Eat for the Arts at the Perkins Historic Merchants District

The Perkins Historic Merchants District Association is proud to present their Summer Fundraiser Food Festival, “Eat for the Arts,” benefiting the Community Fund for the Arts. Join me on Thursday, June 16, 2011 from 6-9 pm, customers can “hop” along Perkins Road by the Overpass, from S. Acadian Thruway until Kalurah St, and taste food and drinks from over 20 of Baton Rouge’s best restaurants and merchants! Live Dance, Music, and Art performances from Baton Rouge’s premier arts organizations will also line the road, for a fun, festival atmosphere. Free Park and Ride is available at The Foyer/Juban’s Restaurant parking lot. Pre-sale tickets are available for $30 at www.perkinshistoricmerchants.org; Tickets are $35 at the door.

The Community Fund for the Arts is a united fundraising campaign that provides operational support to 14 arts organizations in Baton Rouge. The CFA, led by a Campaign Cabinet of business and community leaders, helps keep dancers on their toes, actors strutting across the stage, and the citizens of the Capital City immersed in culture. CFA member organizations include: Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge,Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, Baton Rouge Gallery, Baton Rouge Little Theater, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, The DeBose Foundation, Foundation for Historical Louisiana, Friends of Magnolia Mound,Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Louisiana Sinfonietta, Of Moving Colors Productions, Swine Palace, Playmakers of Baton Rouge, and WRKF.

Participating “Eat for the Arts” merchants include: Cangelosi Dance Project, Chelsea’s Café, Coyote Moon, Denim Library, DiGiulio Brothers Italian Restaurant, Duvic’s Martini Bar, Enoteca Marcello Wine Bar & Café@ Noelie Harmon, Gourmet Girls @ Stella Boutique, Himalaya’s @ Perkins Road Parlour, Ivar’s Sports Bar & Grill, Jimmy John’s, Juban’s @ The Foyer, Kleinpeter’s Dairy @ Cottonwood Books, Louisiana Culinary Institute @ The Royal Standard, Maxwell’s Market, Mestizo @ Loft 3H Boutique, Monjuni’s (of Highland Rd) @ Beehive Salon, Perkins Computer Center, Pinetta’s European Restaurant, Rock-n-Sake, Schlittz and Giggles, Tin Roof Brewery/Mockler Beverage, and Whole Foods.

The event is co-sponsored by Whole Foods, WAFB, Downtown Duplicating, Kleinpeter Dairy, Tin Roof Brewery/Mockler Beverage, Raising Cane’s, Town Favorites, House and Home, and Lamar.

For more information, visit www.perkinshistoricmerchants.org or call (225) 293-1264

The Perkins Historic Merchants District Association is a group of business owners, community leaders, artists, musicians, restaurateurs, and home-grown Baton Rougeans that make up the vibrant community on Perkins Road by the Overpass. We collaborate with each other to bring focus to this diverse and charming area of the capitol city and to celebrate and foster a spirit that is uniquely ours, and uniquely Louisiana’s, at its best. We are where modern meets mom-and-pop; where big-city glam meets small-town heritage. Come see what you’ve been missing at the Perkins Historic Merchants District—where modern history unfolds.

Join Swine Palace and me for an exciting new piece of theatre called HEIST! at the LSU Museum of Art

Swine Palace’s HEIST! revolves around a fictional theft at the LSU Museum of Art. HEIST! is part delightful party, part live-action cartoon and part amusement park ride. It is a wild over-the-top theatrical caper happening in three dimensions in which the audience is an active participant in the show.

HEIST!
May 4 - 8, 2011
Shaw Center for the Arts
Conceived and created by Sean Daniels and Deborah Stein
Written by Deborah Stein
Directed by Sean Daniels

Here is your virtual invitation:

With special cameos as follows:
May 4 at 7:00pm: Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden & Dr. John Lombardi, LSU System President
May 5 at 7:00pm: Skip Bertman, LSU Athletics Director
May 5 at 9:30pm: Coach Les Miles & daughter Macy Miles
May 6 at 7:00pm: Jason El Koubi, Louisiana Economic Development
May 6 at 9:30pm: Danny Heitman, Advocate Columnist & Tom Guarisco, Editor of 225
May 7 at 7:00pm: Mike Martin, LSU Chancellor
May 7 at 9:30pm: Michael Marsh, WBRZ News Anchor; Ana Maria Andricain, Actress & Philip Mann, Louisiana Economic Development
May 8 at 3:00pm: Derek Gordon, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge President & CEO and Jay Ducote, author of biteandbooze.com
May 8 at 5:30pm: Donna Britt, WAFB News Anchor & Jim Engster, WRKF radio host

Yes, I know... I'll be part of the show on Mother's Day.  That's alright though!  It is a great opportunity to grab your mom and take her to the theatre!  It'll be a lot of fun!!!

