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!

Burgers With Chuck: The Brunch Burger at Tiger Deauxnuts

by Charles Pierce

When it comes to finding a tasty burger, one of the last places some people might think to look would be a donut shop. Unless, of course, you happen to stop by the newly renovated Tiger Deauxnuts and check out their revised menu which now features lunch options, including one very delicious Brunch Burger.

When I noticed there was a burger on their new lunch menu, my obvious first thought was “This thing better have donuts for buns.” I mean, how could it not? This is a donut shop and it would only make sense! Thankfully, I was not disappointed.

Sandwiched between two donut buns was a perfectly cooked patty that was seasoned to perfection. There was a nice crust on the top and bottom of the incredibly juicy patty. And of course, what’s a Brunch Burger without a fried egg. The egg was cooked just right with very little greasiness. The bacon was crispy without being overcooked and dry and the tomato marmalade was a nice touch to finish it off. My only suggestion would be to maybe drizzle a bit of glaze over the donut buns to give it that sweet and savory taste.

Owner Jeff Herman has been making some of my favorite donuts ever since he was operating out of a very small shop right off of Coursey Blvd years ago and I’m happy that he has continued to grow and be successful with his newly renovated location on Government Street. The next time you’re craving a burger and want to try something new, give the Brunch Burger at Tiger Deauxnuts a try.

Tangoing with Twine

by Hannah Wilson, intern

The welcoming entrance at Twine stocked with some local pantry items.

Twine’s quality is evident the moment you step in the door. This local eatery is a hybrid of sorts, blending a restaurant and a butcher shop. Steve Diehl, born and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, grew up on a farm. He and his wife Krisitin had a desire to make local farms more accessible to the people of mid city Baton Rouge.

On a beautiful spring day, the Bite & Booze team ventured over there to check out their seasonal menu and boy did look tasty! The staff is so friendly and knowledgable about what they have to offer. We started off with some samples of their seasonal sides:

We tried the Tuna Poké Salad. A blend of avocado, mango, tobigo and scallion, this salad is made in house and only when there’s enough Tuna and Yellowfin, so it can be a rare commodity at times but so worth the try. 

Up next, we gave the Tangy Blackened Shrimp Salad a taste. It’s a staff favorite and Jay would even venture to say that it’s “righteous”. This salad was a perfect blend of tangy, savory and sweet.

We decided for our lunch we wanted to try three of the crowd favorites and also see what Steve suggested. We tried the Filet Burger, the Blackened Chicken Sandwich and their Reuben On Rye. 

The Filet Burger might be the best burger I’ve ever had. It’s served on a toasted brioche bun with melted provolone cheese, spring mix greens and bourbon maple bacon jam. The bacon jam was the perfect accent to top off and pull together all these amazingly fresh ingredients. 

The Filet Burger

The Blackened Chicken Sandwich is served on a croissant with tomato, bacon, provolone and spring mix greens. This was another great sandwich that left us feeling a bit lighter, so for a lunch on the lighter side, this is a great option.

The Blackened Chicken Sandwich

The Reuben on Rye was a perfectly layered classic staple for any menu. The classic elements of a Reuben; sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing are all piled high but balance equally on the Twine’s version of this sandwich. Yet another thing not to pass up on their menu. 

The Reuben

Twine may be tucked away amongst the bustling busyness of Government Street, but the quality that you stumble upon inside this eatery is amazing. Along with their seasonal menu that we tasted, they have high quality meat sourced from local farms and a fun wine selection. They also have many pre-prepared meals that are easy to grab and go. Next time that you are in mid city, be sure to stop in to Twine.

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!

Get Your Steak On at Doe's Eat Place

This article has been published in the August 2010 issue of Town Favorites Magazine. You can visit the Town Favorites website at http://www.townfavorites.com/, follow them on Twitter @TownFavorites, and find their magazines at over 150 restaurants and businesses around Baton Rouge! Pick up a copy today!

Doe's Eat Place in the Maestri Home on Government Street

Get Your Steak On at Doe’s Eat Place

by Jay D. Ducote

As much as we love seafood in Louisiana, sometimes nothing beats sinking your teeth into a huge slab of beef. Instead of going into the treacheries of the oil spill and the lasting effects it is sure to have on our seafood industry, I’d like to take this opportunity to focus on our favorite bovine feast: steak! Baton Rouge has a casual, yet fantastic place to do just that. Doe’s Eat Place on Government Street does not try to be anything they are not. They don’t pretend to be fancy or high class. They’ll never turn up their nose at a customer or ask if they’d like sparkling or still water. They’ll just serve great cuts of beef, cooked properly and seasoned wonderfully.

