Steakspiration in Baton Rouge and Beyond

by Daniel Harris

Any time is a good time for steak, and today is no exception. You can dress it up, getting the nicest cut from a five-star restaurant, or take the more approachable route by slicing it up and putting it in a taco.

No matter the presentation, you'll have to pry red meat out of Team Bite and Booze's cold dead hands. Here’s a look at some of the best steaks we’ve had (or served) over the years.

Doe's Classic Steak and Fries

Starting our journey through steak heaven with this classic, juicy steak from Doe’s.

Lucky Palace Steak with Onion & Bell Pepper 

The perfect trio at Lucky Palace in Bossier City.

Jay's Street Steak Tacos 

This easy to make recipe (using ingredients from Indie Plate) allows you to create your own delicious Steak Tacos.

SALT Steak with Veggies & Potatoes

This expertly cooked piece of steak pairs beautifully with the colorful bed of veggies and potatoes.

Jay’s Flank Steak, Fried Plantain & Chimmichurri Bites

Loving the color of these fried plantain/flank steak/chimichurri bites at this Latin American inspired private dinner we're doing for Baton Rouge Rotaract! It's always fun cooking in @courtneymholbrook's kitchen. #steak #latincuisine #plantains #steak #privatechef #cheflife

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Jan 7, 2016 at 5:20pm PST

18 Steak Ribeye

This great cut of meat is aged for 45 days before being cooked over a mix of mesquite, hickory, and pecan.

Jay's Skirt Steak Roulade 

This skirt steak roulade is made with Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce and fresh ingredients from Indie Plate.

Ember's Tomahawk

When in doubt #tomahawk. Amiright @laubergelc? #foodporn #foodpics #foodcoma #steaksteaksteaksteaksteaksteak

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Mar 6, 2016 at 7:27pm PST

Best of Bite and Booze: 10 Posts You've Viewed the Most

by Sydney Blanchard

Every now and then, in my role as Content Sheriff/Warden of the Web at Bite and Booze, I take a look at our blog stats to see what's working and what could use some tweaking. And the more I look, the more I learn about our audience.

Most of you are viewing our blog from the United States, followed closely by Portugal and then Norway. The majority of you (41 percent) are using Chrome to browse our site. And a large portion of you wind up reading our blog by clicking a link you saw on Facebook.

I'm also able to determine which of our posts are getting the most clicks to see what kind of content you, our audience, like to see on the blog.

From what I gather, y'all love boudin balls, fried food, yummy looking desserts, and women (in booze).

Below, you'll find a list of our top 10 blogs posts of the last year, as told by each post's page views.

Let us know what you'd like to see more or (or less of) in the comments!

1. Lucky Palace: You Either Get It or You Don't 3,128 views

Duck at Lucky Palace in Bossier City

"Here's the thing. Lucky Palace is situated in a seedy part of town within an interstate-side hotel. The parking lot looks like the kind of place where people meet up to buy or sell prescription pain medication. It's poorly lit, and getting to the restaurant requires entering through the yellowing, smoke-smelling hotel lobby. Entering Lucky Palace is akin to entering another dimension. Lucky palace exists in another place and time."

2. All Your Favorite Balls 2,612 views

Baton Rouge's best boudin balls

"We rounded up seven of our favorite balls from across the city, and left the deciding up to one man. Mr. Loup (progenitor of Blair Loup, Bite and Booze's Chief Confusion Coordinator) is a mustachioed, Opelous-born, Sulphur-raised Southern gentleman. Having grown up in "Boudin Country" and being accustomed to eating the best boudin the world has to offer, we felt Mr. Loup would be the perfect person to rank Baton Rouge ball scene. As an extra qualifier, he had never once eaten a Baton Rouge boudin ball before, so his opinion ethically lacked any preconceived notions."

3. Hymel's Classic Cajun Fare 2,407 views

Hymel's sign in Convent, Louisiana

"Recently, Team Bite and Booze had the opportunity to eat at the famous Hymel's in Convent, La., where beverages are served in gigantic fishbowls and seafood is served fried and in heaping quantities. Just about everything we ordered was fried."

