4th Annual Purple and Gold Wine Dinner at Galatoire's Bistro

Not too long ago I did a big blog post about a dinner I had at Galatoire's Bistro.  My good friend Brian Thom is the head bartender, and he was excited to host Eusebio Gongora, Chef Partner at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, and I for an evening of cocktails, wine, and delicious food.  You can check out that blog post here.

Last month we filmed the bar scenes of the Ninja Snowballs FINALS video inside Galatoire's Bistro.  The dim lighting, high archways, and beautiful bar created a perfect setting for the dream sequence shoot as we made a play on the Mint Julep and Lemon Fluff snowball flavors by turning them into their appropriate cocktails, created by none other than Brian Thom.  You can catch that video below if you haven't seen it yet, and see all the other Ninja Snowballs videos here.

Submit A Flavor Contest - Finals from Contrast Films on Vimeo.

Now you have an AWESOME opportunity to enjoy Galatoire's Bistro for yourself.  Join me on Thursday, November 18th at 7:00 pm to kick-off the LSU-Ole Miss football weekend at the 4th Annual Purple and Gold Wine Dinner at Galatoire's Bistro, featuring the wines of Penfolds. Chef Roberto Bustillo will cook up items such as the Les is More braised lamb shank and Death Valley broiled scallops, just to name a few (Get it?  All the dishes have LSU vs Ole Miss themes, hence the Purple and Gold!). For more information and reservations, call Dana Abay at (225) 753-4864.  You can see the full menu below.  I assure you, it will be fantastic and worth every penny!!  Feel free to show that you are coming and invite friends on their Facebook event page too.  Hope to see you there!

The Man's Meal at the Marcantel's

I really love a traditional manly meal.  They take me back to my childhood days of cooking on open fires at hunting camps in south Texas with my father.  Most of my first memories of outdoor cooking, and certainly of grilling, come from those mesquite flames kissing the sizzling slabs of steak while foil-wrapped potatoes baked in the hot, glowing embers below.  Last week I was invited over to the Marcantel's residence where Paul recreated the man's meal and I just hung out and enjoyed the show.  I guess I did pitch in by creating the garlic-cayenne butter sauce for the corn, but we'll get to that later.  Brian and Michael joined in on the feast as well as Michael's newly born son, Levi, and Pam and David Marcantel, Paul's in-laws.

The potatoes were wrapped in foil and baked in the oven at a high temperature, the fresh ears of corn were shucked and placed on the grill, and beautiful slabs of raw beef were brilliantly seasoned by Paul and thrown on the pit to sear until reaching a medium-rare temperature.

Seasoned Steaks

Corn on the Cob and Steaks on the Grill

The corn was allowed to heat on the top rack of the grill for a while and was rotated at key intervals.  Paul likes to get a little bit of char on his corn so that the starches caramelize and the natural sweetness comes out a little more which is a fine way to do it, if you ask me.  When the corn was eventually moved to the bottom to give it a nice scalding, it was also coated with a garlic-cayenne butter sauce that I created out of nothing but butter, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt (credit goes to Courtney Holbrook for the idea).  It was about as simple as it gets, and mighty delicious on an ear of corn!

Man's Meal: Loaded Baked Potato, Garlic-Cayenne Ear of Corn, Medium Rare Rib Eye, and a Cold Glass of Sweet Tea (I had to rest my liver for a day)

The final meal was spectacular.  The loaded baked potato featured butter, sour cream, and cheese with a little salt and pepper.  The garlic-cayenne ear of corn came out perfectly seasoned and extremely flavorful.  It had just right amount kick to make your lips tingle while the sweetness of the caramelized corn kernels danced a tango on the tongue.  The steak was cooked to a perfect temperature with a warm red center that was tender and juicy throughout.  It was the kind of meat that needs no other topping or sauces and should be enjoyed for the flavorful piece of beef that is.  In the end, I left the Marcantel's house full, satisfied, and absolutely delighted to have eaten such a fabulous man's meal that both brought me back to my childhood and made me appreciate the food and friends of today.  Happy Eating!

Good Times at Sammy's

Among my list of absolute favorite places for food and drink in Baton Rouge is Sammy's Grill on Highland Road.  Sammy's is a classic neighborhood bar and grill that has recently grown and expanded but has still, for the most part, retained the character that made it so great.  The best place to sit is by far the bar area which used to also be the main dining room.  If you can't sit there, the old patio which is now enclosed into a dining room is also good.  I try to avoid the new dining area at all costs, but that's probably only because I remember the old days and still haven't adjusted.  The grub is not your typical pub fair.  The menu is diverse and features a lot of Louisiana favorites and daily specialties that always please.  Many things on the menu could be considered some of the best of their kind in town including their homemade fried cheese, boiled crawfish (in season), poboys, house salad dressing, and chicken fried steak!

