A Late Night Excursion to Mel's Diner

After our recent trip to the Parish Brewing Company we obviously needed to put a little food in our stomachs.  As luck would have it, Andrew knew of a place right around the corner from his new warehouse brewery that offered late night dining for drunks like us.  Eric, Eusebio, Dustin, Andrew, and I all settled into our booth at Mel's Diner where a waitress named Flo (no kidding) sat us down and took our drink orders... a round of water!

Mel's Diner, Broussard, La

There were a few things that I really liked about Mel's Diner.  First, it really did feel like we were mingling with laid back country folk just like on the movie Dumb and Dumber when Harry and Lloyd were waited on by a waitress named Flo (in case you didn't get that reference earlier).  Second, the prices on the menu were low, and the portions were rather large.  However, we really didn't need large portions because it seemed like every one of us ordered two breakfast entrees to scarf down.  I, for one, went with the steak and eggs and a stack of five large pancakes!

A Couple of Beautiful Biscuits

The steak and eggs, just like everyone else's meals, came with a side of two delightful biscuits.  Seriously, I had been boozing, but these biscuits were enormous and incredible.  For some reason the lighting didn't work out in the picture above, but these buttery and flaky hockey puck-sized treats made everything right with my craft beer-filled gastronomic reservoir. 

Steak and Eggs with Grits

Ah, steak and eggs, the cornerstone of any late night, alcohol induced breakfast.  Oh, and don't forget to throw in the grits, we are in the South, after all.  The steak at Mel's certainly could have been better.  I didn't expect anything more, but this particular steak was about as cheap of a cut of meat that can get away with being called steak as you'll ever find.  However, while the slab of beef consisted of far too much gristle, the seasoned flavor of the red meat actually impressed me for a 24-hour diner.  The eggs came scrambled and plain.  They didn't add anything to them, so a little salt and pepper was needed, but past that they were pretty standard eggs.  The grits were grits, and I ate them up, that's for sure.  I do love grits, and these were perfectly fine in my book.  All in all the quality is about what the place and price make you expect, but when drunk after hours with Andrew at the Parish Brewing Company, this food is all that one could ask for!

To-Go Box with Pancakes and Other Leftovers

When Flo (I don't know about you, but I'm still laughing) brought out our food she thought something went terribly awry with the order.  It is rare to see a look of such utter confusion of the face of a waitress, but Flo really couldn't comprehend what happened.  There were five of us at the table and we ordered enough food for eight to ten, easily.  Flo didn't take our order, so when the food came out of the kitchen she grabbed the tray and brought it to us, only to find a full plate of food in front of each of us already.  Confused, Flo started to take the food back to the kitchen, so we called out, "Excuse me, Flo, that is our food, too!"  Well, it surely had to be something along those lines anyway.  Flo returned to the table and placed a plate with five large pancakes in front of me.  These pancakes rivaled the biscuits for my favorite part of the meal.  Large and perfectly cooked, the stack of flapjacks would have been enough to feed me by themselves, and for only $4.95.  I added two of them to about half of my steak, eggs, and grits and got a to-go box for the rest.  My eyes were certainly way larger than my stomach, which didn't have normal capacity since it was still full of brew. 

Mel's Diner hit the spot after our tour of the new Parish Brewing facility and rounds of beer tastings with Andrew.  My thanks to Andrew for such a great evening and inviting us to sample and help critique his trial runs at nano-brewing.  I can't wait to order my first pint of Parish at a bar!  As for Mel's, I doubt I'll be back when sober, but there's a good chance I'll return at some point when I need something to bite in order to soak up more booze!

Your Nominations, Please!

Dear Friends and Fans,
225 Magazine just released their nomination form for their annual Best of 225 Awards which highlights people's favorites restaurants, shops, and personalities in Baton Rouge. Please take a moment of your time to fill out the nomination form, which I have linked below. You may fill in the form with the people and places of your choosing, and please feel free to contact me if you need some ideas about restaurants, but I'm asking for special consideration in a couple categories:

1) Best Blogger/Columnist - Jay Ducote of biteandbooze.com. How great would it be if I was nominated for this? I would really appreciate your support!