Dominic “Doe” and Mamie Signa opened the original Doe’s in Greenville, Mississippi in 1941. The two were Italian immigrants who settled in Greenville. Delta style tamales were the original staple and then steaks followed as a back door trade. The first franchise (although it was more of a simple licensing agreement at the time) opened in Little Rock in 1988 and quickly became then Governor Bill Clinton’s favorite restaurant. Theresa Overby, owner of the Baton Rouge location with her husband Scott, worked at the Little Rock location for eight years and developed an operational knowledge of the brand. The Signas contacted Theresa (knowing that Scott was a Louisiana native) to see if they would be interested in owning a franchise. The couple said they might consider a Baton Rouge location at some point. Scott was working for a mortgage lender at the time and when they saw that industry start to free fall, they began to seriously consider the possibility.

Owners Scott and Theresa Overby Pose with Jay Ducote (Center) at Doe's

Not much time passed before they were sold on the idea. Theresa and Scott wanted to be true to the brand when finding their new location in Baton Rouge. Anyone who has been to the original location in Greenville understands the charm of the old house and the neighborhood. Doe’s in Baton Rouge finally landed at the Maestri home on Government Street. Theresa says the home “has been a perfect fit for what we do.” She went on to say, “The building has such lovely bones, so we ‘unadorned’ the space with earthy colors and pine plank floors to allow the natural warmth of the home to shine.”

Doe's Delta Style Tamales and Homemade Chili

The Capital Heights, Garden District and Glenmore neighborhoods have been great supporters of Doe’s Eat Place in Mid City. Theresa declared that they are “blessed to have a strong core clientele that appreciates the ability to get a really fine steak in a casual setting.” Doe’s niche is family business. According to Theresa, “there are a number of great steakhouses in Baton Rouge, but what sets us apart is the lack of white tablecloths and whispering. We are a great place to bring the family, meet for business or enjoy a sporting event downstairs in the bar area.” The bar area is a beautiful LSU themed room stocked with a full bar and HD televisions. It is a great place for adults to hang out while the kids create crayon embellished cows to hang on the walls.

Doe’s opened the first weekend of September 2007 and business soared for the first year. When Gustav hit in 2008, Doe’s spent their one year anniversary in the dark, waiting for electricity and health department clearance. Being down for three weeks created a challenge for Doe’s, just like it did for a number of restaurants and small businesses. The economic downturn finally hit Baton Rouge in 2009, and due to the higher price of choice and prime beef, they felt a 20-25% hit in business. After a roller coaster ride to start 2010 and dealing with some instability in seafood pricing, things now seem to be looking up again as the dog days of summer move on.

A Porterhouse (Right) and Ribeye (Left) sit Ready for the Broiler

The signature culinary treat at Doe’s is undoubtedly their steaks. Doe’s serves only Sterling Silver brand premium beef. The meat is graded and measured using set standards for marbling (the little flakes of fat mixed into the muscle tissue of a cow that cause it to be so juicy and delicious), color, maturity and texture. Doe’s only sells the top 12% of beef by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grading standards. The top 12% is a mixture of USDA Prime and the top tier of USDA Choice beef. Only 2% of the beef in the country qualifies for the prime grading. Theresa and Scott buy whole loins of beef and cut all of the steaks in house to varying levels of thickness. The trend in the fine steak business has been moving away from steakhouses cutting their own beef, but fortunately Doe’s never serves precut steaks. Doe’s steaks are all cooked to order on ceramic broilers. The heat comes from above the meat at a temperature of 650 degrees. While this sounds very hot, especially compared to a typical home oven, many restaurants cook under the high heat of infrared ovens that reach temperatures of over 1600 degrees.

