Araña: The Only Spider I Welcome

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Generally speaking, New Orleans is a fantastic destination for food. This is not news. There’s so much for your palate to experience, yet so little time.

In the same streets you taste dishes that are new, inventive, and inspiring, you can experience meals that are so old they practically birthed the crescent city. In a place that is so uniquely Louisiana, some of the meals I’ve enjoyed most recently in New Orleans are based around lime, cotiga cheese, and cilantro.

Araña is everything I want in a Mexican restaurant. Their presentation is beautiful, the flavors are on fleek, and it’s simply built for a good time.

When I dine out, I consider three criteria: atmosphere, drinks, and apps & ‘sserts (because you can’t have one without the other).

If a restaurant pulls off all of these elements successfully, they can have my money.

Atmosphere: check.

I prefer when a restaurant is cozy (not too cramped, but not a cave), the design is well thought out, and the seating allows for natural lighting (because I take pictures of everything I ingest). So many restaurants get things wrong: uncomfortable seating, bad lighting, canned, adult-contemporary music playing in the background.

But Araña is a place I could sit and sip for hours.

Drinks: check.

I tried three drinks that were on totally different levels.

First, the Jalapeño Pineapple Cilantro Margarita: the depth of flavor gave me life. The grilled pineapple has a sultry sweetness from caramelizing on the grill, the fresh jalapeño adds just enough back heat, and I live my life thinking that cilantro improves most things. We’ll call this one a win.

The Jalapeño Pineapple Cilantro Margarita

Next up, the Romera Fresca. This puppy is packed with savory, tart confusion in a great way. Juniper-infused tequila hit with a zing of small batch tonic and finished off with a house-made rosemary syrup can grace my glass any day. Another point to Gryffindor. 

The Romera Fresca: Juniper-Infused Tequila,  Small Batch Tonic, and House Made Rosemary Syrup

I’m not into things that are super sweet, so dessert drinks aren’t my jam. I thought it couldn’t be done, but Araña said, “Here’s our frozen, drunken Horchata. Enjoy.”

Enjoy, I did, and to that I say winner winner, chicken dinner. 

Drunken Horchata

Bite and Booze Bonus: If you’re into tequila, Araña has something for you. Joining the Araña Tequilla Society is free. With each tequila you taste, you take another (somewhat more inebriated) step towards rewards ranging from t-shirts to free tequila flights to a free bottle of expensive tequila. Worried about keeping up with your passport? Don’t be—Araña holds on to it for you. They’ve thought of everything!

Apps, shareables, and ‘sserts: Check. 

Apps and ‘sserts is Blair-speak for appetizers and dessert. If I’m meeting up with my friends, I’m all about grabbing apps and ‘sserts. While there are some stellar sandwiches and entrées, if you share more, you taste more. It’s science.

Here’s the lineup:

Atop a velvety bed of milky oaxaca cheese lies a spicy blanket of house-made chorizo just waiting to be spread on warm corn tortillas and drizzled with a magically bold red sauce. Don’t think, just order it. 

Queso Fundido: House-Made Chorizo, Grilled Oaxaca Cheese, and Corn Tortillas

Tacos are the most delicious way to get your fix without feeling too full, and Araña has some great options. I’m a sucker for tacos Al Pastor: I'm into the savory and sweet juicy pork and succulent pineapple chunks.

Tacos Al Pastor: Shaved Pork, Grilled Pineapple, Cilantro, and Onion

I’m pretty sure “Your Body is a Wonderland” by John Mayer was written about the Torta Ahogana.

Slow roasted pork on bolillo bread, black bean purée, avocado, crema, cotiga cheese, and cumin pickled onion come together under a waterfall of spicy chili dipping salsa and make for a mountain of flavor.

Mind you, this is literally a quarter of the sandwich that’s on the menu so it’s certifiably shareable. 

Torta Ahogada: Slow Roasted Pork on Bolillo Bread, Black Bean Purée, Avocado, Crema, Cotiga Cheese, Cumin Pickled Onion, Spicy Chili Dipping Salsa

The art of the classic fajita has been lost, and Araña has found it in the form of their Poc Chuc.

Smoked pork loin, escabecbe (pickled veggies), crisp red cabbage, and a pork-fried onion poblano sauce were meant to live inside of that corn tortilla, y’all. Pair that with a flight of tequila and I’m in.

Poc Chuc: Smoked Pork Loin, Escabeche, Red Cabbage, Pork Fried Onion Poblano Sauce, and Corn Tortilla

Bite and Booze Bonus: Araña also has brunch (word on the street is that it’s killer). 

Desserts are tricky with me. I can't get more than a bite or two in to a super sweet dessert, but I could get after this Trés Leches cake with fresh berries all day. A little sweet, a little creamy, and totally traditional, it’s definitely worth the caloric sacrifice.

Trés Leches Cake

I know there's a mess of restaurants to try out in New Orleans, but Araña has something special going on that's worth your money.

Amazing Freakin' Tacos: Bob's Taco Station

Bob's Taco Station in Rosenberg, TX

Tacos in Texas are better. I admit it. It is a food group that we don't do extremely well  in Baton Rouge. Sure, Taco de Paco slings some tasty tacos from their truck, and yes you can now find some pretty decent breakfast tacos at Kolache Kitchen, but they still just aren't quite the same. And for anybody truly wondering, go check out the tacos at La Morenita on Florida or La Tiendita on Siegen. But then again, take a trip to some taco stands in Texas and you'll really understand. One such joint is Bob's Taco Station in Rosenberg outside of Houston. It has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for good reason. It is an authentic taco joint with no frills, bells, or whistles. Just tacos. Really. Good. Tacos.

