Chuck P's Best Bites of 2017

by Chuck P

Another year has come and gone and now with 2018 here it’s time to reflect back on 2017. It was definitely a busy one here at Bite & Booze headquarters with road trips, pop-ups and private events filling up the calendar on a regular basis. Somehow, in between all of that, we found time to try some delicious dishes both locally and regionally that inspired and satisfied our ever expanding palates.

Here are just a few of my favorite dishes from 2017. I promise it won’t be completely filled with burgers.

The Fried Chicken Biscuit at Willa Jean

If you’ve never eaten at Willa Jean then I highly suggest you change that the next time you’re down in New Orleans. Listed under their “Biscuit Situation” section of the menu, this beast of a meal is a must have. A juicy chicken breast sitting between two warm, flaky biscuits in a pool of Tabasco honey. It’s big enough to share, but I’m not giving up a single delicious bite!

The Brisket at Franklin BBQ

This is absolutely without a doubt THE BEST brisket I’ve ever had. Franklin in Austin, Texas is well known, especially their brisket, and it totally lived up to the hype. 

Juicy, smokey and packed with deliciousness. I think I could have eaten it all by myself. Every time I look at that picture I start trying to figure out when I can get back there for more.

Deep Dish Cheese Pizza from Giordano’s

Unfortunately I didn’t get to travel to Chicago to try this but I was lucky enough to try it thanks to my lead singer Hana who ordered one for our guitar players birthday. Giordano’s ships their pizzas packed on dry ice with sauce packaged separately and cooking instructions as well. This true Chicago deep dish is fantastic. The red sauce was really good and it was packed with cheesy goodness. I’m hoping the next time I get to try one of these it’ll be at the restaurant, but I’ll be happy ordering one online until then.

The Slamburger at Brickyard South

I love the fact that one of my favorite hangout spots also has one of my favorite burgers. Danny Moore and Danny Wilson serve up this classic burger every Friday night at Brickyard South for the insanely low price of $5. A simple burger that’s perfectly seasoned, smashed flat and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and Danny Moore’s signature sauce. No gimmicks just a great tasting classic burger.

Jumbo Carrot Cake at BRQ

I’m sure you’re asking yourself why I’m choosing a dessert from a BBQ restaurant. The answer is simple. This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Period. No contest. I mean look at that thing! You can feed four people off of that slice! After having this cake I had dreams about it for like, a week after. IT’S THAT GOOD!

Fried Chicken At Willie Mae’s Scotch House

There’s a reason that Willie Mae’s is famous. Their fried chicken is otherworldly; the flavor of the crust and the juiciness of the chicken is unreal. It’s been a staple in New Orleans since it opened in 1957. Presidents and celebrities have eaten here and Food Network declared it as having America’s Best Fried Chicken. There’s no other fried chicken that comes close to it.

The LIT Pizza Burger At Curbside Burgers

This was a special burger for their ‘Curbside Turns One’ anniversary celebration and although every burger that week was really good (and yes, I had all of them) this was the one that stood out for me. An awesome Italian sausage patty, swiss cheese and gremolata sandwiched between two pepperoni pizza buns. The flavor profile for this thing was off the charts. It was everything you would want out of a pizza burger and so much more. I’m hoping this pops back up on their menu as a special soon.


This was a tough list to put together. There were so many dishes I had this year that were really good but these definitely were the ones I still talk about. I’m hoping that 2018 will be just as delicious.

That's not a carrot cake, THIS is a carrot cake: BRQ

by Paige Johannessen

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the opening of BRQ Seafood and Barbeque. While BBQ is not a new concept to the South, having new local BBQ place is filling a gap in what is a pretty sparse culinary category in Baton Rouge. BRQ’s Chef Justin Ferguson is a Baton Rouge native who recently returned home after overseeing a number of Chicago restaurants and brought his knowledge and experience back to South Louisiana to show off his pit master skills.

The restaurant is large and inviting and has a contemporary, yet rustic feel. We were greeted by sunlight pouring into the large, street facing windows and delicate flowers adorning every table. Despite its size, it still feels quaint-- homey almost. Once we were seated, our server came to greet us with a basket of house made BBQ chips and pickles. Honestly, that could have been my meal. It took everything in my power to control myself from gorging all of them down because our waiter informed us that we had a feast heading our way. Even Jay, a known pickle hater, downed a handful of pickles and even seemed to like them. That’s big news people!

After I mentally prepared for the feast ahead, the dance of BBQ began. The opening act was an array of appetizers. One by one we were served crab beignets, boudin balls and a heaping mound of buffalo mozzarella in olive oil topped with caviar. I was not expecting to see a mozzarella appetizer at a BBQ restaurant, but I'm not complaining. It was by far my favorite appetizer and a nice change of pace from the typical fried fare.



