Curious George: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Lock & Key

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

The Curious George at Lock & Key Whiskey Bar in Baton Rouge

An old fashioned made with Scotch? Oh yeah, Lock & Key went there.

The Curious George, appropriately named, is one of several amped up versions of the class cocktail on the menu at Lock & Key.

Three simple ingredients come together to make for a solid, stiff drink:

Monkey Shoulder Scotch
Bitters
House-made Ginger Syrup

This particular blended scotch has a little smoke game going on, which is great, because smokiness is something I love.

I’ve even had a drink served to me at Restaurant Cotton in Monroe in a dome full of smoke: epic.

The ginger syrup gives the drink a snappy element. It’s sharp, sweet, and fragrant. I would definitely recommend you try this and all of the different off-the-wall old fashioneds Lock & Key has on their menu!

Between Two Shells: Oysters Rockefeller and the Louisiana Mule

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

The Louisiana Mule and Rockefeller Oyster at Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar in Downtown Baton Rouge

I’m not a girl of many talents. There are some that may contest this, but I feel like I have a small skill set that consists of things that are relatively useless with only a few exceptions: I tend to find good parking spots, I have the patience and determination it takes to tackle an entire season of a television series in one day, and I have a knack for pairing drinks with food. Having that said, at Jolie Pearl, when it comes to pairings, the world is your oyster…get it?

Now that you’re done laughing, let’s explore the harmonious flavor profiles of the Louisiana Mule and Rockefeller Oyster.

The Louisiana Mule at Jolie Pearl is prepared with Louisiana White Lightning Whiskey instead of vodka. This gives the drink an extra layer of boozy flavor. With slight moonshine notes from the whiskey, the concoction is spicy, herbaceous, and refreshing. I paired it with the Rockefeller because of the licorice flavors of the Pernod and earthiness of the spinach.

The more grounded flavors of the oyster are like the moms (or dads) of your friend groups. They keep you from getting carried away, but you’re still allowed to party. While the flavors in the Louisiana mule work together, they are separately extremely strong flavors, so it pairs deliciously with a toned down, classic, and scrumptious Rockefeller oyster.

Whether you’re eating them raw, baked, or char-grilled, you’re going to want to run, don’t walk, to Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar. Check back here for more pairings each month, and take a look at this pairing that we've already tasted and tested:

Raw Gulf Oysters and Fresh Margaritas

"Month of Salads" Post III: Roberto's Cajun Crawfish Salad

Roberto's Cajun Crawfish Salad

Roberto's River Road Restaurant is an extremely popular just-outside-of-Baton-Rouge joint that certainly delivers both the atmosphere and quality of cuisine that we come to expect in south Louisiana. Technically located in Sunshine, the old building has a great view of the Mighty Mississippi's grassy levee and a charm that is difficult to find inside Baton Rouge proper. I got a tip through a status on my Facebook page to check out Roberto's for a salad. Specifically, a fried crawfish salad with all the accoutrements that come with it. Hard boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and banana peppers filled the bowl atop a bed of spinach. Then came the fun part. A quarter pound of fried Louisiana crawfish tails and some shredded cheddar adorned the bowl with a spicy ginger and garlic dressing that had just enough sweetness to tie everything together. Some of my tips told me to get a crawfish salad with the sensation dressing, which maybe I'll have to do sometime, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give the Cajun Crawfish Salad a try. It lived up to expectations too. How could it not with that much fried crawfish on top, right? All of the other flavors and fresh ingredients worked as well though, so the salad really did hold true to a salad and not just a mound of fried seafood. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Oh, and joining me for lunch was Mr. Lee Feinswog of Sports225 who posted this Tweet. Look for some collaborations coming soon! Now where to for my next salad?

Jay Ducote of @biteandbooze fame continued his August salad quest today at Roberto's. Enjoyed lunch with the legend. pic.twitter.com/HagtjmmM8Y

— Lee Feinswog (@LeeFeinswog) August 8, 2013

Food Porn from an Airstream: Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food

Some chefs just get it.  Marcus Day is one of those chefs.  His cuisine is uncompromising.  Food and flavor before all else.  No shortcuts.  Handmade pastas, sauces from scratch, and creativity daily.  The story becomes even more remarkable because Chef Day does it all out of a vintage Airstream trailer.  And he has a name that came out of local literature: Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food.  For anybody living under a rock, Ignatius Reilly is the name of the main character in John Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces.  Ignatius Reilly is an educated, eccentric, but often slothful 30 year old living in uptown New Orleans.  And he loves to eat.  To know more, read the book.

Bolognese with Fresh Pasta and Parmesan

Marcus also clearly gets the overall Food Truck movement.  The idea of a concession stand on wheels is as old as traveling carnivals.  However, gourmet mobile eateries slinging restaurant quality grub at affordable prices... well that's what turns a trend into a revolution.

