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.

Burgers with Chuck: Curbside's Anniversary Collaboration

by Chuck P

One year ago today my dream of once again having a Curbside burger became reality when owner Nick Hufft finally opened the doors to the Curbside brick and mortar on Government Street. Sitting next door to Calandro’s Supermarket, Hufft took what was once the most popular food truck in Baton Rouge and created the perfect setting for burgers, frites and boozy milk shakes anyone can enjoy either inside or on their awesome patio area.

Last week, to celebrate their anniversary, Nick reached out to a few of his culinary friends and with their help created five collaboration burgers that were available for a limited time. I of course took on the task of visiting Curbside during those five days to try each of the specialty burgers. Let’s take a look at the gloriousness of it all:

Monday: The Tiger D with Tiger Deaux-nuts

This was the perfect way to start off my week! Crispy chicken topped with sharp cheddar, honey sage sausage gravy nestled between two glazed donut buns in a happy dance of salty and sweet harmony. Hopefully, this one will show up from time to time on their brunch menu.

Tuesday: The Gov’t Burger with Gov’t Taco

I was really looking forward to trying our collaboration burger and it did not disappoint. A juicy patty rubbed with Chef Aimee Tortorich’s coffee/chile rub, melty chihuahua cheese, poblano pico with roasted garlic mayo and Hola Nola tortilla strips.

Every bite was a flavor party in my mouth. The poblano pico was exceptionally good.

Wednesday: The Pho Real Burger with The Overpass Merchant

The cool and overcast weather on this day made for an ideal situation for this burger. A pork patty topped with hoisin, pickled onions, sriracha mayo, bean sprouts and herb salad. The clincher was the cup of pho that came on the side to dunk the burger in. I was almost tempted to come back for dinner and get another one!

Thursday: The Get LIT Burger with LIT Pizza

Hands down my favorite of all the burgers! This was everything and more: a delicious hot Italian sausage patty with swiss and gremolata between two pepperoni pizza buns. I could literally eat this burger every day.

Friday: The Barbie Burger with Barbosa’s BBQ

Curbside ended the week strong with this offering from pitmaster Alex Barbosa. The fact that it starts off with being described double Texas hot gut beef patties should have you ready to dive in. Finished off with American cheese, smoked onion jam and a roasted poblano aioli, this was a fantastic burger.

A huge congrats to Nick and everyone at Curbside Burgers! Here’s to many more years of great business and great burgers!

Taco 'bout a Good Time at the Capital City Mac Fest!

by Paige Johannessen

Happy National Mac and Cheese Day! In honor of this glorious day, we thought we'd give you a look into Baton Rouge's innagural Capital City Mac Fest where our Gov't Taco team took home the People's Choice Award earlier this summer. Geaux Rouge presented the first ever Capital City Mac Fest at Curbside Burgers where 15 competitors showed up to present their version of mac and cheese and raised money for altBR.

A ticket to this gastronomic festival got you a one way ticket to cheese town where you could taste each competitors interpretation and cast a vote for the People's Choice Award. There was also a "Taste Award" voted on by a panel of judges and a battle amongst the competitors for The "Best Booth Award."

The competition was comprised of a heavy hitting list of some of the best places in Baton Rouge. This is definitely something you won't want to miss out on next year.

GOyaya’s Crêpes won the the judge’s “Taste Award” with their “Pot Calling The Kettle Mac,” a pot roast mac and cheese with caramelized onions and tomato confit with a lattice work pie crust.

photo by: Blair Thompson Photography, GOyaya's Crepes "Pot Calling The Kettle Mac" 

Gov't Taco won the People’s Choice award with their Clucks & Balances taco. The taco features pimento mac and cheese, smoked chicken thigh, nashville hot chicken skins and white BBQ sauce.