Act two was on the lighter side, a pair of salads. Maybe “light” is the wrong word because it was more like a mountain range of salad. The Brussels sprouts and kale salad came topped with smoked bacon, parmesan, toasted almonds and a tahini dressing. It was a really nice compliment to the BBQ menu and would be delicious topped with pulled chicken or pork if you’re looking for something “lighter” on the menu.

The Moroccan Citrus Salad is a perfect summer salad. Mixed greens topped with grilled pineapple, carrot, pink grapefruit, orange segments, dates, almonds, goat cheese and a citrus mint vinaigrette is a meal in itself and almost too pretty to eat!

Next came the headliner. A procession of waiters presented us with the “Feed Me" platter. I think just about everyone in the restaurant had to come over and get a look at the butcher block of deliciousness that came to our table. The board was packed with St. Louis which have a straight, rectangular cut and tend to be more tender and Baby Back ribs which have a meaty cut with short, curved bones, smoked and pulled chicken, pulled pork and sliced brisket. The meats were served with four kinds of sauce: original mild, North Carolina vinegar, Louisiana spicy, and South Carolina mustard. Accompanying the board were sides of green beans, collard greens cooked down with bacon, mashed potatoes and goat cheese jalepeño grits.

The "feed me" platter at @brqrestaurant is a showstopper. This bad boy is piled high with smoked chicken, pulled pork, baby back ribs and St. Louis spare ribs 😋 thanks @justin.ferguson.chef for an awesome experience! • • • • #biteandbooze #225batonrouge #225 #batonrouge #bbq #BRQ #gobr #eatbr #br #eater #foodpics #foodporn

A post shared by Bite & Booze (@biteandbooze) on Jul 19, 2017 at 12:39pm PDT

We were all impressed by the display and all of the meat was smoked and cooked to perfection. The sliced brisket was to die for and the pulled pork was the perfect, juicy base for the various sauces. Phew! Yall, I am getting hungry again writing this.

And finally, the encore: A monstrous, delicious CARROT CAKE. It has to be put in all caps because it would be an injustice to the size and magnitude of this dessert for it to just simply be written out. See Jay’s head for scale:



BRQ put on quite the show for us and we had a wonderful experience dining at what we are sure is a new staple in the Baton Rouge area. Word to the wise: come hungry.

Fiber Fete Day 2: Bandwidth to the Belly

The second day of Fiber Fete brought about even more innovation, enthusiasm, and general excitement to the gathering of technology leaders.  I once again found myself at the LITE Center in Lafayette, where on day one all of the participants were treated to a series of inspirational speakers followed by cocktails and fresh Louisiana cuisine.  I knew that the same agenda was in order for day two, so I prepared myself accordingly!

Fiber Fete at the LITE Center in Lafayette, Louisiana

It's a good thing that Fiber Fete revolved around a home-to-home fiber network connecting the citizens of Lafayette to high speed internet access rather than connecting fiber to one's diet.  Fortunately, they did manage to supply a little bit of fibrous food early in the day to help with our digestive future.  We began our post-breakfast feasting with a selection of vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower with some spinach and cheese mini-quiches and breakfast pastries.  A little later on the conference goers were treated to some soft pretzels with mustards.  Not bad snacks for a technology conference, I must say!

Veggie Plate with Quiches and a Pastry, Salt-Covered Soft Preztels

Lunch brought us out of the LITE Center and to the Cajun Dome where we joined a business luncheon sponsored by The Independent Weekly, Lafayette's premier news, culture, and commentary publication.  The food clearly did not come from Prejean's and certainly lacked the Cajun pizazz that filled the rest of the Fiber Fete fare. By no means did I think it tasted bad, but it also did not showcase Louisiana's culinary superiority.  We started with a bisque of some sort.  It tasted like a tomato and crab bisque with a severe lack of seafood.  Perhaps they were going for just a tomato and basil soup, but it seemed to have other elements in there.  The soup had savory elements to it and all in all wasn't too shabby.

The main course featured a seafood topped fish filet with a rich cream sauce, jasmine rice, and a vegetable medley that pretty much featured nothing but green beans.   Everything on the plate tasted fine but didn't blow me, or anyone else I talked to, away.  The fish had a smooth texture but was too covered in sauce for me to tell what it was by taste.  The good news is that I like the sauce enough to eat it with the fish rice and veggies.  The meal did nothing more than me fill me up, ignite my sweet tooth and prepare it for carrot cake, and make me miss the Prejean's catering.  As for said carrot cake: sufficient, not spectacular.