Steaks Cook in the 650 Degree Broiler

I dined at Doe’s with Eric Ducote of the Baton Rouge Beer Scene and Brent Broussard, a teacher and coach at Woodlawn High School. We began our meal with an order of a dozen tamales, the dish that started it all. They Mississippi Delta style tamales, a tribute to the culinary influences of a land that author David L. Cohn famously decribed "begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg." Rather than being steamed like traditional Mexican style tamales, they are wrapped in parchment paper and cooked in a brine. The chili that accompanies them is made in house at Doe’s with the ground trimmings of their steaks. As I unwrapped the tamale from the husk I caught a whiff of corn meal and brine, and the aroma started the salivation in my mouth. After topping the finger-sized tamale with chili, I broke a piece off with my fork and took a bite. While they are certainly not overly spicy, they have a tremendous flavor that is complemented nicely by the chili.

Happy Hour Grub: Sirloin Sliders

Theresa and Scott wanted to show me the newest addition to their cuisine. They recently started a happy hour menu that is available in the bar from 4:30-6:00 pm, so it’s great for an early dinner after work. Doe’s has also added tenderloin sliders, onion rings and their soon-to-be-famous Doe’s burger to their full menu. The burger, a favorite with their Friday lunch crowd, uses the prime and top choice steak trimmings, grinds them up twice, and forms them into half pound burger patties. While I didn’t get to try a burger, I did sneak a taste of the three sliders that Doe’s now offers. Each slider contains some thin, tender cuts of beef, but is dressed a little differently. One has a shrimp added to it while another is topped with crumbled bleu cheese.

Doe's Dough: Homemade Drop Biscuits

Every Doe’s steak comes with a salad, a side, and their homemade drop biscuits. The salad is a Doe’s staple. Aunt Florence has been making the same salad in Greenville since the restaurant opened. It’s a very simple “maw maw” salad with lettuce, tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and salt. But a word of caution, it seems to be a love it or hate it salad in Baton Rouge. Fortunately for some, they have added the option of ranch or bleu cheese dressing for the haters. Doe’s French fries are hand cut daily in-house and are definitely a crowd-pleaser. Also, the biscuits are worth noting. The fried balls of dough are delicious when drizzled with honey and are unique accompaniments at a restaurant with such amazing beef.

Speaking of beef, let’s get to the real reason I went to Doe’s… the steak! Since there were three of us we decided that it would make sense to get three different cuts of beef. This way we could try a variety of awesomeness. We ordered the two pound ribeye, the smaller of the two filet mignon options, and the largest porterhouse, weighing in at two and a half pounds. All of our steaks were ordered to a medium rare temperature, as good steak should be. We can debate that at another time, but just for the record, overcooking a prime steak cooks all the fat out of it. This seems irrational to me because you are paying for the steak’s marbling, which is purely fat content! I usually don’t know whether to laugh or cry at somebody that orders a beautiful cut of meat and gets it cooked well done. Oh well, I don’t have to eat it!

The Two-Pound Bone-In Ribeye with Fries

The quality of the steak at Doe’s Eat Place absolutely lives up to the hype. Each cut made its way straight from the broiler to a plate and then to our table, and they were all cooked just right. The juices poured out of the beef, and each steak appeared in front of us in its own way as a work of art. The cowboy cut, or bone-in, ribeye is a beautiful cut of meat. It perhaps marbles the most out of any of the cuts. The marbling gives it incredible flavor; exactly what a great steak should taste like.

Doe's Smallest Filet Mignon Cooked to a Beautiful Medium Rare

The filet mignon is typically the smallest cut of steak, but that’s not its only claim to fame. Of all steaks, the filet is both the leanest cut and the most tender. The steak comes from a strip of muscle that sits hidden underneath the ribs of a cow. Since the muscle is rarely used, it has low amounts of stress on it, and therefore remains tender despite the lower overall fat content. The filet at Doe’s was still a rather large steak despite being the smallest cut of beef on the menu. Each bite seemed to nearly melt in mouth.

Finally, the porterhouse is often considered the granddaddy of all steaks. To those unfamiliar or intimidated by a porterhouse, allow me to enlighten you. The porterhouse is known as the prize cut because it is indeed two steaks in one. On the larger side of the bone is a New York Strip. This flavorful cut of beef is second only to the ribeye in terms of marbling. The strip is usually thought of as the true beef-lover’s steak, as its meat really carries the taste of the steer. It can be succulent while actually requiring a slight amount of chewing. The bone is important for adding flavor and sealing in juices. Just on the other side of the bone comes your very own piece of tenderloin, also known as a filet mignon. Doe’s two and half pound porterhouse is one of the best I’ve ever had. The filet side oozed a very buttery flavor. The strip section made me work a little harder as I actually had to use a knife to cut it - but what’s a steak without a big steak knife?

