Month of Salads: MJ's Cafe

by Jay D. Ducote

I started the month of salads in 2013 as a way to trick myself into eating more greens. I also wanted to feature salads that are worthy of consumption as a meal. Believe or not, they do exist. I found this fresh caprese inspired salad at MJ's Cafe on Jefferson Hwy. in Baton Rouge, and it definitely proved worthy of writing about.

The gorgeous plate of veggies featured fresh basil along with organic baby greens, ripe creole tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic vinaigrette. Playing on the tomato-basil-mozzarella caprese salad, this version had even more to offer in the way of flavor. MJ's is always a go-to for me when I need a nice comfort meal that's fresh and local. Their salads, soups, sandwiches, and quiches are always top notch, second only to Maureen's warm smile. It is a true gem in Baton Rouge.

Month of Salads: Nino's Italian

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Unlike my two counterparts, I embrace the Month of Salads with open arms. I am a long-time lover of vegetables, and I can go to town on a salad.

The Grilled Heart salad at Nino's Italian in Baton Rouge, LA

Maybe I just haven't lived enough life, but this is the only time someone's brought a steak knife to the table for my salad.

Nino's Italian is known for its fresh, in-house pastas and Chef/Owner Elton Hyndman's dedication to the local slow food movement, but when I think of Nino's, their Grilled Heart salad is the first thing on my mind.

Grilling the heart of Romaine gives it that grill taste: not charred, but charred-esque. Drizzled with a local honey and goat cheese dressing, salted with the hearty Pancetta, and topped with sharp Parmesan cheese, the warm Grilled Heart salad is worthy of love, even for the salad skeptic who considers greens to be rabbit food (looking at you Jay Ducote).

Month of Salads: Barefoot's at the Hilton Sandestin

Blackened Grouper Salad at Barefoot's

by Jay D. Ducote

Sometimes I just need to eat a salad, and thus, two years ago I created the Month of Salads on Bite and Booze. The idea is two-fold: first, I need to eat more salads and this seemed like a good way to trick myself into feasting like a rabbit. Secondly, salads CAN be good, and we here at Bite and Booze need to focus a little more on them. So now every August on the blog that's what we do.

Recently on a trip to Destin for the Beer Industry League of Louisiana's annual convention, I enjoyed several meals with beach views at Barefoot's, a poolside bar and grill at the Hilton Sandestin. For one of those meals, as the Month of Salads is designed to encourage me to do, I ordered a salad.

I went with a blackened grouper salad, served with an adequately spiced fish over a bed of organic mixed greens with spiced pecans, roma tomatoes, carrot strings, and a citrus vinaigrette. The tartness from the lemon added a nice balance to the blackening spices on the fish. The rest of the salad did its job as the pecans added a delightful textural balance. And the other good news: I felt pretty light and chipper for the rest of my day at the beach!

Month of Salads: Lüke

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

There is nothing like the taste of a real tomato, you know? One that grew up basking in sunlight, and wasn't picked until it was perfectly ripe on the vine.

As a kid, I loved the tomatoes my grandmother grew on our ancestral family farm. Picked, sliced, and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper, homegrown garden tomatoes were all I ate in the summer.

Now, I mostly only have access to grocery store tomatoes. And they just don't cut it for me. They're pale and they taste like nothing.

But recently at John Besh's Lüke (located on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans), I had the pleasure of eating the best tomato salad of my life.

Heirloom tomato salad at Lüke in New Orleans

Lüke's heirloom tomato salad consists of sliced heirloom tomatoes, garden herbs, burrata, and country ham.

Heirloom tomatoes just taste better. In recent years, this non-hybrid tomato has become more readily available, and I can't get enough of them.

The burrata adds a nice touch. For the uninitiated, burrata is an Italian cheese made from combining mozzarella and cream.

It's simple, but it works. And it tastes like my childhood.

Month of Salads: Mansurs on the Boulevard

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

I've only recently begun eating duck, and it's quickly become a menu item I gravitate toward.

Recently when Team Bite and Booze ventured to Mansurs on the Boulevard for our month of salads, I spotted the Warm Duck Salad, and it spoke to me.

Grilled duck medallions, along with pecans, bleu cheese, and dried cherries, sit atop a bed of spinach drizzled with a rosemary raspberry vinaigrette. It's the perfect combination of sweetness, warmth, crunch, and cheesiness. 

Warm Duck Salad at Mansurs on the Boulevard

Unlike other salads, this one goes for warm and hearty over crisp and refreshing, and the combination of the duck and spinach kept me full until dinner! This is a great option for the meat eater trying to get some greens in their diet (me).

Month of Salads: The Salad Shop

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard 

The Salad Shop has endless salad options

Ah, August. It's the month I look forward to the most. Not only because it's my birth month (and Jay's), but because it's the much-anticipated MONTH OF SALADS at Bite and Booze.