Tomato Bisque, Lunch Plate, and Carrot Cake

After the letdown of a lunch (truly only because it didn't compare with the rest of the food from the event), we all made our way back to the LITE Center for the afternoon session of Fiber Fete.  The main theme of the afternoon asked now that we have the fiber network, what do we do with it?  The event proved to be informative and inspiring, and I'm glad that I was able to be a part of it.  Soon, the time came for the evening's reception complete with a limited supply of Gigabit IPA (for more on the Gigabit IPA check day 1 of Fiber Fete) and plenty of tasty treats!

Gigabit IPA and Carencro Shrimp

The Carencro Shrimp are a new appetizer that Prejean's has been playing around with and if they want my opinion, I'd say it's a winner!  The should without a doubt put these babies on the menu.  The Carencro (a town just North of Lafayette) Shrimp were lightly battered and fried then tossed in a Thai chili sauce that added a sensational blend of spicy sweetness.  Magnificent! 

Fried Green Tomatoes Topped With Crawfish Etouffee, Crawfish and Alligator Cheesecake

The next selection of appetizers came in the form of fried green tomatoes topped with crawfish etouffee and melted cheese followed by a crawfish and alligator cheesecake.  The fried green tomatoes were tender and succulent, and very unique when topped with a Cajun favorite like crawfish etouffee.  Similarly, the "cheesecake" also contained crawfish in a very unique setting.  The dish had a texture that reminded me more of a quiche than a cheesecake, but the flavor of the crawfish and alligator mixed with just he right portion of cream cheese turned out very nice.

Goat Cheese Crepes

Finally, still part of our pre-dinner cocktail party hors d'oeuvres, Prejean's put out several trays of absolutely delightful goat cheese crepes.  The sensational texture of the creamy cheese inside the soft and delicate crepe blew me way.  These were right up there with the shrimp as my favorite appetizers, any possibly even passed them up.  There is also something about the taste of goat cheese that wakes up the palate and excites the taste buds.  I'd gladly eat these crepes again, and again, and again!

Dinner Plate from Day Two of Fiber Fete

The tremendous catering staff knew how much I liked the Gigabit IPA and hid the last couple of bottles for me.  After consuming the final bottle of Gigabit, I switched to other cocktails, namely a little Tennessee Whiskey known as Jack Daniels.  Several stiff ones later it came time for dinner, so I helped myself to another plate of fantastic food.  Starting at the top right are some delicious green beans with bacon cooked right in.  Pretty much everything is better with bacon!  Next came a small filet mignon topped with an onion ring.  The seasoned beef steak had a beautiful dark pink center that left it wonderfully rare and delicious.  It is hard to get steak catered to the masses and still have cooked so well, so many compliments to the chef!  Next down the plate is a piece of alligator stuffed with crawfish etouffee.  Very delicious, but much like on day one, the etouffee theme got a little repetitive.  Finally there is a barbecued chicken leg and some bow-tie Parmesan pasta. The true highlight of the plate (right up there with the steak) actually came in a bowl.  The duck and andouille gumbo had a magnificently dark roux and proper spice to be a real Louisiana treat.  I'd go back this gumbo time and time again.  I previously have not been a fan of this dark of a roux, but after tasting this masterpiece of a gumbo, I may have changed my mind!  It is rare when a taste of something can change your mind about a certain ingredient or method.  I don't think I've been awoken to something so beautiful since the Brussels sprouts in San Francisco!  

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

The final dish of the evening came in the form of a superb white chocolate bread pudding.  The bread pudding itself was moist and buttery.  The white chocolate sauce accented the rich pudding with a mild sweetness and terrific flavor.  This is the best bread pudding I've had in a while, and I wasn't the only one who thought so.  Ryan Petticrew, our event coordinator and Lafayette native, claimed that "this bread pudding makes me not give a f&(k about anything else!"  Well said, Ryan, well said.

When All Else Fails There is Free Outback

Behold the joys of discounted food.  While Outback Steakhouse belongs in the category of corporate giant restaurants that aren't allowed any culinary creativity and mostly employ only cooks (not chefs) at each location, they still are able to produce edible grub that satisfies even a foodie's hunger.  Due to Eusebio's relationship with Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, which falls under the same corporate umbrella as Outback and other chain establishments, he gets to occasionally use a comp card that gives him a $100 discount off of Outback food.  Not being in the mood to go there and eat, we recently placed an online order of as close to $100 worth of food without going over as possible, and thus, we dined for free other than the $20 that we customarily tip the "curbside" to-go staff.  I believe it is always good to tip generously, even when ordering to-go.

$100 Worth of Outback Steakhouse Food

Our Outback spread consisted of an assortment of items to please our taste buds.  We had three side salads on the order.  One was a classic Caesar and the other two were the  blue cheese pecan chopped salad, which is one of my favorite side salads on the market anywhere, let alone at a chain.  All the way on the left sits the first entree, The Melbourne porterhouse steak cooked medium-rare.  I can find several better porterhouses in town, but for the price and the kind of restaurant, this one certainly isn't bad.  It came with a baked sweet potato that got stuffed with butter and cinnamon sugar.  To the right of the steak is a bacon cheeseburger.  I wouldn't recommend this dish if you are really craving a good burger, but it will cure your hunger if you are at Outback on a budget.  Below the burger is the seared Ahi tuna, then grilled shrimp to the left of that.