The 2 1/2 Pound Porterhouse is One Huge Steak!

All in all I couldn’t have been much happier with my trip to Doe’s Eat Place. I got to hear a great story about a local restaurant with passionate owners. I filled my belly with terrific tamales, buttery biscuits, fresh fries, and truly indulgent steaks. I even got to dine with a couple friends and enjoy the LSU themed bar area that would be great for a private party or just watching a game. I’m going to make sure I hit up Doe’s again very soon. Perhaps they’ll do another #MeatUp Tweetup in the next couple months. Make sure to follow them on Twitter @BatonRougeSteak if you want to be included!


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 jaydducote@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @biteandbooze.

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

Things To Do
Baton Rouge

La Carreta on Government Street

Not too long ago I met Megan for lunch at La Carreta on Government Street.  This local Mexican Restaurant got its start in Hammond, La area before expanding to Baton Rouge and other locations in South Louisiana.  In fact, business has been so good for owner Saúl Rubio that he has recently opened a second location in the Red Stick on Bluebonnet Blvd.  Still, the Mid-City location is easier for me to get to from work, so it was there that I dined!

La Carreta on Government Street

The restaurant recently underwent a renovation that moved the entrance to the patio area that used to be the back of the establishment.  La Carreta actually has one of my favorite outdoor dining spaces in Baton Rouge, so if you are ever in the mood for Mexican food on a nice day, it is a good spot to hit up. 

La Carreta's Salsa

Obviously one of the best things about Mexican dining in the United States is the free chips and salsa that customarily accompanies every feast.  La Carreta's salsa has a few chucks of fresh tomato that are mixed in with an otherwise liquidy base of tomato juice and herbs.  The flavor is fairly ordinary but still tastes fine if you like a classic salsa to go with your salted corn tortilla chips.

La Carreta Special: Beef Burrito, Chicken Tostada, Beef Enchilada

I ordered the La Carreta Special for lunch.  It came with a beef burrito, a chicken tostada, and a beef enchilada.  The tostada got buried under a pile of lettuce, sour cream, and pico de gallo while the burrito and enchilada could be found a little easier on the plate.  Unfortunately the ground beef that stuffed the burrito and enchilada was nothing to brag about.  It was plain and bland and I think I've honestly been happier with burritos at Taco Bell.  This really surprised me as I've had great experiences with La Carreta in the past.  Perhaps the best advice is to stick with chicken or steak and avoid the ground beef.  I'm sure I'll be back at some point to sit on the patio and enjoy some cerveza.  I'll just have to be more careful about what I order!

BJ's Mesquite Smokehouse and Ragusa's Grill

Baton Rouge is really great for both fine dining and hole-in-the-wall restaurant choices.  A couple of great little eateries exist along Government Street in the Mid-City area.  On a sunny Fall afternoon Eusebio and I decided it was time to try a couple of those places out so we met at BJ's Mesquite Smokehouse to give their BBQ a try.

BJ's Smokehouse in Baton Rouge, La

BJ's Smokehouse's main location is in North Baton Rouge but they opened up a second spot to sell their delicious smoked meats on Government Street.  They use a trailer for their kitchen with a large pit and smoker out back to give the air around this part of town a wonderfully smoky aroma. 

Three Meat Dinner with Sides

Eusebio and I knew that we were going to be eating at two establishments on this day so we ordered one three-meat dinner to sample.  The meats we chose were brisket, ribs, and chicken, which all came smothered in a tangy barbeque sauce.  The three meat dinner also came with a few slices of bread, and we chose macaroni and cheese and baked beans for our sides.  All of the meat had a great mesquite smoke flavor.  The delicious, tender chicken quarter flesh pulled right off the bone.  The ribs acted the same as the chicken but, as far as ribs go, these were not my favorite.  While they were very tasty, the did not live up to expectations.  My favorite of the BJ's meats was undoubtedly the brisket.  The beef melted in my mouth and mixed with the sauce to remind me of everything a brisket should taste like.