Peep the Clucks & Balances taco: pimento mac & cheese, smoked chicken thigh, #nashvillehot chicken skins and white #bbq sauce! Only the tastiest at this @visitbatonrouge shoot with @meshbr. #intacoswetrust #gobr #tacostacostacos #macandcheese

A post shared by Gov't Taco (@govttaco) on Jun 9, 2017 at 4:07pm PDT

The team had a blast and we hope this festival sticks around next year! p.s. we heard there is another mac and cheese festival happening in New Orleans this October with a very special celebrity guest judge...hope to see you there!

photo by: Blair Thompson Photography, Gov't Taco Team: Blair Loup, Chef Aimee Tortorich, Jennifer Breithaupt, Jay Ducote, Sophie Spring, Charles Pierce, Paige Johannessen 

Burgers with Chuck: Kickin' it at Curbside Burgers

by Chuck P

In the glory days of the popular food truck scene here in Baton Rouge there were great choices that ranged from wood fired brick oven pizza to tasty tacos. There were enough trucks around to please everyone, but out of the many only one consistently drew bigger crowds, longer lines and created a social media frenzy when trying to track down where they would be next: Curbside.

As the food truck craze started to die, the Curbside truck disappeared as well. Marred by constant repairs, the truck had to retire until it could be fully restored, which unfortunately never happened. During this time, Curbside creator Nick Hufft found a way to put his insanely delicious burgers onto a menu in a new concept in New Orleans: Barcadia.

Flash forward a few years later and after helping bring the Barcadia concept to Baton Rouge, Huft decided the time was right to not just bring back those burgers, but to finally open his own place complete with a killer patio area, not one but TWO bocce ball courts, a very nice bar and of course those amazing burgers. Curbside Burgers are back!

When you walk into the newly built restaurant located on Government Street next to Calandro’s the first thing to greet you will be a large section of the food truck that was specially cut to fit the booth area. It’s like greeting an old friend you haven’t seen in years. Walking up to the counter to order may have been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in a while at a restaurant.

With only a partial menu and the full one (including brunch burgers!!!) coming soon, the six choices I had were still tough ones. There was my all time favorite, the KGB with its killer praline bacon and fried egg, The Brian 3.0 with bleu cheese crumbles, onion strings and Nick’s homemade pork belly preserves and the GC2 with Green Chili Relish, bacon, pepperjack fondue, Fritos and Cholula Mayo. Ugh.

The GC2 at Curbside on Government Street in Baton Rouge, LA

I stepped up to the counter after going back and forth on everything and ordered the Naq Attaque. Topped with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, garlic mayo, parmesan crisp and a side of french onion soup to dip it in, this burger hit all of the feels. The patty itself was hot and juicy, the onions were sweet and tender and the parmesan crisp was a nice added touch. Definitely one I’ll revisit on numerous occasions. Add to that an order of crunchy tater tots and it makes for the perfect meal combo.

The Naq Attaque

If after that you still find yourself with room in your belly I highly suggest checking out one of their signature Boozy Milkshakes. There’s the Chilly Vanilli featuring Vanilla Vodka, Andes Mints and Oreo Mint Cookies, the CT Crunch with Rumchata and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and my personal favorite the Jr. Special with Loopy Vodka, Fruit Loops and Captain Crunch crumbles.

The Jr. Special and CT Crunch Boozy Milkshakes. Yum.

With all of your favorite classics along with a new items and a larger menu coming soon, I have to say it’s nice to have Curbside Burgers back on the street, especially sitting in one permanent spot. Congrats Nick Hufft and welcome home!

Nick Hufft's Midas Touch: Looking Forward to More from The Merchant

by Sydney Blanchard

It seems like anything Nick Hufft touches turns to gold.

Those familiar with the Baton Rouge food scene fondly remember and dream about Curbside Burgers, and once Nick crafted the menu for Barcadia, there was nothing keeping us from drinking some beers, playing some arcade games, and chomping down on one of Baton Rouge's best burgers.

So when we heard Nick Hufft was the co-owner and culinary mind behind The Merchant, we couldn't wait to get in there and see what it was all about.

Situated near the Perkins Road overpass in the former Zee Zee Gardens building, the Merchant, or the Overpass Merchant as it's sometimes referred, opened a few weeks ago and is serving up a soft opening menu worth trying and a rotating beer and cocktail menu.

It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint and a little (a lot) of renovating can do to a place. The building looks totally transformed, the interior impeccably styled with design and comfort in mind and the exterior boasting an outdoor patio perfect for sipping cocktails and watching cars rumble down Perkins. 

Recently, Jay, Blair, Chuck, and I got to grab dinner and beers at the newly opened Merchant, and we were pretty impressed with not just the food, but the overall vibe. I'm of the opinion that Baton Rouge could always use a few more cool hangouts, and I can definitely see myself making the Merchant my new spot.

