Roberto’s from the outside then walking in and finding the type of dishes served inside was kind of like opening the door to a truck stop bathroom and finding the Magic Kingdom. As simple as the place itself is, the food is the polar opposite. It is a very unassuming restaurant that is in no way full of itself. The staff at Roberto's priorities definitely lie within the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, this was no dive and the ambiance was fine, but the food was so unexpectedly refined that I was pretty amazed.

We started out with the eggplant crab cakes. These are an interesting twist on the traditional crab cakes, combining the slight bitterness of the eggplant with the sweetness of crab. They were served on a beurre blanc sauce and topped with a very tasty dill hollandaise.

I had the soup next, and my wife had a salad. The soup was a cream of brie with crab, and was excellent. A rich, creamy textured soup with sweet pieces of jumbo lump crabmeat swimming around. It didn’t suffer from the oiliness or chalkiness that I have sometimes found with other cream based soups. My wife described the salad as quite good, with fresh greens and a very tasty honey mustard dressing that had a nice sweetness to it.

For the entrée, my wife was interested in the pork tenderloin, however it was not available. Her second choice was the beef tenderloin filet. I too chose the filet, but in the special offered that night. My entrée was one of the most exciting, flavorful, and well prepared dishes I have eaten anywhere, not just in the Baton Rouge area.

The special was a grilled beef filet, set atop a Habanero grit cake, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and a light blue cheese demi glace. The main element of the dish, the filet, was cooked perfectly, just as ordered, medium-rare. The grit cake was crispy on the outside with the creamy grits inside, and had a nice bit of kick from the Habanero. The jumbo lump crab was a pleasant surprise in that the portion was quite generous. There was actually so much crab that it couldn’t all be contained atop the filet. The crab had a nice sweetness to it, which balanced well with the heat of the crab cake, and the tanginess of the blue cheese demi glace.

The combination of flavors and textures were amazing. This dish was elegant and well prepared - an excellent example of combining classic ingredients in a modern way.

For desserts, we tried the two daily specials. Both had to be ordered to go and taken home to eat later, but were definitely worth ordering. My wife had the blueberry bread pudding. Rather than it being a plain bread pudding served with the addition of blueberries, it was made from blueberry flavored bread, so that flavor was present throughout. It was very well done and lived up to the expectations that most would have of bread pudding in this area. The chocolate cake was not quite as exotic, but was good, featuring candied pecans as its own little signature touch.

So is Roberto’s worth the drive? Absolutely. Take a break from the traffic nightmares of Sherwood Forest, Bluebonnet, and Siegen, and take a road trip to the country which will send your taste buds to another world.

(Note: Urbanspoon reports it to be located in Plaquemine for some reason, but that is not correct, it is on the east bank of the river in Sunshine, LA.)


Roberto's

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Roberto's Grilled Steak Special

Ronnie's Ribs - Jamaican Me Crazy!

5441 Jones Creek Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
225-753-5375
http://www.ronniesribs.com

For ten years now, Veronica (Ronnie) Carter has been producing the great tastes of Jamaica right here in Baton Rouge.  Lured away from her native homeland by husband Jimmy Carter (no, not the peanut eating crazy ex-President) she has successfully transformed a little corner of a nondescript strip mall on Jones Creek Rd into a culinary paradise.

The main feature of the restaurant is the daily buffet, served at both lunch and dinner for the extremely affordable price of $7.95 and $8.95, respectively.  Featured are a small but delicious variety of Jamaican staples, from smoked jerk chicken and pork to steamed veggies, mac & cheese, salads and soups.  Along with the jerk pork and chicken on the buffet, menu items include Ronnie’s famous jerk marinated smoked ribs; tender baby back ribs that spend some quality time in her homemade marinade of Jamaican spices before being smoked over wood from the native Pimenta tree.  This tree produces berries, which when dried become allspice.  This wood along with the allspice flavor are essential elements to authentic Jamaican cuisine, and Ronnie adheres to that religiously, despite her geographical disadvantage.

One of my favorite dishes she offers is featured on the buffet, and is a delicious variation on a Cajun staple.  Brown stew chicken is basically the chicken stew that most of us grew up on, but with the volume turned up to eleven.  It’s very flavorful, seasoned well with her Jamaican spice mixture, but not spicy hot.  One common misconception about Jamaican food and jerk is that it is extremely spicy.  While the Scotch Bonnet pepper is used (also known as the Habanero), it is not the main spice, and it’s use is typically quite minimal.  Ronnie’s offers jerk sauces on the buffet, one mild and one spicy, so you can enjoy based upon your desired degree of heat.