Ragusa's Grill on Government Street

The next stop on our list was just a little bit farther down Government Street.  Ragusa's Grill, which will soon go under some renovations and upgrades, resembles an old country-style road-side grill.  They boast that they have the best hamburger in town, so naturally I had to give it a try.

Big Ragu Burger

The Big Ragu is their signature burger.  It sets itself apart from the other top burgers in BR by using a mixture of 1/3 Italian sausage and 2/3 ground beef in the patty.  The the burger is then flame-grilled to order, topped with American cheese, and served with the normally desired burger fixings.  Since Ragusa's Grill is currently just a road-side stand, their seating area was very limited and, in fact, virtually non-existent.  BJ's had a picnic table for us, but at Ragusa's we got our burgers to go and headed down the street to nearby City Park before we feasted.

Big Ragu Burger at City Park, Baton Rouge, La

Spectacular is a word that comes to mind when describing this burger.  The mixture of Italian pork sausage with the distinguishable Italian seasonings along with the fresh ground beef made the Big Ragu stand out as truly one of the best burgers in town.  Every bite was juicy and full of flavor and I couldn't wait to take another.  I'm not sure that I would give it the overall award just yet, but it deserves to be mentioned in any discussion about the top burgers in Baton Rouge.

A Culinary Adventure on Government Street Part II: Opie's Cajun Cafe

Eusebio and I continued our culinary adventure on Wednesday by moving down Government Street from Bistro Byronz to Opie's Cajun Cafe.  Opie's creates two more food dishes that I was told I needed to try, so we wanted to make sure we ordered those and whatever else looked good.  We walked into Opie's and loved the place at first glance.  The entrance to the restaurant is through the bar area which has a very classic, old school feel to it.  We sat down at the bar and waited for someone to greet us.  It wasn't long before we had three people, including the owner and his son, asking what they could do for us.  I ordered a glass of Maker's Mark bourbon with a splash of Diet Coke and Eusebio had some Jack Daniels whiskey with a splash of Sprite.  They made the drinks right for us (as in very strong) and we began looking over the extensive cajun menu.  Opie's is the kind of place where they leave the remote control for the TV on the bar for the customers to change the channel at will.  We put the main TV on the USA v. Costa Rica World Cup Qualifying match and were able to watch the USA tie the game off of a corner kick in stoppage time to secure first place in the CONCACAF qualifying efforts.  Geaux America!

One of the items that I was told I needed to try were the boudin balls.  I had only previously had boudin balls at Tony's Seafood and The Chimes, so I thought it was a great idea to branch out a little more.  We started with the appetizer sampler which contained boudin balls, blackened shrimp, and crawfish pies with a bit of remoulade sauce for dipping.  The boudin balls were way more similar to the balls at Tony's than The Chimes.  Their cylindrical shape and crispy exterior created a perfect casing for the warm, moist boudin in the middle.  The flavor and texture were great, but I could have gone or a little more spice.  Still, Opie's has a great boudin ball and a good alternative to the other ones in town if you are in the mid-city area.  The crawfish pies were filled with Opie's crawfish etouffee and were scrumptious.  The fluffy pie crust encased the rich and savory etouffee nicely as each bite was filled with flavor.  The blackened shrimp were a good addition to the sampler platter, especially when dipped in the remoulade sauce.  They were simple, well seasoned shrimp that were bite-sized, blackened deliciousness.

Opie's Sampler: Crawfish Pies, Blackened Shrimp, and Boudin Balls

Our next direction was to sample a couple of traditional Louisiana staples, jambalaya and gumbo.  The Opie's Cajun Trio entree came with a small bowl of each along with a couple more crawfish pies and a fresh dinner roll.  The jambalaya had a strong vegetable oil taste immediately when you put it in your mouth.  Once there was some time for the flavors to get around, the rice mixture had some good flavors and was as spicy as I wish the boudin balls were.  It was good, but not like Maw Maw makes it!  The chicken and sausage gumbo was really pleasing for a restaurant version.  All too often I find that restaurant gumbo just does not compare to what you can find at people's houses and tailgate parties but Opie's was an exception.  The gumbo was a little thick and heavy on the roux for my own personal preference but Eusebio mentioned that it was exactly how he likes it.  It is amazing how we always go back to our childhood memories of taste to decide what we like today.  My family's gumbo was typically a bit thinner with a liquid broth that was seasoned with the roux, so now that is how I like my gumbo.  Eusebio had clearly grown up eating a gumbo with that thicker, heavier roux, and so now prefers it that way.  Either way, Opie's gumbo had a great, well seasoned flavor with chunks of chicken and sausage throughout.

