Maxwell's Market for a "Business" Lunch

Maxwell's Market now has three locations in Baton Rouge.  The original is on Corporate Boulevard near Jefferson Highway, another is across from Pennington on Perkins Road, and the newest spot is right off of Highland Road near Ruffino's.  On a nice sunny day in Baton Rouge I joined Laura and Natalie for a nice "business" lunch at the Perkins location. 

Maxwell's Market on Perkins Road

Maxwell's is a locally owned market that carries premium meats, fresh seafood, a great selection of beer and wine, specialty foods, and local produce.  Additionally, they offer a delicatessen for patrons that would like to dine in.  Their slogan is "Bake. Grill. Chill."  Not bad, considering I like all of those things!  We took our lunch breaks from busy downtown government life and headed to Maxwell's to sample the deli menu.  Maxwell's offers a variety of poboys, burgers, soups, and salads.  I decided to go with the Cuban, a poboy style sandwich with a little kick.

Cuban Sandwich from Maxwell's Market

The Cuban sandwich came with layers of roast pork, ham, turkey, salami, Monterey Jack cheese, pickles, mayo, and Creole mustard served hot on French bread.  Naturally I ordered mine sans the pickles and mayo.  I habitually despise pickles to the point that my hatred would lead to anger and my anger would lead me down the path to the dark side of the Force, but I'm actually ok with mayo in small amounts.  Still, when I'm eating at a restaurant, deli, burger joint, or sandwich shop, I typically order my food without mayo because I find that it is rare to find someone who knows my definition of a "thin" layer of mayo.  The sandwich tasted fine but I would have preferred a more generous portion of meats and cheeses than what they served.  One of my very few complaints about poboys is that often times the bread overshadows the filling.  I enjoy overstuffed poboys, and this certainly did not fit that bill.  Still, the meats and cheeses were freshly sliced Boar's Head brand and certainly gave a good flavor to the sandwich.  The Creole mustard complimented the spicy Monterey Jack perfectly, so all in all I was a happy eater.

Basket of Sweet Potato Fries at Maxwell's Market

During the Fall and the holidays, one thing that I find hard to resist is sweet potato fries.  These crispy wedges of sweet potato goodness make me happy that yams are so plentiful around here.  They are such a terrific stray from the usual French fry.  I shared this basket of fries with the other guests at the table and we were certainly not disappointed.

Overall the trip to Maxwell's ended successfully.  I'm glad I went in and saw what this local market has to offer.  Although the deli did not blow me away, I'm going to make sure that I do some wine, beer, specialty foods, and meat shopping there.  They had some pretty cool stuff!

Lunch with the Ladies at Yvette Marie's Cafe

Hidden inside the Circa 1857 Art and Architecture antique shop is a quaint little eatery called Yvette Marie's Cafe.  Run by the same culinary experts that do Bonanno's Fine Catering, Yvette Marie's specializes in soups, sandwiches, salads, hot lunch specials, and desserts!

The Exterior of Circa 1857 on Government Street

Last week I journeyed to Yvette Marie's for my first time along with two of my favorite lunch dates, Natalie and Laura.  The building itself is unique and eclectic with a very old school feel.  The old wooden floors and exposed wood rafters highlight the cafe and make the diner instantly feel at home. 

The Sign above the Counter at Yvette Marie's

At Yvette Marie's, the patron places their order at the counter and can then go sit in one of the multiple dining areas.  The weather wasn't perfect for outdoor dining, so we ventured upstairs to a room that is befitting of an antique store.  They also rent the space out for private dinners and parties, which would be a pretty cool venue.

I ordered a special soup of the day and a sandwich off the menu.  The Crab and Leek Soup was creamy and spectacular.  If they had it on their everyday menu I would suggest going just to try it.  Since it was a special, I'll suggest going and trying whatever they happen to have!  If the rest of their soups are this good then you certainly won't be disappointed. 