You can get more information and buy tickets on HEIST!’s Facebook info page. 

"Bite, Booze, and BBQ" returns to Café du Monde with another all-star lineup!

“MEANWHILE, BACK AT CAFÉ DU MONDE….”

a Festive Food Story/Monologue Event

Biters and Boozers, you won't want to miss this! I'll be delivering my smash-hit (hahaha) food monologue at the ever-growing event “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…” on November 21st! My monologue, "Bite, Booze, and BBQ" will be about my love for food from my first memories of outdoor cooking to entering competitive barbeque competitions, with plenty of fun stories about tailgating barbeque in between.

“Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…" is a unique, festive food story/monologue event about the second Universal Language, FOOD, and how our lives revolve around food with Food Monologues written and performed by Baton Rouge personalities creating a “gumbo of deliciousness”! 

The show is created, directed and produced by Peggy Sweeney-McDonald and Jay Basist of Superstar Events-LA. Tickets are $30 and include the show, buffet, dessert and coffee. Drinks will be available for purchase. The doors will open at 5:30 PM with the show beginning at 6:30 PM. For reservations and tickets, please call Ralph & Kacoo’s at 225-766-2113 (highly recommended as the show will sell out!).

For more information about this event please visit www.meanwhilebackatcafedumonde.com!

Catch "Bite, Booze, and BBQ" at “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…”

“MEANWHILE, BACK AT CAFÉ DU MONDE….”

– a Festive Food Story/Monologue Event

Bite and Booze fans, you won't want to miss this! I'll be delivering my debut food monologue at the hit event “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…” on August 28th and 29th! My monologue, "Bite, Booze, and BBQ" will be about my love for food from my first memories of outdoor cooking to entering competitive barbeque competitions, with plenty of fun stories in between.

If you have missed this outstanding event in the past, then make sure you come this time! Due to the overwhelming response and standing room only performances, Superstar Events-LA has added four additional performances of “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…” at Ralph & Kacoo’s at 6110 Bluebonnet Boulevard on August 28th and 29th and then again on September 3rd and 4th (I'll be speaking at the two August shows). “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…" is a unique, festive food story/monologue event about the second Universal Language, FOOD, and how our lives revolve around food with Food Monologues written and performed by Baton Rouge personalities creating a “gumbo of deliciousness”! 

The show is created, directed and produced by Peggy Sweeney-McDonald and Jay Basist of Superstar Events-LA. Tickets are $30 and include the show, buffet, dessert and coffee. Drinks will be available for purchase. The doors will open at 5:30 PM with the show beginning at 6:45 PM. For reservations and tickets, please call Ralph & Kacoo’s at 225-766-2113 (highly recommended as the show will sell out!).

For more information about this event or other upcoming events including shows at the House of Blues in New Orleans and a show in the Shreveport area, please visit www.meanwhilebackatcafedumonde.com!

Baton Rouge Uncorked Returns August 26th!

Baton Rouge Uncorked is upon us again.  You won't want to miss the upcoming event!  You can check out one of my articles about a previous Baton Rouge Uncorked event to get a feel for what it is all about:

http://www.biteandbooze.com/2009/10/baton-rouge-uncorked.html
http://www.biteandbooze.com/2010/05/unwind-with-baton-rouge-uncorked.html

Here are the details about the upcoming Uncorked event!  I hope to see you there!