Chicken skins with local honey and Merchant hot sauce

We started with the chicken skins, topped with in-house hot sauce and local honey. These crispy little bites of savory and sweet crunch were the perfect snack to start off with.

Flatbread with prosciutto, fig jam, goat cheese, and arugula

Next, we tried the country prosciutto flat bread with fig jam, whipped goat cheese, and arugula topped with aged balsamic. The combination of the salty prosciutto and the sweet fig jam made for a tasty bite that I think would pair really well with the Merchant Mule, a frozen play on the classic. I'll definitely be ordering this again.

Broiled oysters with spinach at the Merchant

Next came the broiled oysters, which I passed on (not the biggest oyster fan). They came served in a bed with fried shallots, Tasso, sautéed spinach and Romano cheese with crostini, and the table had no problem scarfing each oyster down.

Addictive frites with garlic aioli

If there's anything I've learned from watching Anthony Boudain shows, it's to avoid fries at all costs. Normally I don't eat fries, but these frites with a roasted garlic aioli were so snackable. I found myself grabbing fistful after fistful until they were nearly all gone. 

Butter lettuce salad with bleu cheese, red onion, pecans and Steen's dressing

We tried two different salads at Merchant, but the one called salad #1 was my favorite. With butter lettuce, bleu cheese, red onion, spiced pecans, and a cane syrup dressing, this salad might make this year's Month of Salads.

Mac n cheese at Merchant

It's safe to say that I'm always down for some mac n cheese, and this one did not disappoint. With two different kinds of cheese, it's easy to see why I had to nearly fight Blair off with my fork for a bite.

A burger fit for a Chuck P

Chuck lives for burgers, and by this point we were all getting full. Chuck tackled this burger like a seasoned pro, and attested that it met all the standards we expect out of a Nick Hufft burger.

The best shrimp and grits Sydney has ever had

My favorite dish thus far was the Merchant's take on shrimp and grits. Big, flavorful barbecue shrimp came served on a pile of goat cheese grits, and I ate most of them. Normally, I don't get excited about shrimp and grits (I think it can be overplayed) but this was probably the best version of this classic I've ever tasted.

Churro with Rum Chata ganache

For dessert, we tried the churro bites with a Rum Chata ganache, and they were truly transcendent. Thankfully Blair isn't into sweets, because Jay, Chuck and I woofed all of these sugary, cinnamon-y bites down.

We try not to write about restaurants in their soft opening phase, because generally the staff and kitchen are still working out kinks and perfecting service. But if Merchant's soft opening is any indicator of what's to come, we're hopeful.

Open Wide! May is National Burger Month

Sorry, but there is nothing more American than a burger. Okay, not sorry.

It's a classic combination – a mound of ground beef nestled amongst crisp vegetables, slathered with creamy condiments, and sandwiched between a soft, fresh bun. The sight of a burger conjures up feelings of nostalgia and images of spacious skies, amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties above the fruited plains.

That's why each May, our nation sets aside a month to celebrate the hamburger. That's right, kids. It's NATIONAL HAMBURGER MONTH.

In honor of such a gastronomic celebration, here are a few of Baton Rouge's craziest burgers for you to get your little paws on this month:

The Hardcore Burger

Hot Tails in New Roads knows hot to do burgers

This Hot Tails burger is so hardcore it comes with a knife stabbed into the top of it. This thing is not to be messed with. While the New Roads restaurant might be better known for their take on Cajun cuisine and most notably for their boiled crawfish, the folks there can throw down on some burgers. They've got different spins on the classic such as their Oyster Rockafeller Burger or this bad boy photographed above with a heaping glob of melted cheese, crawfish tails, and a whole lot more. Add in some of their signature Spillway Sauce and a cold beer, and this burger is tough to beat.

Bite and Booze Burger

The Bite and Booze Burger from Barcadia Baton Rouge

Barcadia Baton Rouge ran this beauty as their burger of the week recently, so we're just hoping they keep it around  little longer or bring it back from time to time. The Bite and Booze Burger consists of Barcadia/Curbside's house ground patty topped with smoked cheddar, 12 hour smoked pork, and of course Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce incorporated into a slaw. They also throw some kettle chips onto the burger for good measure. Make it happen on your taste buds.