Crab and Leek Soup with the Jalapeno Chicken Sandwich at Yvette Marie's Cafe

I also ordered the Jalapeno Chicken Sandwich, which can be found on their every day menu.  The sandwich featured grilled chicken breasts, spinach, roasted red peppers, cheddar cheese, and garlic aioli on a jalapeno cheddar roll.  This sandwich was money!  The bread was soft and flavorful with just enough kick to make you know the jalapeno is there but not so much that it is overpowering.  The chicken was perfectly moist and tender while the roasted red peppers and aioli gave the sandwich a certain pizzazz that set it apart from other sandwiches.  I was very impressed with the sandwich and would certainly be willing to go back and try some other ones... or eat that one again!

Strawberry Cheesecake

And of course, what meal of this caliber would be complete without a little something sweet at the end?  On this day Yvette Marie's had a homemade strawberry cheesecake that I just couldn't pass up as it glared at me from its perch on the counter.  The cheesecake had a graham cracker crust, silky cream cheese center, large chunks of fresh strawberries, another layer of strawberry filling, and then white chocolate shavings sprinkled on top.  The strawberry cheesecake tasted as delicious as it looked and, sharing with Natalie, it was devoured in record time.  I freaking love cheesecake (hint hint to anybody who wants to make the blog)!

Chelsea's Cafe

Chelsea's Cafe is one of Baton Rouge's favorite establishments, and for good reason.  The new version of Chelsea's opened after the original was closed down due to the demolition of the shopping center that it was in at the North Gates of LSU.  Now situated underneath the Perkins Road overpass, Chelsea's has brought new life to the food and entertainment scene in the area.  Chelsea's is known for their food, live music, good drinks, and relaxed atmosphere in a setting that is unique, original, and locally owned.  It is a place that is 100% Baton Rouge, and towards the top of places to go to for any visitor coming to town.

Today I found myself at Chelsea's for lunch.  I met the two lovely ladies from the Voodoo BBQ post, Natalie and Laura, as well as my brother Eric, CMac, and Corey.  The six of us got situated at a booth and ordered a couple of apps for us to munch on as we chatted about life, work, and our LSU Tigers.

Hummus at Chelsea's Cafe

Spinach and Artichoke Dip at Chelsea's Cafe

The hummus at Chelsea's Cafe continues to be some of my favorite hummus in town.  There are a plethora of Greek and Mediterranean restaurants around town that do an excellent hummus, but Chelsea's is really something special.  They take the crushed chick peas and oil and place it on a plate with fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, a large wedge of fantastic feta cheese, and finish it off with some great Greek olives and garnish.  The hot pita bread that is served with hummus is also delicious and is another one of those perfect vehicles for delivering a quality dip to your mouth.

Our other appetizer was the spinach and artichoke dip.  Served with same pita bread as the hummus, this dip was equally as tasty.  Chelsea's uses large pieces of fresh artichoke in their dip, which sets it apart from some of the other SpinArt dips in town.  It has that great balance of spinach, artichoke, cream, and cheese which makes spinach and artichoke dip a wonderful dish.  My only complaint is that the pita bread, while just as good, does not accompany the spinach and artichoke dip like it does for the hummus.  I would prefer a different dipping and eating method such as a homemade crispy chip or toasted crouton.  I feel like a little crunch would go a long way in making this one of the better appetizers on the menu.

For my main lunch course I ordered one of my favorite sandwiches in town, the Fried Calamari and Parmesan Poboy.

         

The Calamari Poboy is simple and delightful.  It contains golden brown calamari and parmesan cheese served on a soft, chewy, buttery poboy bread.  It is served with french fries and a side of Chelsea's famous spicy tomato basil soup.  The poboy itself was great.  The calamari had the right proportion of chewiness and crunchiness and the bread was wonderfully baked.  The tomato basil soup was as good as always and certainly towards the top of my list of best soups in town, but you do have to like a little kick.  The french fries were average at best.  They were a little soggy, but still tasted fine with a little Heinz.

