How to Order Louie's Hash Browns: A Case Study

This blog post has been inspired by this review of Louie's in The Advocate. 

Louie's Cafe

As a woman from Sulphur, Louisiana, 24-hour local diners were hard to find growing up. KD's in Lake Charles is the only option, so moving to Baton Rouge for school and spending many a drunken night at Louie's left a permanent grease stain on my capital home. Having never ventured to the new Louie's Cafe, Team Bite and Booze took a trip to the end of State Street for lunch.

When we were seated, it was nearly 1 p.m. on a Friday. Jay, our intern Sydney, and I had just dropped off a case of Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce at the new Matherne's Market downtown.

Throughout my five years in Baton Rouge, Louie's had mainly been a college post-bar chow-down at the old, typically crowded location where I'd drop my fork and run when the fry cooks yelled that my car was being towed. Now I'm an LSU graduate that can hardly stay awake long enough to catch an episode of Golden Girls before bed who works full time for Jay Ducote at Bite and Booze. I have no dietary restrictions so my go-to Louie's dish is anything.

Upon arrival I immediately pulled into a spot, because we all know the parking is the #1 feature of the new Louie's — duh. As it turns out, the inside of the new Louie's looks exactly like the pictures posted on Nola.com months ago. Having seen those photos and knowing exactly what to expect, I was simply excited to see the diner in the daylight for the first time in a while.

Louie's looks almost the same as it did at its previous location with the exception of the much-adored beach mural. Other than more bar seating with power outlet strips and more table seating, many of the exact same furnishings (curtains, stools, chairs, perhaps the bathroom doors) have been transported to the new location.

Being that it wasn't the usual rush time between the hours of 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., it was a seat yourself kind of gig. Our waitress promptly greeted our table with menus and asked for our drink order. She was neither pleasant nor rude, just how I like my Louie's waitresses.

Things just "are" at Louie's. The service isn't bad and it isn't magical. The late night hours may get crazy, but I've always found that asking for something when I need it is a decent way to help out the waitstaff that is basically waiting on a lot of adults turned cranky toddlers.

Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs with Hash Browns

I had the chicken fried steak and eggs ($11.95) sunny-side up served with hash browns and a biscuit. I ordered my hash browns seasoned because to have them any other way would be insane. I like to treat Louie's hash browns like I would treat my child. Sure, I'll have better and I'll have worse, but I love them just the way they are.

My meal appeared to be everything I thought it would be, as all of the components promised with the dish were present. Each bite was mostly amazing, but the first bite was phenomenal.

Jay retreated to an old favorite of his, the "Mitchell," an omelet filled with sausage, hash browns, cheese, and sautéed mushrooms ($11.25).

As an item he’s eaten many times over the years, he provided an in-depth analysis of his selection, saying the hash browns were the best part.

“It was well-seasoned, good flavor,” he said. “Scrambled eggs are a great base for an omelet, but they weren't overwhelmingly fluffy."

He said he also enjoyed the mushrooms, but as always, wishes there was an option to finish it off with a chocolate chip pancake for dessert.

The Big Cheesy Lou with Pepper Jack Hash

Sydney had the Big Cheesy Lou ($11.70) with a side of pepper jack hash (hash browns covered in jack cheese and pickled jalapeños).

"It was very burger-like, with a bun, beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, mustard," she said. "It was extremely adequate."

She described the hash browns saying, "Them browns tho...that's that good shit."

As I downed my meal and sipped my coffee, I soon found myself with an empty cup that was quickly refilled with more coffee. The restaurant began to fill up with lunch patrons ready to fill their bellies following the Friday morning work struggle, and so began the normal business of the waitstaff near the end of our meal.

Our waitress never offered us dessert, but had I not eaten a hearty lunch I would have probably tried their delicious, large, big bang-for-your-buck bread pudding. While diner desserts usually aren't photogenic, they're usually worth the bite.

Overall, we left with satisfied tummies and a bill around $40 for three people. That’s a small part of Louie’s appeal — you won't get magical service that leaves you sparkling with glitter in places that you wouldn't imagine, but this classic Baton Rouge grub hub boasts that Louie's charm we all know and love.