The Ridiculously Tall Burger Challenge

Jay Ducote gets a good look at the Triple Quarters Burger

This Triple Quarters Burger is totally impossible to eat without disassembling, and it's big enough to feed a small army. Seriously, this burger is nuts. Just because you can stack three burgers on top of each other doesn't necessarily mean you should. But, we're kind of glad Quarters did... And for the month of May, you can take on the Triple Quarters Burger Challenge. Eat the burger and the accompanying cheese fries and you get it for free, plus a $25 gift card, a roll of toilet paper, and your picture on the wall. Don't finish it all, and you're out $39.99.

The Breakfast Burger

Mason's Grill always has a knack for outdoing themselves. Their Breakfast Burger is no exception. This monstrosity looks like it was thought up by Dr. Frankenstein himself: a homemade sausage patty on top of a fried egg on top of bacon on top of a hamburger patty on top of another fried egg, dressed with lettuce, tomato and onions. It's a must-try because... for real... the flavors work. This is a tasty burger. See the breakfast burger, barbecue burger, and Cajun shrimp burger in this video from Bite and Booze, tommysTV, and 225 Magazine:

The Expensive Burger

A crosscut of Restaurant IPO's Wall Street Burger

This burger is not all that enormous, but its price tag is. If you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can't afford it. Restaurant IPO's Wall Street Burger is the classiest burger money can buy. The patty consists of house prime beef, and it's topped with sautéed duck confit, smoked Vidalia onion jam, merlot truffle mayonnaise, gruyere cheese, seared foie gras, sautéed wild mushrooms and a sunny side up egg. It also comes with a spit of Pinot Noir to help wash down all the richness. It's the kind of burger that sends the message, "I have more money than God." Okay, really it's only $55, and because of the truffle and foie and duck, you can understand why. The thing is, on rare occasion, it can be worth it. Just consider splitting it between a few people and getting some other tapas too while you're there.

The Royal Burger

Two Big Ben Burgers that did not get finished. Photo Courtesy of The Londoner on Facebook

Kate just gave birth to a royal baby girl, but there's no way that kid weighed as much as he Big Ben Burger at The Londoner. This monstrosity of a burger is yet another challenge that the competitive eater can tackle in Baton Rouge. Just ask you server for the Big Ben Burger challenge, make a happy plate in 45 minutes, and its yours for free. If you can't handle the whole thing or if you just want to order the burger to share it'll cost you $35.

Burgasm: "I'm Not Trying to be an Underwear Model" Teaser

I'm very excited.  For anybody who hasn't seen me recently or just hasn't noticed, I've actually lost over 20 pounds since December.  Most of that was lost during the three months of actively filming for this documentary project, but I've at least kept it off since then.  And I'll keep trying to lose more as well.  "I'm Not Trying to be an Underwear Model" is a documentary web series about a South Louisiana food writer, radio host, chef, etc. (me) trying to be healthier while eating and drinking for a living.  Along with filmmaker Tommy Talley of TommysTV, our goal is to show a realistic approach to a healthier lifestyle.  This series isn't about trying to be an underwear model or the biggest loser.  It is about living a life full of bite and booze in one of the best places on earth to do it, but also realizing that you have to be at least a little health conscious along the way!  Please enjoy the teaser that we put together below.  Episode 1 will be coming along sometime soon!

Jay flips a tire during a workout with Shane Rosario

In case any of you were wondering, it is possible to order the "Repeat Offender" aka "Burgasm" at Curbside. Just track them down, and enjoy!

Huge thanks goes out to everyone who made this possible along the way.  If I left you out, please remind me!

Tommy Talley, TommysTV

Shane Rosario, Certified Crossfit and Russian Kettle Bell Instructor

Josh Carley, 40:31 Productions

Matt Callac and Erick Martin, ElbowRoom

Mike Russo, Building Studios

Max Fitness, Highland Road at Kenilworth

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Rani Whitfield, Tha Hip Hop Doc

Varsity Sports

Aaron Hogan, Eye Wander Photo

Plus many other friends, families, and others who will be recognized along the way!

Stay tuned for Episode 1!!

Curbside Links it Up!