Chef Marcus Day's Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food

Social media has played a large role in the surge of meaningful mobile food vendors.  Chef Day has been on top of his branding from the beginning, posting pictures of dishes of Facebook and interacting with his customers on Twitter.  He also uses the channels to tell his fans where he is set up for lunch, dinner, and even brunch on the weekends.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Mint Creme Fraiche 

Ignatius Reilly's concept is fresh and local, to every extent possible.  His signature items are handmade pastas, carefully crafted soups, and specialty sandwiches.  The top photograph of the bolognese is perhaps Chef Day's signature dish.  Ever on the menu, the pasta with beef sauce and layers of Parmesan lives up to its permanent place on the menu board.  After one bite you can taste the freshness of the homemade noodles and the unique bolognese.  The latest dish that I've tried from Marcus is the above carrot ginger soup.  The delicious and nutritious soup is finished with a little butter to add that wonderful extra richness and then topped with a dollop of mint creme fraiche to just take it over the top. 

Eggs Cancienne: Poached Eggs, Grilled Don's Andouille, French Bread Toast, Fresh Cheese Grits, Tasso Hollandaise 

As I mentioned earlier, Ignatius Reilly's sets up for weekend brunch around Baton Rouge as well.  Make an effort to track him down any weekend and you won't be sorry.  The Eggs Cancienne represent a fantastic all around dish that would be worthy of any brick and mortar joint.  Chef's Day own spin on the classic Eggs Benedict, the tasso hollandaise is bright and rich and is simply superb with the cheese grits on the bottom.

Creme Brulee Pain Perdu: NOLA French Toast, Steen's Cane Syrup, Candied Pecans, Powdered Sugar 

Not to stop there, also found on the brunch menu at times is a French toast dish with some Louisiana favorites.  I could eat this creme brulee pain perdu for breakfast or dessert at any time and be completely content.

Everything that Ignatius Reilly's serves comes in containers made from recycled products which just furthers the notion that Chef Day has it figured out.  Next time you see his stainless steel Airstream around town, make sure to stop by, order some great food, and tell him hey.  You won't be sorry!

George Krause's Moscow Mule

Rumor has it that George Krause, bartender extraordinaire at Doe's Eat Place and current student at the Louisiana Culinary Institute, moves a fair amount of Russian Standard Vodka through the friendly confines of Crowntown at Doe's.  He serves so much Russian Standard, in fact, that he recently received a gesture from the vodka manufactures as a "thank you" for keeping the sales up.  Bestowed upon George was a set of four copper lined Moscow Mule mugs embossed with the Russian Standard logo.  Not being one to let a new set of bar ware to go to waste, I politely asked George to whip me up a Moscow Mule.  Naturally, he obliged.

The Moscow Mule is a fairly simple cocktail.  It consists of vodka, lime juice, and preferably ginger beer.  If you're not sitting on a stash of ginger beer, regular over the counter ginger ale will do.  It certainly worked for George on this cocktail!  Want to try a Moscow Mule for yourself?  Head over to Doe's Eat Place on Government St. in Baton Rouge, sit at the bar with George, tell him Jay from Bite and Booze sent you, and order up a Moscow Mule!

Emeril's Stir-Fried Squid with Chili Sauce

My final recipe from Emeril Lagasse's new cookbook Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders is probably the quickest recipe to make from the entire book.  That's not why I chose it though.  While I've eaten calamari and squid salads at many restaurants before, I hadn't ever actually worked with raw squid.  That needed to change.  Emeril's recipe for stir-fried squid with chili sauce seemed intriguing so I decided to see what I could do.  I found everything I needed, including the frozen squid bodies with tentacles, at Calandro's Supermarket.  Once I got home, the time was right to cook something spicy!

The recipe had three main components.  First, the squid itself had to be sliced into rings, dusted with crushed red pepper and then stir-fried.  Second, the chili sauce had to be made with the vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt, Sriracha chili sauce and ginger.  The final component included the cabbage, green onion, garlic, jalapenos and chilies.

After all of the prep had been taken care I got the squid in my pan (a wok would have been preferable) to give it a quick fry.  It didn't take long in the canola oil to cook it off, then I set it aside to focus on the rest.  I quickly put the cabbage and accompaniments into the same pan to stir-fry them until soft.  Once the cabbage started to wilt I added the chili sauce and then returned the squid to the wok as well.

The stir fry had a great flavor and I was impressed at what I had been able to accomplish in just about 15 minutes of total time.  The spice ended up being rather intense but not too much for my palate.  The squid had an excellent texture.  I knew the most important part would be to cook it just right to where it wasn't overly chewy.

I really enjoyed my blogging party time with Emeril's new cookbook.  Having made nine of the recipes from the book, I'd definitely recommend it to anybody who is looking for some creative ideas for dishes to make in your own kitchen.  I certainly got to step out of my comfort zone with a few of these dishes and I encourage any chef, foodie, or fan to do the same!