What is the month of salads, you ask? It's a time when Team Bite and Booze reflects on all the unhealthy food we constantly shove into our faces for the sake of food blogging and tries to correct that with nothing but GRASS for an entire month.

I'm generally of the opinion that salad isn't real food. Carrots? Spinach? Heck, that's rabbit food!

Jay's salad

But this month may change that opinion. Especially after we dropped in for lunch at The Salad Shop on Perkins. Oh boy, have I ever been missing out.

Jay and Blair went with custom salads.

Jay went with a spinach and arugula mix topped with beets, carrots, craisins, walnuts, and Hanley's avocado dressing.

Blair opted for romaine and arugula mix topped with red onion, edamame, sun dried tomatoes, bacon, sunflower seeds, feta, avocado, and Hanley's Sensation dressing.

I hate building my own anything: salads, sandwiches, wraps, you name it. It stresses me out to have too many options!

That's why I went with the Fiery Fiesta, one of The Salad Shop's creations. I swapped out the spinach for romaine, but I kept all the other toppings the same: avocado, pico de gallo, red bell pepper, black beans, corn, and tortilla strips topped with jalapeño ranch dressing.

My take on the Fiery Fiesta

I actually finished the whole thing.

The Salad Shop is great because you can build your own salad if that's your thing or you can pick a deliciously crafted salad of their menu.

Month of Salads #9: Beausoleil

Beausoleil's Grilled Shrimp Pasta Salad

Beausoleil gets a lot of recognition for their curried chicken salad sandwich on their brunch and lunch menu, but their other versions of salad also highlight bold flavors that come together in a way that has this big guy craving something a little greener. I'm a huge fan of their seafood salad, but I ventured out of my norm for this post and gave their grilled shrimp pasta salad a try. The skewered grilled shrimp were lightly seasoned, superbly succulent, and slightly warmed atop a cool pasta salad. A rainbow of Rotini pasta dressed with a pistou sauce which is essentially a Provençal pesto with cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil was satisfying without weighing me down. For an added fresh bite, some red onion, peas, and tomatoes round out the textures and flavors. Chef Nathan takes things to an entirely different level with goat cheese. It marries all of the flavors together and makes this a truly restaurant quality pasta salad.

Month of Salads #8: Bistro Byronz

Bistro Byronz Blackened Shrimp Salad

Bistro Byronz presents a lovely dining option nestled sweetly in Mid-City Baton Rouge. I brunched there the day after Fête Rouge with the ladies from Visit Baton Rouge as well as the great group of food bloggers that took to the town for the weekend. With a lot of water and several cups of coffee, I seemed to be on the way to Fête Rouge recovery. We also devoured plenty of bleu cheese chips and french toast beignets to get started, which certainly helped. Since August is the Month of Salads, I felt the blackened shrimp salad calling my name! Spicy shrimp atop a spritely bed of mixed greens were accompanied by Mandarin oranges, feta crumbles and one of the most gorgeous sliced avocados I've seen. The salad presented crunchy, spicy, and sweet flavors with an orange rosemary vinaigrette and served as a nice pick me up from my wine hangover!

Month of Salads #7: Pronto Truck

The Pronto Truck's Baja Shrimp Cob Salad

Gourmet Girls Fine Catering has recently spawned the Pronto Truck. A drop of bright yellow sunlight at the base of the Perkins Road Overpass is the new "it girl" on the grab and go lunch scene. Gourmet Girls started the Pronto Truck because people kept trying to go to their storefront for lunch. After the demand began to grow they decided to cook items on a changing lunch menu in the Gourmet Girls kitchen, pack them up, and sell them through the Pronto Truck window. I went on Taco Tuesday and had their pulled chicken tacos. They were quite tasty once put together, but I imagine they would have been even better had they been assembled to order. Having that said, I had been seeing pictures of their good looking salads for days on Instagram and had to pop over and give one of them a try as well. The Baja Shrimp Cobb Salad contained every bit of crispness and deliciousness that I would expect from Gourmet Girls. Lovely boiled shrimp over mixed greens with cucumber, carrots, and tomatoes with a salsa ranch dressing provided a fresh bite on a seriously warm day. I look forward to trying the other salads they come up with.

Month of Salads #6: MJ's Café

The peach and blueberry salad at MJ's Café

MJ's has been one of my favorite hidden gems in Baton Rouge for several years now. Despite my carnivorous ways, popping in to MJ's for a freshly made soup, vegetarian sandwich, or a locally constructed salad really hits the spot for me at lunch time. Maureen Joyce, the owner, has always made it a point to serve the freshest and most local ingredients she can get her hands on. While she has a regular menu, I tend to stick to the rotating soups and salads of the day. This particular salad was made with fresh Louisiana peaches and blueberries atop a bed of mixed greens, fresh feta cheese, and roasted Louisiana pecans. The flavors worked so well that once Blair finished Instagramming and eating her cup of pinto bean soup, she took one bite of the salad and proceeded to praise the merits of the fresh flavors and diverse textures until her bowl contained no more. If you're ever in the mood for something amazingly delicious and local, stop in and let Maureen set you up!