To the right of the burger sits my entree for the evening, the Alice Springs Chicken (add bacon and cheese to a grilled chicken breast) with a grilled lobster tail and sweet potato.  The chicken is not my typical order at Outback as I'm usually lured by the ribs or rack of lamb, but on occasion the Alice Springs hits the spot... I mean, how can you go wrong with adding bacon and cheese to anything?  Adding a lobster tail to any meal seems like a good idea to me, so I did it, because I could.  The box to the right of my meal contains the Alice Springs quesadillas which are flour tortillas that come filled with diced chicken, bacon, and cheese and served with honey mustard for dipping.  I have to say that they are pretty delicious.

A Platter of Food from Outback Steakhouse

Desserts from Outback Steakhouse

All good meals should end with a little something sweet... or a lot.  Since it fit in our budget, we ordered a sampling of their dessert menu for a little taste testing.  In the top left corner there is a piece of cheesecake that is nothing but ordinary.  I like cheesecake, so I enjoyed it, but it is far from special.  Moving clockwise around the plate we get to the peanut butter pie with chocolate topping.  This dessert needs to be accompanied by a glass of milk and is for peanut butter lovers only.  The pie is rich and overly peanut-buttery for my tastes, but again is edible.  Moving on is a portion of the "Chocolate Thunder from Down Under."  This warm chocolate brownie is covered with vanilla ice cream for a classic combination that is hard to beat.  Next we get to a morsel of key lime pie that was tart but delightful.  Finally, we have one of my favorites, Outback's carrot cake.  The cake is always moist with creamy frosting and an excellent flavor.

Disclaimer: We did not actually finish all of this food in one sitting... but we did come really close!

Dining at DeAngelo's with Fantastic Friends

Another day, another lunch!  This time I met Hannah, Robert, Kevin, and Shawn at Louis DeAngelo's Casual Italian Dining on Jefferson Highway.  DeAngelo's is a Baton Rouge original with multiple locations around town.  They offer a pretty traditional Italian menu with various pastas and pizzas.

DeAngelo's on Jefferson

We met for lunch as a follow up from the previous dinner at the Romero's house and the lunch at the Roux House.  It was certainly great to see Robert again before he heads off to New Zealand, and it is always a pleasure to hang out with Hannah Lane, artist extraordinaire.  Kevin and Shawn were still in from Chicago, so we had quite a fantastic group.  I ordered the Nona's Lasagna because I had been craving some of the layered Italian dish and wanted to compare DeAngelo's variety to others around town. 

Nona's Lasagna at DeAngelo's

The lasagna was layered with plenty of cheeses from mozzarella to ricotta in addition to the meaty Bolognese sauce and the marinara.  The overall flavor was a mixture of sweet tomatoes and lots of basil.  It was good lasagna, but certainly not my favorite.  I felt like it lacked something in the texture and thought that it almost needed to be eaten with a spoon rather than a fork.  While it was good, I certainly did not think it was spectacular.  I was also able to sample a couple shrimp from Hannah's salad.  They were delightful little grilled crustaceans but the quantity did not meet the price in my opinion and they were rather small for a typical grilled shrimp in Louisiana. 

Banquet Room with Paintings by Hannah Lane

One of my favorite parts about DeAngelo's was the fact that the decorations around the restaurant largely consisted of paintings by Hannah.  Walking around the banquet room felt like taking a tour of Italy as Hannah's collection of paintings from her trip to the European boot were hung around the dining space.  Her artistic style is refreshing, colorful, and just the right amount of abstract to know that it requires a great amount of creativity and imagination.  I left DeAngelo's very happy after getting my fill of lasagna and an art show!

Cheesecakes and Assorted Sweets from L'auberge Du Lac in Lake Charles

My day of delivering delightful dishes to my neverending belly was not over after DeAngelo's.  When I got back to the office I found a box of cheesecakes on sticks and other assorted mini-cakes from the bakery at the L'auberge Du Lac casino in Lake Charles.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box lid to find such amazing treats staring back at me as if they wanted to be eaten.  Since cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite desserts, I picked out a good one and plunged it into my mouth.  Wow!  First, what a great idea!  Whoever thought of putting a cheesecake on a stick is brilliant!  Secondly, these were really good cheesecakes with a beautiful mixture of cream cheese and sugar.  I couldn't resist and had another.  And the next day, since nobody else in the office was eating anything, I had the carrot cake too.  It was pretty good, but not as amazing as the cheesecakes on a stick!