2) Best Steak - Fleming's. My buddy Eusebio (most of you know him) is the Sous Chef at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, and does AMAZING work. If you've never been, you should!

3) Best Sandwich and/or Best New Restaurant - Jimmy John's. My friend Kyle recently opened up the only Jimmy John's in Louisiana on Perkins Road. You should definitely stop by for a sandwich and tell him that Bite and Booze sent you! One day last week he gave everybody that said that a 10% discount!

4) Best Visual Artist - Hannah Lane. Hannah is an amazing painter and operates out of her studio right here in Baton Rouge. Her work can be seen all over the city... and she is an amazing person!

Here is the link for the nomination form: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3BSLKVQ

Thanks so much for taking a moment to fill it out. Make sure to keep checking http://www.biteandbooze.com/ for the latest on all of my culinary and indulgent adventures! Also, sorry to anybody that I did not mention here that I should have... let me know and I'll try to give you a shout out as well. Finally, please feel free to share this with all of your friends! It is really easy to do with the button below.  Let's make this thing go viral!

Jay D. Ducote
http://www.biteandbooze.com/

The Parish Brewery Part Deux

It had been a couple months since I first tasted Parish beer, and the time that passed since then grew more and more difficult without the locally brewed crafty taste of malted barley and noble hops on my tongue.  As if an angel heard my prayers while they were in South Louisiana to watch over the Saints, Andrew Godley from the Parish Brewing Company sent me a message inviting me back for a second round of brews and to give him some feedback on his latest fermentations.  I gladly obliged and hit the road to Lafayette with Eusebio, Eric, and Dustin.  Parish is still in the research and development phase to find that perfect recipe, though now Andrew is really just fine-tuning and tweaking his flagship suds.  With the beer batches being brewed and the paper work getting ever closer to completion, it is just a matter of time before we can order a pint of Parish in some select local watering holes.  I, for one, wouldn't mind being the first in line. 

Engraved Parish Brewing Company Canebrake Tap Handle... A Real Thing of Beauty

The tap handle alone makes me want to drink the beer.  Parish's signature "Fleur de Barley" couldn't be hitting the market at a more appropriate time.  This particular handle is for the Canebrake flavor, which is an American wheat beer brewed with pure Louisiana sugarcane molasses.  The picture on the right below is the Canebrake beer.  As can be seen, the brew is poured with a cloudy body, a unique flavor, and a surprisingly creamy finish.  The Canebrake boasts a 4.8% ABV.  Andrew's new batch of the sugarcane beer came out a fair amount better than the previous version.  He added even more molasses to ensure that the sweet flavor and aroma came through and could be tasted clearly, though still without being overpowering.  He is still playing with the recipe slightly and is considering a batch with a small amount of lactose to help make the beer a little sweeter and creamier, amost giving it a melting sensation in your mouth.  Yeah, that sounds good, I think I'll have that.

Parish Biere Blanc and Canebrake

The Biere Blanc (pictured above on the left) is a light and refreshing take on a European style pilsner.  Beer geeks and typical light beer connoisseurs alike will enjoy this brew as it certainly has more malt and hops than your American standards, and also has a slight hint of wheat and a smidge of sweetness on the back end.  Like the Canebrake, the Biere Blanc is about 4.8% ABV.

Newly Stained Wood Wrapped Around Stainless Steel Brew Kettles

The beer that I think will sell the best early on in the Louisiana market is the Parish Pilsner (below on the right).  The pilsner is a crisp, light, and refreshing beer that has that something extra that all cheap American light swill lacks.  The first taste of the pilsner on the lips is a sweet and fruity flavor, not all that far from a sparkling wine or Champagne.  But then, on your tongue, the hops hit you, and know this is no fermented fruit, but rather a beer with unique character.  It finishes with a bit of dry spice on the back of the tongue and a crisp, delicious bite.  The beer is complex yet is amazingly clear and, remarkably, is unfiltered (as are all the Parish beers).  The Parish Pilsner has around a 4.7% ABV and it shines with a beautiful luster in the glass.  This baby will sell in South Louisiana, that is for sure.  