4. Treat Yoself: A Sugary Sweet Dessert Roundup 2,160 views

Sour Patch Kid sorbet at Fisher's in Gulf Shores, Alabama

"Much to the horror of my dentist, I love to eat sweets. Gummy, stick-to-your-teeth candies rank the highest for me, followed closely by pastries, cookies, chocolate, and anything else that triggers tooth decay."

5. Fresh Takes on King Cake 2,103 views

Traditional King Cake from Calandro's

"The only time it's acceptable to accidentally bite into a baby, be it plastic or not, is when your slice of King Cake is the hiding space for the small trinket traditionally placed inside the cake."

6. Jay's First Thoughts on Crispy Catch 1,707 views

Surf and turf at Crispy Catch

"First things first: I enjoyed the food. No, it didn't stand out as revolutionary, inventive, or inspired. Then again, I don't believe anybody ever said that it would be."

7. Iverstine Family Farms, Uprooted 1,650 views

A curious pig at Iverstine Family Farms in Kentwood

"There’s a larger call to keeping your local economy booming by supporting people who are circulating their dollars into the local economy," Iverstine said. "Just like our animals work together on the pasture, there is defintiely this produce-consumer symbiotic relationship that has to happen."

8. Pam Sandoz: Professor of Pours 1,534 views

Pam Sandoz, owner of Slinky's

"Many things have changed around LSU’s campus over the years, but some things remain sacred. Slinky’s has held its residence on Chimes Street for 17 years. Home to the Lunch Box drop shot and underwear-ridden rafters, bar owner Pam Sandoz says each item on the walls has a story to tell, and she has more than a few."

9. Mary Lewis: Superintendent of Suds 1,490 views

Mary Lewis, Sales Manager at Mockler Beverage

"If there’s one thing Mary knows, it’s the beer business. Much of what we see as consumers is the boom of craft beers, which is a tiny speck in the universe of beverage distribution."

10. Goin' Up on a Tuesday: Best Tuesday Eats in BR 1,489 views

Fried chicken and greens at Chicken Shack

"If you're like me, weekends can be as busy and stress-inducing as any weekday. Washing and folding laundry, grocery shopping for the week and running errands sometimes leaves me and my squad no time to party on the weekend. The only solution, then, is to go up on a Tuesday."

Passport to Shreveport: International Cuisine Rules in the 318

by Sydney Blanchard

Growing up in South Louisiana, there are certain assumptions we make about "Northerners." And by Northerners, we are referring to anyone in Louisiana situated too far north of I-10/12. 

The general theory tossed around as I was growing up is that North Louisiana is essentially Yankee territory, with a disturbing lack of Catholics, culture, and alcoholic beverages. 

Not to say this theory is entirely false, but it's not entirely accurate either, as I discovered on our recent trip to Shreveport. 

As it turns out, Shreveport has quite the budding food scene. Alongside great Southern food, there exists an array of international delicacies that one would be remiss to skip. 

Here's a short list of some of the delicious, multicultural cuisine we enjoyed while visiting the Shreve!

Mexican Fare at Ki' Mexico

What began as a successful farmer's market salsa endeavor has since turned into the restaurant concept Ki' Mexico, owned by Rodrigo Mondragon, his brother Elezear and his mother Lido. Ki' Mexico serves up what they've dubbed "Mexican Soul Food." But this isn't your ordinary Mexican fare – their tacos feature cactus and pickled beets!

Vietnamese Dreams at Jimmy's Seafood and Steak

Jimmy's Seafood and Steak, nestled inside the Margaritaville Casino in Shreveport, serves up menu items you'd expect to see at a nice steak restaurant in a casino. What you wouldn't necessarily expect to see on the menu is Chef Frederick Ngo's Vietnamese clay pot fish dish, or braised fish swimming in a sweet and salty sauce that's unlike anything I've ever tasted before. Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau's Public Relations and Social Media Manager Chris Jay put it best: it would be a mistake to order a steak at Jimmy's knowing the clay pot fish is an option.

Chinese-American Perfection at Lucky Palace

Lucky Palace boasts some of the best Chinese-American cuisine in the state. I've previously written all about Lucky Palace on the blog. Trust me, this place is more than meets the eye. 