The trip to Chelsea's was a great way to spend my lunch break on a Friday afternoon.  We had a great group of friends, good conversation, delicious food, and all for an affordable price!  Chelsea's used to be one of my more frequented hang outs.  I'm not sure why that stopped because the food and the atmosphere are still as good as always.

Voodoo BBQ

Today I got picked up and taken to lunch by two gorgeous ladies (and fantastic people as well), Laura Gerdes and Natalie Manda.  We were driving out of downtown towards LSU, trying to decide where to eat lunch, and Laura suggested that we could go to Voodoo BBQ and Grill's newest location on Nicholson at the North Gates of campus.  Natalie and I thought that was a fantastic idea so we cruised on over.  Voodoo started in New Orleans in 2002 and quickly opened a location in Baton Rouge near Jefferson and Drusilla.  Their Nicholson Drive location is relatively new and I had never been there before, so I was pretty excited. 

Voodoo is not quite the traditional barbeque experience and atmosphere that is found all over Texas, but I applaud them for not trying to be something that they are not.  Genuine is best when it comes to barbeque, so I'm all about what Voodoo is trying to do.  They have a pretty good brand image which can be seen by the logo on their cup:

For lunch I decided on the Graveyard Platter which offers a choice of two meats from their selection of brisket, pulled pork, jerk chicken, BBQ chicken, and sausage as well as two sides and slice of toast.  I would have gotten the pulled pork but Laura got some and agreed to share it with me so I went with the brisket and sausage.  For sides I chose the rattlesnake beans to see how they compare to all the other baked beans I've had in my day, and then I went the girls' suggestion and stayed pretty simple with the french fries.  Good decision, thanks ladies!

Overall I was pretty happy with the platter.  The fries were fresh, well seasoned, and spot on.  That was definitely a good call.  It turns out that when you really think about it, it is easy to screw up a french fry.  I usually do not get them as a side item when I have the option unless I know they're good.  These were that good, and I'm happy I got them over the mac n' cheese, potato salad, or cole slaw.  The rattlesnake beans were good but I've have had comparable or better baked beans many times.  The toast was a little questionable.  It tasted like it came out of the freezer.  It may not have, I'm an amatuer, not an expert, but it sure had that frozen Texas Toast vibe all over it.  I would have preferred several slices of white bread to sop up the sauces (more on that in a second)! 

The sausage was moist, properly sliced, and flavorful.  It did not have much heat to it, but the essense of a good sausage was there.  The brisket was also a nice meat.  Slow-smoked and tender, the brisket was better than average and about as good as I've had at a restaurant in Baton Rouge.  Also on the money was the pulled pork that I sampled from Laura's plate.  I really should have gotten my own, but I'm glad I got to try all three.

But the true mark of any good BBQ joint is in the sauce.  Voodoo had three to choose from, although only one was a traditional barbeque sauce.  Their signature Mojo sauce has the sweet and smooth flavors that you usually find in a good sauce.  They also featured a Mango Crystal sauce that was a watered-down, flavored version of Crystal brand hot sauce.  Not bad, but not what I think about adding to my barbeque.  The third sauce had some real potential.  It is a vinegar and cane sugar sauce that belongs on a pulled pork sandwich or right on top of your french fries.  I was very glad to be able to taste it with some of Laura's pulled pork... man, that was good.  The vinegar and cane sugar sauce was very runny, as most vinegar sauces like that are.  It was difficult to use it as a dipping sauce for the fries, so the best method of attack was right on top!

It is great to find some good barbeque in Baton Rouge.  I've known Voodoo was there, but I hadn't been since the first location opened.  There are a few other barbeque places in town, but it doesn't seem like any of them get much love.  Maybe they should.  Or maybe we we should just do a little Third Row style barbeque at FFT before the Florida game!  Yeah, I think we'll do that.