Month: February 2020

The new Matherne’s at LSU is a very good example of what is trending in grocery/deli/markets these days. Not a lot of space is devoted to raw product. Yes, there’s still produce and meats and seafood, but the majority of the space is dedicated to packaged and frozen foods with an extensive salad bar and hot deli (including a serve yourself wing station) and sushi prepared in-house. An aisle devoted to household products, a whole lot beverages-both healthy and unhealthy– plenty of craft beer in bottles and cans, and a separate liquor counter. There seems to be a good bit of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods influence throughout the city, forcing other stores to re-arrange, add sushi stations and salad bars, and highlight where they feel they are better at it than the newbies. To a large extent this comes down to having the best hot deli and salad bar, and the trendiest new brands of prepared foods both fresh and frozen. This Matherne’s has a couple of things going for it. The seafood section isn’t large, but it is high end with fresh shrimp and catfish and salmon packaged in sizes convenient for cooking for one or two. I was able to find my beloved White Castle frozen sliders both with and without cheese. The fried chicken is good. And the deli sides are very appealing. I saw fried okra when I got a box of chicken, but when I went for their fried catfish the okra was stewed, so I got their mac n cheese and red beans and rice with cornbread instead. All in all a good store. Passes muster in the new age, but if you’re looking for a butcher, or canning supplies, or any other old school items you should probably head somewhere else like Calandro’s or Bet-R.

I wonder sometimes how I get from hot buttered bread to hamburger steak. The bread came out of the machine perfect and I immediately dressed it with the real butter I had left out on the counter to soften while the loaf baked. But even though I stuffed myself, I couldn’t down a whole loaf in one sitting. The next day thoughts of what came next started floating through. Pain perdu. Various monster sandwiches. Toast to go with fried eggs and grits and maybe some bacon or sausage. Bread pudding. But somehow I got to bread and gravy, and I always have Swanson’s Beef Broth and McCormick Brown Gravy Mix on hand. And as soon as I think brown gravy, I automatically add mushrooms and onions. Wasn’t a stretch to throw beef into the mix. I played with the idea of stew or Stroganoff, or even just a smothered ribeye, but as the ideas continued to dance about my head they finally came to rest at the notion of hamburger steak. And I was happy with that thought.

I am constantly amazed by just how many first class burger joints we have now in Baton Rouge. Definitely need to toss BurgerIM right up there with Curbside and Atomic Burger. You are going to want to go online and study the menu though, since there are three patty sizes, a half dozen patty types, different buns or wraps, a dozen add-ons, and a whole lot of house favorites. I’m not mathematician enough to calculate the number of possible variations, but if you don’t want to freeze at the counter from indecision, best to make some choices before you get there, or at least before you get in line. I had looked over the menu, and I still had to take a step back and let a group of three guys in landscaping uniforms go ahead of me. So obviously, you have options, and that’s great for trying more than one burger if you go the 3 oz slider route. The larger burgers come with a choice of 1/3 or 1/4 lb patties. You can combo everything up with a drink and fries or onion rings. They even have party packs of eight or sixteen sliders. None of this makes a difference though unless you have a high quality product, and they do. One not so obvious sign of their commitment to do things right is the furniture. I don’t know how much the heavy metal chairs cost them, but I do know it was a one time buy. The tables aren’t going anywhere either.

So I was very excited when my Wagyu beef with cheddar and my lamb with tzatziki were brought to the table. They were gorgeous. They were delicious. The thick chip style fries were excellent as well, but what really moved me, almost to tears, was a perfect chocolate shake served in a real glass. I took my time. I appreciated every single sip and bite. I tried my best not to moan with pleasure at this feast, but I know that several times I closed my eyes too long to qualify as a blink. I left with a full belly and a smile on my face. Pretty sure you will too if you check them out.