Dominican Realness at Sabores

Dominican flavor bursts through at Sabores. This small hole-in-the-wall joint offers a variety of bold dishes that highlight the best tastes of the region. Spicy meats, crispy fried plantains and surprising sauces are featured on the menu that might be hard to translate if you're not familiar with Spanish.

Latin American Flavor at El Cabo Verde

Gabriel Balderas is doing something major in Shreveport. Cooking with fresh, organic produce, he brings the flavors of Mexico to pop-up restaurants around the Shreveport-Bossier area. You can taste the difference fresh, local produce makes. Gabriel's tamale is out of this world, and we hear the tacos are pretty outstanding, too.

Tea Buzz at Rhino Coffee 

It turns out there are just as many tea nerds as there are beer nerds! Tea is similar to beer in a number of ways: there are endless varieties from all over the world, the flavors are distinctly different depending on number of factors, and drinking it results in a slight buzz. No kidding! Shreveport's Rhino Coffee offers a wide selection of teas, and even offers a tea program for tasting and learning about teas from all over. 

Lucky Palace in Bossier City: You Either Get It or You Don't

by Sydney Blanchard

Since I began as an intern with Bite and Booze nearly a year ago, I have heard whispers of Lucky Palace in Shreveport, Louisiana.

It's safe to say Jay and Blair are obsessed with the place: these two actively fantasize about the restaurant, and they tell everyone about this place if the topic of best places to eat ever comes up.

Sure, they say, the food is phenomenal, but that's not what makes Lucky Palace special. It's the location, the decor, the service.

It's the unexpectedness of it all.

So when Jay, Blair, and I were invited to hang out in Shreveport-Bossier with the tourism bureau's PR and Social Media Manager Chris Jay in late September, I stayed focused on my one true objective throughout our trip. I had to see whether Lucky Palace lived up to the hype.

Here's the thing. Lucky Palace is situated in a seedy part of town within an interstate-side hotel. The parking lot looks like the kind of place where people meet up to buy or sell prescription pain medication. It's poorly lit, and getting to the restaurant requires entering through the yellowing, smoke-smelling hotel lobby.

Entering Lucky Palace is akin to entering another dimension. Lucky palace exists in another place and time.

The interior is shrouded in red-tinged darkness. It's impossible to sense how large or small the place is, or to determine where the walls end and the floors begin.

Imagine a cross between a very ornate Chinese restaurant from the 1970s and the Red Room from David Lynch's Twin Peaks. That's the only way to describe Lucky Palace.

The menu offers typical "Chinese-American" fare: sesame, orange, and General Tso's chicken, egg drop soup, and egg rolls. But a keen observer will head straight for the House Specialties: Northern style duck with steam buns, squid with sour cabbage, Korean pancakes, and more.

Roasted Duck on Scallion Pancakes

It almost goes without saying that the food is incredible. The roasted duck on scallion pancakes makes for a perfect bite. The crunchy "pirate boats" filled with crisped scallops chopped and served on Belgium endives topped with black bean sauce is breathtaking. The sweet, pecan inspired sesame 

ball dessert is a dream.

Pirate Boats with Black Bean Sauce

Everyone agrees the food is exceptional, but Lucky Palace’s reputation was built on its highly curated selection of wines. They have more than 250 to choose from.

Tamarind Marinated Rack of Lamb with Jalapeno Mint Glaze

Since 2003 the restaurant has nabbed Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator, and since 2006 it's been recognized by Awards of Unique Distinction by Wine Enthusiast. Lucky Palace has also twice
been named in the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in America.

Steak with onion and bell pepper

The proprietor, Kuan Lim, is a local legend. His smile illuminates the dark restaurant. Lim excels in customer service, and he has the ability to make every diner feel looked after. He will personally pair a wine with any dish at Lucky Palace, and to quote Chris Jay, "this may be the world’s only restaurant that serves a $7 sesame chicken lunch special as well as a $760 bottle of 2002 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon."

Battered shrimp with peppers

After all the hype, I have to say, Lucky Palace exceeded my expectations. It’s easy to see how a place like this can be overlooked, and it made me ever grateful to be experiencing Lucky Palace with people who knew enough to appreciate it.

There's nothing like Lucky Palace.