The Reds & Whites of California

Summer Tasting and Competition

August 26, 7-10pm

at

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum

100 River Road South, Baton Rouge

RULES:
As with all Baton Rouge Uncorked events, guests must register their team and purchase tickets in advance. A 'team' can consist of one, two or three members. Regarless of the number of team members, each 'team' is required to bring three matching bottles of red or white California wine

ATTIRE:
Red and White attire is suggested

CONTACT:
info@batonrougeuncorked.com

RSVP:
For tickets and to register a team, visit: www.BatonRougeUncorked.com

B E N E F I T I N G

and

----------------------------------

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

Baton Rouge's "better than NOBODY" band

and

LIVE ART BATTLE

featuring artists: Alex Harvie, TJ Black, Hannah Lane Romero and Marc Fresh

Watch a video of the groups past 'Take a Stab' Art Battle at the Varsity

------------------------------------

F O O D

----------------------------------

S P O N S O R S

Eat, Drink, and be Charitable!

Things To Do
Baton Rouge

Seattle Part III: Quinn's Pub

Quinn's Pub in Capitol Hill, Seattle

Eric and I departed the Pyramid Alehouse a few hours before the start of the Yankees v. Mariners game on our intoxicating Friday-Funday around Seattle.  A crowd had already gathered in the Pyramid beer garden and all around the stadium.  I enjoyed seeing the atmosphere and fanfare around the ballpark, but Boo and I had another place to visit before we headed to the pre-wedding barbeque, so we couldn't stay for the game.  If you need a reminder, we had already raised our glasses at The Pike Brewing Company (Seattle Part I) before making our way over to the Pyramid Alehouse (Seattle Part II) for even more beer and festivities.  Now we found ourselves traveling back downtown by light rail and then catching a taxi to Capitol Hill where we found a fine establishment known as Quinn's Pub.  This place came recommended to me by the Seattle Food Geek himself, so I figured it had to be good! 

Quinn's Pub is located on East Pike Street, just a little ways up the hill from Pike Place Market and downtown Seattle.  The Capitol Hill neighborhood is known for being a unique part of town.  The area is one of Seattle's most densely populated neighborhoods and is known for its LGBT friendliness, the Seattle art scene, and is home to Seattle's music, made famous by the Grunge movement of the 1990s.  It was in this historic and hip neighborhood that Eric and I met up with Regan Vaugn, the General Manager of Quinn's Pub, for a few more beverages and some gastropub grub.

The Balcony Level at Quinn's Pub

Quinn's had a slightly rustic yet hip ambiance that provided to its obviously well-established culture.  It seemed to match the neighborhood very well in that regard.  However, it wasn't the culture that brought me to Quinn's Pub.  After getting the recommendation and looking up some details, I realized that Quinn's had two great things going for it: an excellent Trappist and local craft beer selection and inspiring, original cuisine.

Eric and I both started with one of Regan's local selections: a pint of Dick's Grand Cru. Dick's Brewing Company resides in Centralia, WA and brews up 21 different varieties of ale. The Grand Cru is an award winning Belgian-style ale made with malted barley and Noble hops. One of 14 beers that Quinn's had on tap, the Grand Cru poured with an amber-orange body and off-white head. The sugars and fruit did wonders to mask the 10% or so ABV on this bad boy, providing a smooth taste, clean finish, and deceptively strong beer.

Ragan and a Glass of Dick's Grand Cru

Regan kindly sent us a couple of Quinn's Pub's signature pretzels to taste.  The doughy knot of flour and salt may have been one of the best soft pretzels I've ever eaten.  The texture seemed to be a mixture between chewy and melt-in-your-mouth goodness.  One dip in the Welsh rarebit, a beer and cheese sauce, and I had a perfect snack to go along with my imbibing.

Pretzel with Welsh Rarebit

In addition to a superb beer list, Quinn's also has enough whiskey, whisky, and bourbon to make a grown cry out of pure joy.  Being a rather large fan of all Irish whiskey other than Jameson (not that it's bad, just that it is the only one that is available everywhere), I noticed that Quinn's had one that I'd never tasted before.  I ordered a glass of Knappogue Castle 1995 neat.  The Knappogue is different than most Irish whiskey.  It is aged in oak bourbon barrels, and even more rare, the Knappogue Castle is a single malt whiskey, not a blend.  Distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2007, the whiskey has a pale golden color and distinct floral and citrus fruit notes on the nose, as well as possibly some honey and vanilla.  I found each sip to be remarkable smooth, easy to drink and somewhat mellow yet sweet.  There's not much like drinking some great whiskey after hours of beer drinking.  In all reality, I'm sure it's what did me in, but it was worth it!

