Burgers With Chuck: The Friday $5 Slamburger at Brickyard South

by Chuck Pierce

Located literally “under the bridge downtown” is The Brickyard South Bar (174 South Boulevard), one of my favorite local watering holes. Most of my friends and my band members in The Anteeks practically live there. It’s a great dive bar with character and a damn good bottle selection of craft beers that keeps me happy. 

Fun fact: Brickyard also serves food on select nights. Every other Monday you can enjoy their Dinner On The Patio series and Taco Tuesdays which features free tacos while they last along with $5 double Jamison’s to wash them down. But what I’m here to talk about today is the $5 Slamburger.

Every Friday evening around 6pm bartender Danny Moore fires up the grill and prepares one of the best burgers in Baton Rouge. There’s nothing fancy about his recipe. No deluxe toppings or crazy sauces. No artisan buns. Just a deliciously cooked patty (or patties if you’re feeling wild) that’s well seasoned, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and whatever condiments you like on a good ole fashioned hamburger bun. That’s it.

The first bite is full of juicy flavor. Seasoned perfectly with a nice seared crust to give it a bit of crunch. I’m normally not a “salad on a burger” guy, but this was so good I didn’t care about the lettuce, though I did remove the tomato. I had them add some mayo and mustard, but honestly, It would’ve been perfectly fine without it. And the buttery toasting of the bun just added to the already great flavor.

Danny does a no frills burger because honestly, he doesn’t need to. To me, the star of any burger is the meat. Hands down. I’ll even take a mediocre bun as long that patty shines through with the right flavor. Salt and pepper, cooked medium and there you go. Some places like to throw every topping in the book on a burger and most of the time that’s a sign, and normally not a good one. Sure, there’s times where one or two additions truly do compliment the burger. But not at Brickyard South. The Slamburger truly speaks for itself.

Next time you’re craving a burger on a Friday afternoon, head on over to Brickyard South, grab a cold beer and try out the $5 Slamburger for yourself. There’s a good chance I’ll be there enjoying one as well.

Patio Vibing at Brickyard South

by Chuck P

For a little over a year now owner Danny Wilson of Brickyard South, located across from The 13th Gate, has been cooking up his own bi-weekly pop-ups to the delight of sold out crowds that range from regular patrons to local foodies.

For only $20 you get a delicious three course meal and for $5 more you can get drink pairings to go along with your dishes. Recently, I finally had the chance to attend one of these dinners and, as expected, I was not disappointed.

I’ve known Danny for many years. From his days of working at TJ Ribs on Acadian back in the mid 90’s and hanging out at The Caterie (R.I.P.) to having drinks and talking about old times when he was managing the Port Royal Bar on College Drive, Danny has always had a passion for food. Now, through the creation of his Dinner On The Patio series at Brickyard South, he’s contributing to the food scene.

The night I attended Danny planned a menu that featured Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce, Molasses Mustard and Spicy & Sweet Rub on the first two dishes. Danny is a big supporter of using local products so I was very grateful for him to be using our products on his dishes.

After grabbing a cold can of Gnarly Barley’s Korova Milk Porter and meeting up with some friends and my band members from The Anteeks, we made our way out to the patio to grab a seat. The weather was gorgeous with a slight breeze in the air and very little humidity.

Around 7pm our first course came to the table, beer braised chicken wings covered in a combination of Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce and Molasses Mustard. 

Chicken Wings covered in Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce and Molasses Mustard

These wings were bigger than I expected and with enough meat for me to be thankful there were only two on the plate. The combo of the barbecue sauce and the mustard provided a nice amount of heat that lingered a bit, but quickly faded.

Our main entree was next featuring a beautiful seared pork chop in an Abita Purple Haze glaze with Brussels sprouts. 

Pork and Brussels sprouts glazed with Abita Purple Haze

The chop was cooked to a perfect medium-- super tender and juicy. The beer glaze that covered the dish complimented it perfectly. I’ve only recently become a fan of Brussels sprouts and these were delicious. It also helped that they too were covered in the beer glaze!

After a few minutes of letting our last dish find its way home in our bellies the dessert dish made its way to our table: a Salted Caramel Bread Pudding. Guys and gals, no matter how much I eat at lunch or dinner, I always...ALWAYS have room for dessert. Especially when it’s my #1 weakness, bread pudding.

Salted Caramel Bread Pudding

The caramel sauce was sweet and warm with bits of pecan and the bread pudding itself was rich, dense and absolutely delicious. Luckily not everyone finished theirs so I of course decided to help clean up a few extra dishes lying around the table.

Dinner On The Patio is a great evening of mouth watering cocktails, delicious home style dishes and a fun night with friends or your significant other. Danny Wilson is doing a great job and I hope he continues to provide this amazing treat to Baton Rouge diners for years to come. Make sure to follow Dinner On The Patio on Facebook to find out about upcoming dinners and other special events.