I was joined at Sammy' Grill a few days ago by Paul who is still in town from Chicago, Brian, Eric, Brent, James, and Eusebio.  It was pretty much exactly the same as the Chimes reunion group but sub Eusebio for Michael.  We started with several buckets of domestic beer (mostly Coors Light, Budweiser, and Bud Light) as well as a couple orders of fried cheese with marinara sauce.  We also ordered a coach's plate and subbed the tomatoes for fried mushrooms!  Always a good decision.  The coach's plate features chunks of grilled chicken breast, slices of pork sausage, little pieces of Swiss and American cheeses, pickles, and in our case, fried mushrooms, and is all served with mustard, barbeque sauce, ranch dressing, and enough toothpicks to skewer it all.  It really is one of my favorite appetizers.  It is so simple, yet so good every time (minus the pickles).

The Coach's Plate at Sammy's

For dinner I kept drinking beer along with the rest of the table and then eventually ordered the grilled shrimp poboy.  I had heard a lot about this sandwich around town but had never actually ordered it before.  Most shrimp poboys are fried, not grilled, so this was already a little unique.  To add to the originality they topped the scrumptious shrimp with melted pepper jack cheese, sauteed onions and peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes.  The poboy was as delightful as promised.  The fresh french bread surrounds the flavors inside and every bite of the sandwich delivers a mix of flavors and textures that makes me all warm inside.

Grilled Shrimp Poboy at Sammy's

My game plan was to have a few more Silver Bullets and Ice Cold Steveweisers (If you know the reference, good for you, and if you don't, then also good for you!) for dessert.  That game plan worked out, but then we saw that they had a White Chocolate Bread Pudding on the menu and had to give it a try!  The white chocolate sauce was fantastic but the bread pudding was very different, though good in its own way.  It really had the texture of a cinnamon roll.  It was not moist throughout and certainly was not reminiscent of a pudding of any kind.  I'm a fan of daring to be different, and this was still a tasty dessert even if it is not what one traditionally thinks of as a bread pudding.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding at Sammy's... with a Third Row Koozie in the Background!

Sammy's Grill is most certainly worth the visit.  I recommend pretty much everything on the menu.  And while you're there, get a table in the bar area, order some beer or cocktails, and stay a while!  You'll be glad you did!

Nothing like a Chimes Reunion!

Tuesday night brought upon the latest in a long history of reunions at The Chimes by LSU. The Chimes is a classic eatery and watering hole that is dear to so many in the LSU community and all around Baton Rouge. Their beer selection, which was by far the best in town for a long time, is extensive and various, and their food is always delightful. This particular Tuesday night reunion was brought about by Paul Holbrook who happened to be in town from Chicago and wanted to get together with a group of buddies. Brent came and picked me up, and we rolled to The Chimes where we met Paul and Michael Northington at the bar. They promptly sat us at a table for eight where we ordered a round of drinks (Shiner Bock for me), an order of boudin balls, and two dozen oysters. After all, Tuesday is 35 cent oyster day... all day!

Boudin Balls at The Chimes

Two Dozen Raw Oysters at The Chimes

After a few minutes of feasting on the fried boudin and raw oyster delicacies, we were joined by James Lawson, Brian Thom, and my brother, Eric Ducote.  James ordered a double Talisker on the rocks which is one hell of a Scotch Whisky.  Order one whenever you feel like going top-shelf and you'll see quickly why we call it the "Marksalot".  Talisker is distilled on the Isle of Skye and is a single malt whisky with a strong peat content and a very unique, spicy taste and smell. 

With appetizers and drinks in our belly, the seven of us set our eyes on some main courses.  It is pretty hard to go wrong at The Chimes, and there were some pretty good off-the-menu tweaks to popular dishes, which is common with our group.  I went with one of my favorite sandwiches of all time, that way I could write about it here!  My order: The Chimes Club, fried, on a croissant, no mayo, with a side of alligator sauce, and an order of hushpuppies.  The only thing I did wrong was forget to say "no pickles!"

The Chimes Club, Fried, on a Croissant with Alligator Sauce and an Order of Hushpuppies

This sandwich truthfully is one of my all-time favorites, but not many people have ever enjoyed it.  The normal Chimes Club comes with a grilled chicken breast on whole wheat bread and regular old mayo.  Getting the chicken fried, the croissant added, and the alligator sauce in exchange for the mayo... MONEY!  The warm, buttery croissant melts in your mouth as it fills with the juicy, tender chicken breast that is topped with succulent ham and crispy bacon.  What a feast!  The hushpuppies are one of my favorite side items at The Chimes.  They make one of the best hushpuppies that I've ever had so when I'm there I like to get an order.  They are beautifully fried balls of corn meal and spices that make your mouth water with excitement and anticipation while you slice them open to spread some butter on the inside or just dunk them one at a time into the butter to get a nice coat of cream on the outside.

This Chimes reunion was short and surprisingly sober.  I guess we are all getting older now with jobs to worry about and such.  No worries though.  It was still as great time with fantastic friends, plentiful drinks, and delicious food.  I'll be back many, many more times and continue to have a smile on my face every time.