Because serving up some of the best burgers in town from a food truck just wasn't enough, owner and chef Nick Hufft recently launched his next endeavor in his expanding mobile food empire: Curbside Links.  This new truck has a very familiar look, but the results are vastly different.  The links truck serves up gourmet, homemade sausages on artisan buns with incredible toppings.  To go along with the glorious encased meats, Nick also serves up potato chips that he slices himself before deep frying them to a crisp and adding one of several different seasonings.

Curbside Links: Polish Sausage with Tin Roof Amber Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Red Onion, and House-made Chips

Curbside Links has multiple sausages on the menu and I can't wait to try them all.  On my first visit to the truck I went with what has quickly become Nick's #1 seller: Polish Sausage with Tin Roof Amber Chili, Cheddar Cheese, and Red Onion.  The bun held up well to the sausage and chili, which seemed quite remarkable in itself.  As for the sausage... pretty darn fantastic.  Scrumptious, even.  Eating this sausage sandwich made every other ordinary hot dog from now on barely worthy of a participation ribbon, at best.  The chili paired excellently with the Polish sausage and I enjoyed all of the red onion too as it added a little kick of its own.  At the end of the day, my stomach no longer growled and my taste buds were fully satisfied.  Props to Nick and his new Curbside Links truck.  I'll be back for more.

Food Louisiana on Cox Channel 4

The pilot episode of Food Louisiana on Cox Channel 4 highlights Bite and Booze, the Curbside Truck, and the Red Stick Farmers Market!  Those are some pretty great choices!  Tune in below and look for it on TV soon!

I'm pretty excited about more local food programming coming our way.  Maybe it is only a matter of time before I have my own TV show.  Hey, it worked for writing and radio!  Anybody want to help me get there?  Let me know.  I'm always looking for extra support when it comes to these kinds of things, and I take all kinds... even if it is just a hug or words of encouragement!

"Eat St." is Coming to Baton Rouge to Film for the Cooking Channel and Canada's Food Network!

Eat St., the popular television program on America's Cooking Channel and Canada's Food Network, will be coming to Baton Rouge this week for three days of filming and production with some of our favorite trucks!  The program travels around North America in search of the most inventive chefs in mobile kitchens.  The street food trend has been booming in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Austin, and now it is Baton Rouge's turn to get recognized for our "Food Truck Revolution."  This is a great opportunity for our city to showcase some of our local cuisine to an international audience!

The production schedule is as follows:

Thursday, May 12: Curbside Truck

Curbside is Baton Rouge's burger truck.  However, these aren't just any burgers and fries.  Curbside grinds all their own meat, blanches their own "frites", uses local produce and fresh, locally baked buns.  Their serving trays are made from recycled product and their cups are made from plants, not plastic.  Oh, and get the pork belly preserves if you can!  A couple weeks ago Curbside featured my homemade boudin on a burger and topped that with some fresh cracklins!  The Bite and Boudin burger was a huge hit!  Curbside will be stationed on Spanish Town Road in front of the State Capitol from 11-3 on Thursday, so go grab a burger and smile for the cameras!

Friday, May 13: GOyaya's Crepes

GOyaya's is a mobile crepe kitchen serving up fresh savory and sweet creations all around Baton Rouge.  They are truly one of Baton Rouge's most unique mobile food vendors and their crepes are always impressive.  Last week I had a "Chicken Mole" crepe and it blew me away.  It featured shredded chicken in a Mexican mole sauce that took seven hours to make!  The mole had some sweetness from blueberries, the richness from the Mexican chocolate, and a little nuttiness as well.  Topped off with some sour cream and avocado, this is one crepe I'd go back from again and again!  GOyaya's will be stationed downtown for lunch on Friday with the film crews.  Track them down and get your 15 minutes... or seconds... of fame!

Saturday, May 14: Taco de Paco

Photo Courtesy of Taco de Paco

Taco de Paco roams around the streets of Baton Rouge slinging deLiciousness in tortilla sized packages.  They have gotten more and more creative with their offerings and some of the tacos that they'll be serving on Saturday for lunch at the Neuromedical Center in Perkins Rowe look amazing.  Last week they came up with The Emilio: Roasted Duck glazed with Louisiana Sugar Cane, topped with Sweet Potato Hash, and finished off with homemade Peach Preserves.  deLightful!  I'll be out there on Saturday after the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket celebrates American Craft Beer Week from 10-11 AM.  Come find me and feast for the Eat St. camera crews!