Knappogue Castle 1995 Irish Whiskey

Aside from the booze, what really attracted me to Quinn's Pub was the unique gastropub fare.  The menu consists of various salads, sandwiches, small plates, large plates, snacks, sides, and cheeses.  Deciding what to order proved to be a very difficult task, so I continued to let Regan and our waitress, Erin, steer us in the right direction.  They certainly did just that!  For a sandwich we sampled the wild boar sloppy joe.  The ground boar's game flavor came through while the fresh sage leaves added a peppery kick.  The sloppy joe presented a great twist on the cafeteria classic, and I enjoyed every bit of the nostalgic nosh.    

The Wild Boar Sloppy Joe at Quinn's Pub

From the 'small plates' menu came the oxtail.  The dish featured the slow-braised oxtail with gnocchi, fontina, and crispy marrow.  Erin warned us that "most people that order one end up ordering two."  While we resisted the urge due to our bellies being slightly stuffed from the day's bites and boozes, it wouldn't have taken much of an arm twist to get me to double the portion.  The oxtail's tenderness and flavor were incredible.  Each savory taste presented a myriad of flavors with the gnocchi and marrow adding proper complex, yet friendly, flavors.  The beautiful, imaginative, and modern dish had classic and rustic characteristics that perfectly matched the charm of Quinn's Pub.

Quinn's Small Plate: Oxtail, Gnocchi, Fontina, Crispy Marrow

Eric and I each had one more beer while wrapping up our time at Quinn's.  We got a couple more pints of locally brewed glory, Manny's Pale Ale and Odin's Gift Ruby Ale.  Manny's comes from the Georgetown Brewing Company in Seattle.  With a semi-orange color, Manny's nicely combines its Northwest hops with a trio of malts and English ale yeast to put forward a quality beer that is smooth and crisp on the finish.  Odin's Gift Ruby Ale comes from the Odin Brewing Company, also in Seattle.  The self proclaimed "most adventurous microbrewery in America" makes only small, hand-crafted batches of its deep-ruby colored ale. Living up to their "adventurous" label, Odin's Gift is brewed with juniper berries for a unique finish while still maintaining a nice balance of malt and hops.  If nothing else, it is an interesting beer with a unique twist, and is certainly worth a try.

Manny's Pale Ale and Odin's Gift Ruby Ale

And with that, our brief tour of Seattle had come to its conclusion.  The remainder of the weekend was filled with more food and drinks (well, not much to drink for me as it took a full day to recover from Friday), with family time and wedding obligations mixed in.  I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and will be looking forward to my next trip to the Pacific Northwest where I hope to find even more craft beer and great food.  Until then, Louisiana cuisine calls my name.  Gosh, my life is hard!

Things To Do
Seattle

Wine Tasting To Benefit Swine Palace

Bite and Booze is going event crazy right now!  Here's another one that I'll be attending, and I invite you to join me!!

Wine Tasting To Benefit Swine Palace

Sponsored by Maxwell’s Market

Swine Palace will hold its second Wine Tasting Event on July 22nd at 7:00pm.  Mawell’s Market will sponsor an evening of fine wines and hors d’oeuvres on the historic Reilly Theatre stage on the LSU Campus. The tasting will include 16 excellent champagne and wine varietals as part of a benefit to support Swine Palace, Baton Rouge’s only professional Equity theatre company. The evening will include a $5 raffle to win an instant Wine Cellar – 25 bottles of summer’s finest wine varietals. Also for sell will be mystery envelopes filled with wonderful gifts provided by some of the area’s finest hotels, arts organizations, restaurants, spas, and businesses.

Come early to enjoy the Champagne Reception at 6:30pm. Buy your tickets today on the Swine Palace Facebook page at www.facebook.com/swinepalace. 

Wine Tasting to benefit Swine Palace 

Sponsored by Maxwell’s Market

July 22, 2010

Champagne Reception at 6:30pm

7:00pm – 9:00pm

Tickets $40 in advance/$50 at the door (limited tickets available)

Reilly Theatre, Tower Dr. - LSU Campus

For more information contact Jacquelyn Craddock at jcraddock.lsu.edu or at (225) 578-9277.