Besides the buffet and smoked meats, Ronnie’s also does some specialty items, including smoked and fried turkeys and rum cakes.  These items are prepared with the same homemade care and quality that goes into all her food.  The turkeys are injected with Ronnie’s own homemade mixture made from a combination of fresh fruit juices and spices.  Her spice mixtures are also on sale at the restaurant, made from only quality whole spices and not loaded with salt.  As a brief aside, if you don’t know, ingredient labels on products you buy list the ingredients in the order of quantity, meaning that the first item on the list is the one present in the largest amount in the product.  This is why in most store bought spice blends you see salt as the first ingredient.  While this is a very cost effective method of stretching out the more expensive spices, it isn’t the way she does things.

That same level of quality control is present throughout everything she does, and you can actually taste it when you visit her restaurant.  If the food and the affordability haven’t already convinced you, her personality should seal the deal.  She warmly greets everyone who enters and makes sure that you are comfortable and satisfied with your meal.

So, before you pull up to the drive thru to retrieve that burger from beneath the heat lamp, served up by the incoherent headset wearing drone that has all the enthusiasm of a root canal patient, think about visiting Ronnie’s Ribs.  You’ll be glad you did.

Bistro Byronz

5412 Government St.
225.218.1433
http://www.bistrobyronz.com

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

3.5 plates

by: Chad

In the restaurant world, terms used to describe an establishment are often thrown around, such as café, rotisserie, grill, or bistro. Rarely does the name truly fit the atmosphere as well as it does at Bistro Byronz. The simple, straightforward menu and quaint French style décor fit nicely together in a very casual yet refined setting.

The menu is a good one, with a great variety of choices including sandwiches, salads and lunch plates featuring everything from seared Asian style tuna to the French classic, cassoulet.

For our visit, we started out with the Bleu Cheese Chips. They make their own potato chips in house and for this dish, they pile them high and cover them with a creamy bleu cheese sauce laden with chunks of bleu cheese and topped with sliced green onions. If you like bleu cheese, this is a must have. The chips aren’t too thin, and have that kettle fried flavor. The crispy crunch of the chips combined with the tangy creaminess of the cheese make for a great combination of both texture and flavor.

My wife chose the Bistro Salad for her lunch, a tasty combination of Mandarin oranges, dried cherries and pecans on spinach with raspberry poppy seed dressing. She chose to add the chicken breast as well. When the salad arrived, she was quite pleased with her plate. First of all, the portion was very generous and could have easily served two. They absolutely did not skimp on any of the toppings. There were plenty of cubes of roasted chicken breast, toasted chopped pecans, dried cherries and mandarin orange slices. The raspberry poppy seed dressing, which she had served on the side so she could use it conservatively, was delicious. Sweet with a hint of sour which she concluded was red wine vinegar. Her one complaint was that the chicken lacked a lot of flavor and was relatively bland. Perhaps a hint of more seasoning on the chicken would have made a difference. However, she reported that the salad was pretty phenomenal on its own and was easily one of the best that Baton Rouge has to offer.

I ordered the Sesame Seared Tuna, prepared rare. Perhaps the menu item furthest from what one would consider bistro food, it had a distinct Asian quality to it. The tuna itself was very fresh, a generous 8 oz portion, crusted with sesame seeds and seared. The sesame seeds had a slightly burnt flavor, but something that is to be somewhat expected with a seared preparation. The tuna was topped with a sweet and sour glaze and drizzled with a wasabi based cream sauce, served atop a bed of thinly sliced cucumber ribbons. I found the tuna very tasty, cooked perfectly, and well seasoned. Personally I would have liked to see more of the wasabi cream sauce, but understood the need to use it sparingly to accommodate the average diner.

Typically I skip dessert these days, but the mere sight of Heavenly Hash cake on the menu quickly broke down my willpower. The base of the cake is chocolate sheet cake, topped with marshmallows and chocolate icing. It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with a caramel sauce. The cake was a bit on the dry side, but was very tasty.

Overall, this a great place for a nice lunch in the mid-city area. Bistro isn’t just part of the name; it’s very descriptive of what’s inside.


Bistro Salad


Sesame Seared Tuna