Photo Courtesy of Taco de Paco

The New Orleans Brunch Experiment

The Food Experiments originated in Brooklyn, NY, but it didn't take them long to begin a national tour with stops at major culinary destinations across the country.  The food competition involves creating a themed dish to be passed out in individual servings to the numerous attendees.  For the April 3rd tour stop in New Orleans, brunch served as the inspirational theme for each team of chefs.

I partnered with Jeremy Wells of the blog Faire Les Courses to enter Team Bite and Booze into the New Orleans Brunch Experiment.  We thought, strategized, and planned for hours on our experimental dish, and finally came up with what we thought could be a winner.   We conceived a Southern-style biscuit loaded with homemade boudin, topped with cane syrup and bourbon marinated Louisiana strawberries, and served with thin-cut cinnamon apple frites.  Every biscuit and a cauldron of Cajun boudin were made from scratch.  I could tell you all about it, but it's easier to just show the video!

Jeremy and I weren't the only team to travel to NOLA from Baton Rouge.  The Louisiana Culinary Institute had a couple students represented in the competition, and Team Brunchcakes also made an impression.  Actually, that would be an understatement:

In the end, Jeremy and I were really happy with the whole event.  We felt like we did our dish justice, and despite not winning, we still had a great time.  We also rolled out the Bite and Booze carpet for this one, so it couldn't have been too bad!

After the competition we had a ton of extra boudin.  However, it tasted far too good to let it go to waste.  Stop number one was a visit to Theo's Neighborhood Pizzeria in Mid City where my buddy Andrew made a boudin pizza complete with a little buffalo sauce, pepper jack, and mozzarella cheese!

Bite and Boudin Pizza at Theo's

When I got back to Baton Rouge, I met back up with Nick Huftt, owner and operator of Curbside Truck, to discuss more boudin ideas.  It didn't take long to come up with the Bite and Boudin Burger: Curbside's special burger patty topped with my housemade boudin, black beans, divine swine cracklins, a hint of Nick's tasso aioli, and finished with an Acadian sweet heat sauce which consists of a "butter garlic hot sauce cajun spice concoction sort of a thing."  Yes please!

Curbside Truck's Bite and Boudin Burger

I love it when experiments go right!

Thanks to curbsideNICK for almost all these pictures.  Thanks to Brandon Brown for help with the video!

11 Things I’m Excited to Eat and Drink in 2011

This article has been published in the January 2011 issue of Town Favorites Magazine. You can visit the Town Favorites website at http://www.townfavorites.com/, follow them on Twitter @TownFavorites, "Like" them at Facebook.com/TownFavorites, and find their magazines at over 150 restaurants and businesses around Baton Rouge! Pick up a copy today!

11 Things I’m Excited to Eat and Drink in 2011
By Jay D. Ducote

2011 is sure to bring renewed resolutions and fresh starts when it comes to diets and detox, but I’d prefer to kick off the New Year by thinking about 11 local items I can’t wait to eat and drink. Some of these are relatively new items in the Baton Rouge food and beverage scene, and some are old staples that will bring back memories of 1984, but still, all should be mouthwatering, enticing, and crowd pleasing in 2011. In no particular order, here are my picks:

BBQ Beef Sandwich at KickersBBQ

BBQ Sandwiches from KickersBBQ
KickersBBQ provides barbeque on wheels, and it is obvious that Tony and Nani know what they are doing. Their street eats have quickly rolled to the top of the BR BBQ scene. It is a hard call between the pulled pork or brisket sandwiches, but either way you’ll be happy you tracked them down! And if you are feeling adventurous, you could also try a Tex-Mex hotdog!

Nani, Jay, and Tony show off some BBQ!

King Cake
Louisiana isn’t short of seasonal foods, and one of my favorites is King Cake around Mardi Gras time. I usually opt for a little cream cheese filling or a classic cinnamon cake. Ambrosia Bakery makes one my favorites in town, but it is usually hard to go wrong with any of them! Good luck finding that baby and getting to buy the next cake for the house or office!