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/

Acadian Frame and Art for a Hannah Lane Paintings, Wine, and Dine

Here's my favorite thing about art shows: free wine and food!  A little while back I had the pleasure of attending a show featuring Hannah Lane's work.  Hannah is a great childhood friend and local Baton Rouge painter and illustrator who does amazing work on the canvas.  This past show took place at the Acadian Frame and Art in the Drusilla Shopping Center where the wine and food did not disappoint.

Jambalaya in Front, Fried Catfish Fingers to the Back

Free food is always a good method to draw a crowd and I was impressed with the spread at Acadian Art.  The jambalaya shown above was a classic chicken and sausage Cajun dish that hit the spot.  Equally tempting were the catfish fingers in the background.  These catfish fingers were fantastic, fresh, and crispy finger foods that dipped well into the accompanying tartar sauce.  But, the real reason I attended the show was to see Hannah and the art!

Hannah's Painting on the Wall of the Acadian Art Gallery

You can't see Hannah in this picture but she is back there showing off her paintings to some art show guests.  This wall featured a lot of her work including the crab, pelican, and pear paintings that you can see here.  It is always great to catch up with her and her family, of which saw Papa Robert and Mama Elaine as well as Chelsea at the show.  One member of the family that was not present was the younger Robert who happens to be in New Zealand right now.  You can read about all of his adventures here!

Blueberry and Cherry Cheesecakes

The cheesecakes for dessert were without a doubt the culinary highlight of this evening.  As good as the other foods and wines were, these homemade cheesecakes took home the prize.  The blueberry cheesecake tasted like a slice of heaven in my mouth and I knew from the first bite that I would need to blog about it.  Each additional bite reinforced how creamy and wonderful this treat can be.  I was impressed to say the least.  Thanks for the invite Hannah!

Lunch with the Ladies at Yvette Marie's Cafe

Hidden inside the Circa 1857 Art and Architecture antique shop is a quaint little eatery called Yvette Marie's Cafe.  Run by the same culinary experts that do Bonanno's Fine Catering, Yvette Marie's specializes in soups, sandwiches, salads, hot lunch specials, and desserts!

The Exterior of Circa 1857 on Government Street

Last week I journeyed to Yvette Marie's for my first time along with two of my favorite lunch dates, Natalie and Laura.  The building itself is unique and eclectic with a very old school feel.  The old wooden floors and exposed wood rafters highlight the cafe and make the diner instantly feel at home. 

The Sign above the Counter at Yvette Marie's

At Yvette Marie's, the patron places their order at the counter and can then go sit in one of the multiple dining areas.  The weather wasn't perfect for outdoor dining, so we ventured upstairs to a room that is befitting of an antique store.  They also rent the space out for private dinners and parties, which would be a pretty cool venue.

I ordered a special soup of the day and a sandwich off the menu.  The Crab and Leek Soup was creamy and spectacular.  If they had it on their everyday menu I would suggest going just to try it.  Since it was a special, I'll suggest going and trying whatever they happen to have!  If the rest of their soups are this good then you certainly won't be disappointed. 

Crab and Leek Soup with the Jalapeno Chicken Sandwich at Yvette Marie's Cafe

I also ordered the Jalapeno Chicken Sandwich, which can be found on their every day menu.  The sandwich featured grilled chicken breasts, spinach, roasted red peppers, cheddar cheese, and garlic aioli on a jalapeno cheddar roll.  This sandwich was money!  The bread was soft and flavorful with just enough kick to make you know the jalapeno is there but not so much that it is overpowering.  The chicken was perfectly moist and tender while the roasted red peppers and aioli gave the sandwich a certain pizzazz that set it apart from other sandwiches.  I was very impressed with the sandwich and would certainly be willing to go back and try some other ones... or eat that one again!

Strawberry Cheesecake

And of course, what meal of this caliber would be complete without a little something sweet at the end?  On this day Yvette Marie's had a homemade strawberry cheesecake that I just couldn't pass up as it glared at me from its perch on the counter.  The cheesecake had a graham cracker crust, silky cream cheese center, large chunks of fresh strawberries, another layer of strawberry filling, and then white chocolate shavings sprinkled on top.  The strawberry cheesecake tasted as delicious as it looked and, sharing with Natalie, it was devoured in record time.  I freaking love cheesecake (hint hint to anybody who wants to make the blog)!