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a crew as happy, friendly, and focused on a non-game day Saturday as I did at Drago’s last Saturday. That’s a good sign for a couple of reasons. First, they all expect to make good money on what is normally a not so busy shift. Second, they feel confident they will make that money without being hassled by customers or harangued by management. They’re confident there won’t be any problems with the food and that it will arrive in a quick and timely manner. They’re also on good terms with management. Just like any other team, restaurant staff is pretty easy to read. Signs of high morale should make you more confident things are going to go well when you visit. Now this Drago’s location is brand new, but believe me, it takes no time at all to trash a facility. The space was immaculate, and I was really intrigued and impressed with the lighting fixtures they employed throughout the store, and of course reassured by the heavy duty silverware, classic glassware and dinnerware, and linen napkins.

What I’m really looking for when I visit a place that’s just opened is evidence that they are going to deliver on the implied promises they’ve made that they know what they are doing and that they are better than everyone else. In this particular case, I wanted to scout them out and make sure this was a place that fell in between Ruth’s Chris and Red Lobster for getting an outstanding lobster dinner. Not to knock Ruth’s Chris or applaud Red Lobster, but I’m always looking for a place where it’s worth the money and the atmosphere is relaxed and casual and the space is comfortable and interesting. So I took the opportunity of this Saturday lunch at the bar to check out the basics. A half dozen raw oysters, a half dozen charbroiled, and a cup of seafood gumbo just to see how they did. I was more than pleased with the results of my experiment, and I’m confident that this is the place I will visit next when I’m ready to do a whole Maine lobster. But before that, I’d really like to check out their oyster tacos. I saw a plate of tacos when I was walking through the dining room, and they looked great. There are a lot of interesting items on the menu, and an obvious commitment to being the best seafood restaurant in Baton Rouge. Yes, there’s competition, but isn’t that good for all of us?

Goodbird finally opened its doors on Chimes Street. Apparently it took them longer than expected to erase every trace of the old Slinky’s bar from the building. The color scheme is bright on the outside, blond on the inside. Some walls are gold particle board, some are painted white. The beams and benches are blond wood, also all the laminate tabletops. The murals and paintings are also bright and mostly white. The place looks brand new and immaculate really, as far from Slinky’s dark dive vibe as possible.

They do have an actual rotisserie where they cook actual chickens in house, but the chicken is only available as sandwiches, salads, or wraps. I had harbored a dream that this was going to be the Baton Rouge version of El Pollo Loco where they grill birds before your eyes and let you buy them by the half, whole, or quarter. Alas, if that is your desire, you should probably head over to Cowboy Chicken on Siegen. Goodbird is all about their healthy sandwiches centered on rotisserie chicken, and smoothies, and a few breakfast items served all day. There was nothing wrong with the Goodbird sandwich I got. The chicken and whole grain bread were fresh. The salsa verde and garlic aioli were there, but not particularly noticeable. The smoothie was good, and maybe they can compete with the nearby Pita Pit because they are also focused on healthy wraps and smoothies, but there is better chicken, better wraps, better salads, and better smoothies all within walking distance of Goodbird. I can’t see how they make a go of it, but I’ve been wrong before. And before I forget to mention it, the house made chips were quite good.

Best bet for parking at BLDG 5 is the underpass parking right off Christian St between Overpass Merchant and Ivar’s–then walk over past Duvic’s and Bet-R to BLDG 5. The interior of the old warehouse has been miraculously transformed in rustic/chic style to create a comfortable space to enjoy the very good food they produce. The layout on the market/lunch counter side reminded me of an old style Italian deli with the grab and go and prepared foods with sparkling waters and sodas in the freezer/fridge down one side, then the market shelving stocked with wooden spoons and rough canvas dish towels and ceramic bowls and candles and smudge sticks and jams and chocolate and even Louisiana shaped bottle opener key chains for sale. The rest of the first room has old school chairs and tables with windows on the next wall that allow you to see through into the bar, then the outdoor patio just beyond the bar. Even mostly empty the rooms seem busy, poised for fun and laughter, good food and drink.