Boiled Crawfish 
Speaking of seasonal cuisine, Louisiana Crawfish are about as good as it gets. Every Spring I look forward to devouring quite a few pounds of mudbugs, and 2011 will be no different. Whether you get your crawfish from a local restaurant or you boil them yourselves, just roll up your sleeves and start peeling! I can taste the spices already!

Chef Eusebio Gongora and Travis Ducote dump a batch of boiled crawfish onto the table at the Third Row Crawfish Boil

Cocktails at Galatoire’s Bistro
Expert bartender Brian Thom mixes up some of the best custom cocktails in Baton Rouge. Check out their Sazerac or even opt for the New Orleans Belle Martini. While it might be pink in color, it still packs a mighty punch. The martini is made from house-infused mango pepper vodka, Cointreau, pomegranate juice, and fresh squeezed lime and orange.

New Orleans Belle Martini at Galatoire's Bistro

Pho
Sadly I’m not all that experienced with the Vietnamese soup called Pho (fuh), but that will certainly change in 2011. I’m hoping to become a regular at Pho Quynh and Tasty Casian where I will consume bowl after bowl of that traditional noodle soup.

Craft Beer from the Tin Roof Brewing Company
From their new brewery in an old warehouse off of Nicholson Drive, William and Charles have brought Baton Rouge their own craft brew, and I’m excited to drink it. Whether you opt for the Perfect Tin Amber or my personal choice, the Voodoo Bengal Specialty Pale Ale, you might as well quench your taste buds all around town with these delightful local suds!

Tin Roof's Perfect Tin Amber

Raw Oysters
In 2010 Gulf oysters had quite a setback with the oil spill. In order to make up for lost time, I think the best thing we could do is eat an unprecedented amount of oysters in 2011. I’ll probably sit at the bar in quite a few restaurants and eat them raw by the dozen. Some of my favorite places for oysters are The Chimes, Mike Andersons, Mason’s Grill, and ACME, but I’ll be happy to meet you anywhere there is shucking going on!

Coffee from A Coffee Truck 
Not everything I drink in 2011 can be alcohol, so I might as well find the trendiest place to get my caffeine fix. A Coffee Truck started rolling around Baton Rouge in late 2010, and I’m excited to track them down more in 2011. Using the food truck model of being followed on social media, A Coffee Truck can be located using Twitter, Facebook, or by sniffing out the ground espresso beans. They are sure to have something to perk you up!

Honey Bourbon
Then again, I guess I could have a little more booze. Here’s one of my favorites: honey bourbon! Juban’s makes fantastic honey bourbon out of Knob Creek Kentucky Bourbon and fresh honey comb. I’ll drink that every time I’m there. However, in 2011 I also intend to make some of my own. I’ll use some honey comb from the Bocage Bee and Honey Company and some great bourbon, and see what I can come up with. Cheers!

Praline Bacon and Pork Belly Preserves at Curbside Truck 
There are few more beautiful combinations of words than “praline bacon.” Just the thought of that sweet candy and savory meat combination makes my mouth water. At Curbside Truck, yet another one of Baton Rouge’s mobile eateries, you can enjoy a delicious cheeseburger topped with praline bacon. And if that doesn’t quite do it for you, they also have a magical little spread called pork belly preserves. Or, you can do what I do, and get both of them!

A burger with praline bacon and pork belly preserves from Curbside Truck

Duck
Finally, in 2011 I look forward to eating a lot of duck. Yes, it may slightly because of viral videos and the fact that the LSU Tigers play the Oregon Ducks in Dallas to kick off the 2011 football season, but Duck is also extremely tasty! You can find duck meat in gumbos, crepes, tacos, and more. Chef Eusebio Gongora at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar also cooks up an amazing duck appetizer on occasion or has a blueberry glazed duck breast on the featured mixed grill. However you find it, just make sure to join me in feasting on feathered fowl this year!

Jay D. Ducote is the author of the blog Bite and Booze, which chronicles his culinary and indulgent cultural experiences around Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, and the world. It can be found at www.biteandbooze.com. You can also reach him by email at jay@biteandbooze.com, like the Bite and Booze fan page on facebook.com/biteandbooze, and follow him on Twitter @biteandbooze. 

Thanks to Eric Ducote of BRBeerScene.com for taking all the pictures for this article.