Envie APA and Parish Pilsner

Finally, Andrew brought out the beer that might soon win him some awards and accolades from true beer geeks, the Envie American Pale Ale.  Envie is an old Cajun French term that means a craving or a hankering for something.  For example, while writing this post, I have an envie for more Parish beer.  The Envie poured with the biggest head of the bunch... that's what she said.  At first nose the beer smelled distinctly of orange citrus, rather than grapefruit which a lot of Indian Pale Ales bring.  The orange aroma led to a balanced, very non-offensive hoppy taste.  Pale Ales are notoriously hoppy, and while this APA brought the hops, it did so in a way that was very pleasing to the palate for even amateur craft beer drinkers.  The Envie boasts a 5.2% ABV, and with its delicious flavor and perfect blend of malt and hops, this beer is sure to be a hit for many years to come.  

 

1012 Corridor Cuisine: The Po-Boys

I have some exciting news for Bite and Booze!  My submission has recently been published in 1012 Corridor Magazine!  1012 is a business publication that covers everything going on along I-10 and I-12 in South Louisiana.  In every edition there is a section on Corridor Cuisine and the Winter 2010 publication covers a South Louisiana favorite, po-boys.

While fried seafood is traditionally the favorite po-boy of most Louisianians, I agrued that the best po-boy on the block doesn't contain any seafood.  Click the link below to read the 1012 Corridor Cuisine: The Po-Boys article.  Make sure you scroll all the way down to the bottom to see the nomination by "South Louisiana food lover and amateur food critic Jay Ducote!"

http://www.1012corridor.com/news/2010/feb/01/corridor-cuisine-po-boys/

(Thanks to VikingGeek on Flickr for the Picture)

 

Gumbo Saturday at Death Valley

The final tailgate party of the 2009 LSU football season clearly prompted people all over campus to break out their large pots and make a gumbo to feed the loyal fans.  My Gumbo Saturday got off to a splendid start at the Ford Family Tailgating party where Jeremy kindly shared a little Jameson Irish Whiskey with me.  While Jameson isn't my favorite Irish Whiskey (try Powers if you never have had it before), it still tastes just fine on the rocks.  It has a smooth taste and a crisp bite to make for a very refreshing wakey whiskey, or for a nice drink at any other time of day.  

Jameson Irish Whiskey on the Rocks

The day's first gumbo came from Mama and Papa Ford.  In their large pot they cooked up a turkey, chicken, and sausage gumbo that tasted brilliant.  Turkey meat is very seldom found in Cajun gumbos, but this being two days after Thanksgiving, it only made sense.  The gumbo itself had an earthy roux that was more light brown than chocolate in color.  I added a little hot sauce to mine and got after it... two bowls worth of getting after it over the span of an hour, I'm pretty sure.

The Ford Family Tailgating Gumbo in the Pot and in the Bowl

After a few more hours of tailgating at FFT, the time had come for me to migrate around campus before the Tigers kicked off in Death Valley.  My next stop came at the Speyrer and Friends tailgate party where Nick had been cooking up another spectacular pot of gumbo.  Sometimes you just can't get enough delicious gumbo served over Louisiana rice... and this was one of those days!

Speyrer Gumbo in the Pot and in the Bowl

As can be seen from the pictures, the Speyrer gumbo had a slightly darker roux for its base.  Nick used only chicken and sausage in his flavorful gumbo and I scarfed down another bowl and a half at his place before falling into a gumbo coma.  The dark roux made this gumbo richer and thicker than the Ford gumbo, though I certianly wouldn't say that either one was better than the other.  The great thing about Cajun gumbos is that they can all be cooked differently and taste differently, but still be just as good as the others in their own unique way.  If it was a contest, maybe I'd pass some judgement, but since Gumbo Saturday was really about sharing some good food at tailgate parties with some good friends, I'd prefer to say that both gumbos made me very happy.  It's days like this when I'm especially glad to live in Louisiana!