Month of Salads #5: The Salad Shop

My Creation at The Salad Shop

After listening to one too many sad attempts made by Blair to change the lyrics to 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" to something about salad, I finally made it in to The Salad Shop for lunch. They have eight signature salads for the indecisive, but the coolest thing about The Salad Shop is their "build your own salad feature." While you can find this model at a few other places in town, The Salad Shop has four different types of lettuce, 52 toppings, and 16 dressings to choose from (you can even turn your salad into a wrap). It's like the mad scientist lab of salads! I mixed some romaine and arugula together and added in edamame, sliced almonds, feta cheese, red onions, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, and avocado and had it tossed in Hanley's Sensation Salad Dressing! They throw it all in a bowl, chop it to bits, and boom! Whether you're on the go or have a minute to sit down and relax, The Salad Shop is a great place to veg out.

Month of Salads #4: Fresh Junkie

Fresh Junkie's Brick House Salad

If you're like me, you're on the go a lot for lunch throughout the week. Whether it is lunch meetings or grabbing a quick bite to hold you over, that midday meal is always a focal point. On a recent pass through downtown I made a point to hit up the new location for Fresh Junkie. You won't find any tables inside, but there are plenty places to sit in the lovely and adjacent North Boulevard Town Square. At Fresh Junkie you can build your own salad or wrap or choose one of their signature blends that are absolutely delicious. My favorite is the Brick House: romaine, mixed greens, grilled asparagus, edamame, red bell peppers, carrot sticks, grape tomatoes, parmesan, and the brick house dressing. All of their dressings are made in house and the ingredients are as fresh as the name implies. If you're ever in the area or at the Main Street Market, swing by and grab some healthy and satisfying! And if you want to see Pat Fellows, the owner, and I making some wraps on a food truck, then check out this video from last year's 225: Into the Mix series!

Month of Salads #3: Oscar's Ice Cream & Pizza Joint

Oscar's Ice Cream & Pizza Joint's Chef's Salad

It doesn't take science to figure out what you should go to Oscar's for. Oscar's has some creative and beyond delicious pizzas, a decent craft beer selection, and homemade ice cream; that's all you need right? Wrong--they're also home to great starters and hearty salads. I tried the Chef's Salad, a gorgeous mound of baby spinach, romaine, tomato, cucumber, mozzarella cheese, pepperoncini peppers, red onion, kalamata olives, grilled chicken, and ham. I'm a big guy, but I can dig on some salad and the best part of this plate was the heaping helping of chicken and ham that overtook this salad. You will not go hungry at Oscar's if you choose something a little more green!

Month of Salads #2: Juban's

Juban's Marinated Seafood & Avocado Salad

When one thinks of Juban's, the words fine dining, hallelujah crab, and honey bourbon typically come to mind. While Juban's has been a staple and a standard for fine dining in the Baton Rouge area for over 30 years, they're also a phenomenal lunch spot. Their salads are crazy good and this Marinated Seafood and Avocado salad is one of my favorites. There's nothing better than fresh Louisiana Seafood over some crisp greens on a hot Baton Rouge day. Putting avocado on salads is something I've recently come to really enjoy. It's smooth and buttery, but it also adds a unique texture and brightness to a salad that I find refreshing. Throw some fresh bell peppers and cracked pepper on top and call it a win!

Month of Salads #1: City Pork

City Pork House Salad

Throughout August, Bite and Booze will be featuring salads from restaurants all over Baton Rouge. Our goal is to find the best salads around town, eat them, and then blog about them. While I am keenly aware that salads aren't the usual fare, during the month of August I'm going to try to eat more of them. It'll be an adventure! Oh, and if you're interested, I did a Month of Salads last August too. Dig through the archives and find the posts!

The folks at City Pork Deli & Charcuterie are best known for their ability to crank out some serious house-cured meats, but there isn't one dish on their menu not worth getting. They have a few salads on their menu, and the House Salad boasts enough porky goodness for me to eat it every now and then. Mixed greens lightly coated in a balsamic vinaigrette are speckled white with crumbled bleu cheese making for a spot on salad. It wouldn't be City Pork without some bacon. Who needs croutons when your salad can be riddled with large cubes of house-cured swine? No one, that's who. Having that said, there are fresh cherry tomatoes and some lovely toasted bread slices... feel free to make your BLT and wash it down with an ice cold Tin Roof Juke Joint IPA!