Blair Loup
Chief Confusion Coordinator
Bite and Booze

Live Oak Grill in Sugar Land, TX

Some good home cooking from a laid back joint is just what you need sometimes.  Nothing fancy.  No white table clothes.  No pretentious foodies barking about cooking sous vide or using molecular gastronomy (though I am a fan of those things).  Nah.  More like come on in darlin',  sit in a booth, and eat some Texas-sized deliciousness out of a deep fryer!  

My buddy Chad and I recently ate at the Live Oak Grill in Sugar Land, TX.  A lot of Sugar Land is overrun with massive suburbanization and the streets are lined with retail dining chains.  I remember growing up there and thinking that a lunch at TGIFridays was a good meal.  Oops.  Fortunately if you know where to look, even the cookie-cutter Houston suburbs have some good finds.  Live Oak Grill looks like it is in a house with a huge Texas flag painted on the roof.  Okay, maybe that's not so cool.  I mean, is that really necessary?  Well, maybe.  There's something interesting about Texas.  No matter what, they make no mistake about boasting that they are, indeed, Texan.  I feel a similar pride in Louisiana, but we haven't learned how to express it like they do in Texas.  The lone star that is hangs from walls and car mirrors is special.  It makes me vomit in my mouth sometimes, but it is special. 

Live Oak Grill in Sugar Land, TX

Chad's wife Ashley works at Live Oak Grill.  That's really why we were there.  Well, that and because they wanted me to eat there.  Naturally, since there was food involved, I obliged. I'm always willing take suggestions and dine at places that are new to me.

While the beer selection didn't lean towards too much craft stuff, they did have some good regional and local brews out of Texas like Shiner and Saint Arnold.  Can't argue with that.  I started my meal with some huge, delicious onion rings.  The massive Vidalias were cut thick, breaded, and fried... just like any good onion ring should be.  And they were indeed very tasty.  Soft, flavorful onion inside a crispy fried coating... yes!

Then came the main course: a gigantic chicken fried steak absolutely smothered in white gravy with a side of macaroni and cheese.  The steak came out with a crunchy exterior and full of flavor on the inside.  It had been pounded out and properly tenderized, that's for sure.  The gravy was a bit excessive, but also contained enough pepper to make it a delicious accompaniment to the juicy fried steak.  The mac and cheese lacked a little inspiration, but the basic noodles and cheese sauce still hit the spot.

For dessert, Ashley brought out a couple brownies with scoops of Blue Bell's homemade vanilla ice cream.  I love a good chocolate-vanilla, hot-cold combination!  Delicious!

All in all, Live Oak Grill is definitely the kind of place I enjoy dining at when I travel.  It is authentic, local down home cooking.  It is the kind of place with character and a soul.  I like that.  And I like a good chicken fried steak every now and then too!

Christina's in Beauregard Town

Hidden in downtown Baton Rouge at the corner of St. Charles and Somerulos, Christina's has been offering up quality home cooking for years.  This little restaurant is not as well known as it should be around town, but its loyal customers still keep the place packed for breakfast and lunch.  I recently ate lunch at Christina's for my first time and was certainly not disappointed.  Darrell Broussard joined me on the walk from our busy offices to the Beauregard Town neighborhood.  The quaint restaurant is warm and welcoming, and the lunch menu is full of Southern-fried home cooking. 

Christina's in Downtown Baton Rouge

Christina's had a lunch special on this fortunate day that featured a chicken fried steak with gravy and three sides.  Their list of sides rotates so it is written on the wall instead of in the menu.  However, it is long enough to count as reading a book, so picking three seemed like a difficult task.  I wanted to vary things up a bit, so I eventually settled on the buttered corn, collard greens, and praline yams.

Chicken Fried Steak with Buttered Corn, Collard Greens, and Praline Yams

The corn had a good buttery taste as the name implied but beyond that was just your average canned corn.  The collard greens tasted pretty good and I enjoyed their saltiness and tender texture.  However, the highlight of the sides, and in fact the entire meal, came in the form of the praline yams.  They may not have been much more than canned sweet potatoes with plenty of butter and caramelized sugar, but this dish was purely delightful!  I could have eaten those praline yams all day!  The chicken fried steak had a great flavor and combined well with the white gravy, but it was a little smaller than I would have liked.  Still, the praline yams made up for everything and in the end, I had no complaints with the meal or the restaurant.  I'd gladly go back to Christina's any time, and I especially want to check it out for breakfast!