 

Oscar's Pizza & Ice Cream Joint

A new restaurant recently emerged on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, so Eusebio and I decided to give it a try.  Oscar's Ice Cream and Pizza Joint combines an original pizza place with Louisiana flair and a ice cream parlor that serves home made frozen goodness.  It is a combination that can hardly go wrong!

Oscar's Ice Cream & Pizza Joint

Once inside Oscar's, Eusebio and I had a seat at the bar where we took a glimpse of their booze selection.  Oscar's offers several beers on tap and a number of wines by the glass or bottle.  The bartender alerted us to a deal, so we obliged.

At the Bar in Oscar's

I'm not usually a big Heineken fan, but it is hard to argue when they are two for one, so we each ordered a pint, took a sip, and let out a sigh of appreciation for the cold, refreshing brew.

Two for One Heineken

The chef at Oscar's kindly brought us a couple cups of their duck and sausage gumbo to sample.  The soupy cajun concauction came served with rice and topped with green onions.  The roux was dark and rich, flavoring the gumbo well as the duck and andouille sausage also added to the terrific taste.  I scarfed down my cup of gumbo and readied myself for some fresh and unique pies.

Duck and Sauage Gumbo

Eusebio and I knew we couldn't eat it all, but it only made sense to order two large pizzas.  The price point is much more favorable when ordering the large, though overall these pizzas aren't cheap.  We wanted to try at least two varieties, so ordering only one pizza was not an option.  Our choice were made before the chef brought us out some gumbo, but I don't think it would have changed our mind since the gumbo was fantastic.  Our pizza decision: "D and A Gumbo" and "Perkins Pesto."

Large D and A Gumbo Pizza

The D and A Gumbo Pizza (Duck and Andouille, much like the actual cup of gumbo) screamed originality and declared its Louisiana flair.  This is the first time that I've ever seen or heard of a gumbo-flavored pizza, and it did not disappoint.  The pie began with a home made, hand tossed dough that baked to a soft and chewy crust on the outside while leaving a thin layer under the toppings on the inside.  Generously layered on the crust sat the smoked duck, alligator sausage, andouille sausage, and green onions with a roux based tomato gravy as the sauce.  The pizza had great, non-traditional flavor and added the right amount of Louisiana flair to an ordinarily Italian dish.

Perkins Pesto Pizza

Eusebio and I chose the Perkins Pesto as pie number two.  Strewn all-over the hand-tossed crust with a pesto base were plentiful portions of shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and toasted pecans.  This pizza offered a true medley of flavors that came together on one tantalizing bite after another.  If the D and A Pizza tasted great, the the Perkins Pesto tasted triumphantly amazing.  The pizza contained every bit as much pizazz and flair as the first one while providing just as interesting of an array of toppings.  Every shrimp gave a seafood kick, the sun-dried tomatoes provided a hint of sweetness, and the goat cheese changed things up a bit while the toasted pecans provided a clever texture that I had never experienced on a pizza before.  Unique and delicious... hard to go wrong!

Assorted Ice Creams

We couldn't go to "Pizza and Ice Cream Joint" without trying delightful frozen desserts.  Every cream that Oscar's serves is churned in house with quality ingredients to make even the pickiest ice cream critic happy.  The chef brought out three flavors of ice cream for Eusebio and I to try out, so try them we did!  Our ice cream assortment consisted of cookies and cream, buttered pecan, and banana nut.  Up front is Oscar's version of cookies and cream.  The flavor of the cream stood out, but there was a lack of cookies mixed in, especially when compared to the mixes of the other ice creams we ate.  On the top right is the banana nut ice cream that had a great banana-pudding-like flavor and came loaded with large pieces of walnuts.  Being a big fan of banana pudding and banana nut bread, this ice cream hit the spot.  Finally, in the top left we have the buttered pecan.  Buttered might have been and understatement.  This ice cream exploded with a buttery taste and was loaded with pecans in every bite.

All in all Oscar's won me over with both their pizza and ice cream.  The pizzas strayed away from traditional toppings with their mixture of specialty pizzas which made my mouth water just from reading about them on the menu.  There were plenty more to choose from, so there's no doubt I'll be back soon!