I visited at lunch time and ordered a cup of the Roasted Cauliflower Soup and the Creole Pork Stew at the counter before grabbing my table marker and going to the back wall to pick up some napkins and nice heavy duty silverware and an iced tea from the urn then found a place to sit and wait for my meal to be delivered. Which did not take long at all. The soup was seasoned just enough to enhance the deep, rich flavor of cauliflower and the pork stew was special. Plenty of bell pepper in the trinity mix and a healthy dash of creole spice added a good bit of pop to the gravy and the pork was totally tender but still rich. The rice was really high quality stuff, not the usual commercial grade used by most places. My salt and pepper shakers sat unused, even for the buttered green peas, and the house made bread was excellent. I think next time I will order extra bread, unless, of course, I go with one of the many sandwiches on offer. Good stuff, and the menu is very clear on what is vegan and what is gluten free. Just remember when you head there for lunch that the market is also full of stuff you will think hard about buying so be prepared to exceed your budget. And be careful about the parking. People are often towed in such a highly contested area.

My visit to Thaihey was quite refreshing, not just the food and drink, but the sheer number of good ideas evident in their new kiosk at White Star Market. Those kiosks are only slightly larger than a food truck, so it is always a challenge to condense a menu to fit the space, fit in with your neighbors, and also compete with them for customers that share a dining hall and parking lot. The first innovation of Thaihey was to bypass the ordinary and offer Thai food not available at the other Thai spots in BR. The small tasteful shrine at the cashier station was nice, and the tablet with an illustrated menu slideshow was brilliant.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The ideas did not end with sales and marketing. I’ve never seen shrimp rolls built the way Thaihey does them, wrapping a whole shrimp in a won ton with spices and a bit of vegetable, and it is pure genius to make ice cubes from the same tea you are serving them in so the tea doesn’t dilute as the ice cubes melt. The woven bamboo tableware and stoneware dishes are a really nice touch as well. Now it would be easy to characterize the menu as street food, but it takes a little more coin and a little more time to prepare than street food. Especially the red curry fried chicken dish named Gai Todd Prik Gang that comes with a shredded papaya salad laced with cashews, and sticky rice with a powerful salty/sweet sauce on the side for dipping. The chicken is fried to order so it takes about fifteen minutes to prepare. But I was fine sipping my Purple Palmer, a butterfly pea flower and lemongrass tea spiked with lemon juice and simple syrup and snacking on the previously mentioned crunchy shrimp rolls while I waited. Worth it. The whole chicken thigh was cooked perfectly all the way through and still very juicy. Crisp papaya and cashews, and the sticky rice was actually sticky, easy to pick up with chopsticks and dip in the sauce without falling apart. The flavors were fresh and different, but not so strong as to overwhelm, and if they were strong, they were served on the side like the dipping sauce. The Purple Palmer drink was a bit on the sour side, but I really liked that. Can’t wait to try some of the other teas and one of the curry noodle dishes next time out. Thaihey certainly adds a lot to White Star, which is gaining a well deserved reputation for introducing Baton Rouge to exciting new concepts.

When I’m staying away from home for a few days somewhere new, I like to see and do as many new things as I can, but when I find a good breakfast place I stop looking and go there every morning. A lot of times when we get all foodie, I think we tend to undervalue just doing things right. Taking care of the basics, just giving a solid performance in food, service, and presentation. Hitting the nail on the head time and time again is an art in itself. Even a trash collector can show grace and style just swinging the can effortlessly into the back of the truck and tossing it back to land perfectly at the curb. Everything doesn’t have to be flash and dazzle to be enjoyed. I knew Beaufort, North Carolina was deeply Southern as soon as I tasted the grits at Beaufort Café. The toast delivered to the table already buttered just sold me further. And the biscuits with white sausage gravy. And sitting down to a smiling server and a large cup of coffee will always make the morning feel right.

I gained so much confidence in the folks at Beaufort Café that I had to make time for a lunch visit to their sister restaurant right across the street, No Name Pizza. Without the association between the two I most likely would have bypassed No Name because that’s not much of a name. Glad I didn’t. Just like the cafe, No Name was totally dedicated to doing things the right way. A solid, basic menu with a bit of Greek thrown in with the pizza, burgers, and subs. My friend and I split an Italian sub that had bologna with ham and salami, a plate of fried calamari with red gravy, and an absolutely perfect Alfredo pizza. Nothing flashy, nothing flamboyant, and nothing wrong with that.