Amazing Tacos at Bob's Taco Station

They have other plates to choose from, but I opted for an assortment of three tacos to really get a taste of the namesake dish. I began with the Bacon, Egg, and Potato taco (right). While nothing revolutionary with ingredients, the fresh tortilla marvelously wrapped up the filling and I scarfed it down like a bear on the salmon run. The Chorizo and Egg taco (left) equally impressed me. The spanish flavors of paprika and other spices filled up the flour tortilla and I soon entered breakfast taco heaven. Fortunately, all of Bob's tacos were served all day long, so I also ordered the Barbacoa taco. Along with cilantro and chopped onions, the cooked down beef highlighted my favorite taco of the afternoon. The superb flavor matched the character of the joint and the authenticity I expected. This, my friends, is a taco spot worth visiting.

Emeril's Chorizo and Potato Quesadillas with Cilantro-Chile Crema

Excited to change up the style of one-pot wonders from Emeril's new cookbook, I turned the page to a recipe that caught my eye: chorizo and potato quesadillas with cilantro-chile crema.  The recipe seemed simple, straight forward, and delicious, so I knew I ought to give it a try!

Step one, like always, started with a trip with Calandro's Supermarket at the corner of Perkins and Seigen in Baton Rouge.  I found everything that I needed and more... except one thing: chorizo.  Calandro's had some smoked chorizo but I needed the fresh stuff to take out of its casing (or never put it in one).  

Fortunately I remembered the leisure class I took on sausage making at the Louisiana Culinary Institute.  Chef Dave Tiner provided us with a homemade chorizo recipe.  I picked up some smoked paprika and got the butcher to grind some pork for me.  I knew I'd have the rest of the ingredients at my house already.  I put some white wine, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano, granulated garlic, sugar and cayenne in a mixing bowl.  After whisking it all together I added a pound of ground pork and mixed all of the seasonings into it.  Boom!  Chorizo!

After I let the ground pork marinate in the chorizo seasonings for a little while I put it in a skillet to brown it off.  Once sufficiently cooked I added the red onions and then some diced fingerling potatoes that I had previously parboiled.  The mixture needed a little extra salt and pepper, but other than that is tasted sensational.

I also made a cilantro-chile crema to go with the quesadillas.  Emeril called it the "icing on this cake," it it wasn't hard to see why.  In a food processor I combined sour cream, cilantro, a minced jalapeno, three garlic cloves, some green onions, a little cayenne and a little salt.  After blending for a few minutes, I had a delicious spicy yet refreshing crema!

Once the crema took its place on the assembly line I turned my attention to the quesadillas.  I melted a little butter in a skillet and laid a tortilla down on it.  I then loaded one side with the chorizo-red onion-potato mixture followed by some chopped red bell pepper and a generous portion of cheese.  Once the tortilla did its job toasting in the butter, I folded it over into the melty cheese.

The end result, especially when drizzled with the cilantro-chile crema, turned out to be fairly spectacular.  The quesadillas provided a great balance of spicy and savory with a combination of textures from creamy to crunchy.  All in all, this recipe was most definitely a success!

Taco de Paco Hits the Streets of Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is in the midst of a Food Truck Revolution, and I, for one, am loving it!  The latest venture to join the scene on the streets is Taco de Paco, a large orange movable kitchen dishing out delicious tacos all around town.  They'll soon (as in as I write this) be going under a little logo work on the truck, so now they'll be really recognizable.

Taco de Paco is the Latest Food Truck to Take to the Streets of Baton Rouge

I recently paid a visit to the food truck during "grand opening".  Needless to say they were still working out some kinks, but I thought I'd give the tacos a try anyway!  Taco de Paco set up alongside Ninja Snowballs at a "Stabbed in the Art" show on Perkins near City Park.  A line quickly formed as customers awaited the opening of the service window and a chance to see just how "deLicious" Taco de Paco can be.

Left: Michael Benton Prepares Tacos for Some Customers

Right: Owner Jared Loftus Passes some Tacos to an Eager Eater

Since Taco de Paco still had some logistics to iron out and they knew there would be a crowd for this much anticipated service, they featured a limited menu with three taco options.  Justin and I each ordered two of them, but Jared was kind enough to throw in the third taco so I could get a good sampling of the menu.  The tacos came with traditional Latin-influence names: Juan, Pablo, and Miguel.

Left: Pablo - Steak, Onions, Cilantro, Lettuce, Bell Peppers

Right: Juan - Chicken, Onions, Cilantro, Lettuce

The first two tacos were certainly a notch up from most typical American quick-service tacos.  They had a level of authenticity to them which I really enjoyed.  The flour tortillas weren't freshly made, but they were at least warmed up and tasty.  I'm a big fan of cilantro, so the fact that they had it on both tacos didn't bother me at all and I really feel like it gave them a nice touch.  Pablo beat out Juan if I had to choose between the two.  The steak had a better flavor than the chicken, and the addition of the multi-colored and sautéed peppers kicked it up a bit more.  Both tacos were tasty, but they lacked a certain "messy" quality that I almost expect out of a taco truck or any street food.  There were no juices running down my chin or forearms after eating these two tacos, and that disappointed me a tad, until...

Miguel - Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Black Beans, Cheese, Pico de Gallo  

... I met Miguel.  This might be a shock to many people including myself, but the vegetarian version of Taco de Paco blew the others away.  The flavorful liquid from the black beans and pico de gallo lit up the other ingredients as the broth drizzled down my hand after the first bite. The mix of ingredients presented some excellent variety to the taco as this one definitely packed a superior punch to Juan and Pablo.  I actually felt like I was eating some messy street food out of a foil wrapper when I consumed Miguel, and that put a big smile on my face.

Taco de Paco is now roaming the streets of Baton Rouge.  Join their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter to see where you can find them on any given day.  I know I'll be looking them up again to see how the progress is going!

Things To Do
Baton Rouge