Opie's Cajun Trio: Jambalaya, Gumbo, and Crawfish Pies

The final dish that I was told I had to try at Opie's Cajun Cafe was the Crawfish Ravioli.  The pasta itself was stuffed with cheese and then topped with a creamy crawfish sauce.  It was a good dish but probably could have been better if the stuffing had some of the crawfish sauce mixed in with the cheese.  Just a thought.  Still, the ravioli was tasty and I really enjoyed the sauce with crawfish tails, and the dinner roll to sop up the extra sauce was clutch.

Crawfish Ravioli at Opie's Cajun Cafe

Much like Bistro Byronz from earlier in the evening, Opie's had a homemade bread pudding on the menu that we thought we should take home, eat, and then compare.  Their version was a dense, flavorful bread pudding that was topped with a Jack Daniels sauce that was loaded with the tang of the Tennessee whiskey.  While the pudding itself was good and the sauce was fantastic, I couldn't help but notice that the bread pudding was overpowered with the tastes of cinnamon and nutmeg to the point of taking away from the dessert but not so much that it was ruined.  I like cinnamon and nutmeg, but it was difficult to taste any of the other flavors with those two being so strong.

All in all it was a great culinary adventure on Government Street.  I really liked the laid back atmosphere at the bar at Opie's Cajun Cafe.  The food was delicious, and I'm sure I'll be back to see the family-run establishment again.

A Culinary Adventure on Government Street Part I: Bistro Byronz

Wednesday evening Eusebio and I were hungry and bored... usually not a good combination. For us, however, it was just a good excuse for a culinary adventure. I had heard of a few things that I needed to eat since I started this blog and we decided to go give them a try. Bistro Byronz on Government Street was our first stop. We walked in and sat at the bar, ordered a couple drinks, and looked over their menu.  The restaurant is fairly small and creates a cozy atmosphere for its diners.  We were there to try the Blue Cheese Chips... a plate of freshly sliced, thin cut, golden fried, unsalted homemade potato chips that is topped with a creamy blue cheese sauce and chucks of crumbled, fresh blue cheese and garnished with some green onions.

Blue Cheese Chips at Bistro Byronz

Let me tell you friends, they were worth they hype.  I'm not going to sit here and type that they were the best things that I've ever eaten or that they deserve a Nobel Peace Prize or anything, but they were pretty damn tasty!  The potatoes were everything you want in a homemade chip.  They were light and crunchy with the perfect thickness to provide a great dipping mechanism.

We also ordered a couple of other items just to give them a try and give us a little variety.  The two dishes we tried were the carrot souffle and the Abita chili.

Carrot Souffle at Bistro Byronz

Abita Chili at Bistro Byronz

The carrot souffle was sweet and smooth, although in my opinion was a little too runny.  It tasted like candy in the same style as candied yams during Thanksgiving but the texture was almost more of a thick soup than a creamy souffle.  Still, the taste was great and being an item that you can't order everywhere in town, was worth a try.  The Abita chili was a little disappointing.  It had no flavor of any Abita beer whatsoever.  The taste was fairly ordinary even with the addition of cheese, sour cream, and chives, and would be easy to duplicate at home.  On tap of that, the chili was served at a luke warm temperature which was not even enough to melt the shredded cheese.

Bistro Byronz also makes a dessert that we wanted to taste but we were going to sample some dishes at another place on Government Street as well so we got it to go and ate it when we were back at home.  The Bistro Bread Pudding was a delicious dessert that had blueberries baked in and was covered with a vanilla cream sauce.  The texture was not as firm as I would like and felt like it may have needed a little more time in the oven.  It almost had a custard texture which seemed odd for a bread pudding of that nature.  The vanilla sauce was good but not out of this world.  The Bistro Bread Pudding was certainly a good treat but not the best bread pudding I've ever had.

I enjoyed our samples from Bistro Byronz but we weren't there to eat a full meal as we had another place to go try.  We left still hungry and made our way to Opie's Cajun Cafe for some more.  To read about that part of the adventure go to the next post.