Wish You Were Here: Postcards from Our 2015 Travels

by Sydney Blanchard

As much as we at team Bite and Booze love to celebrate the local culinary scene, on occasion we don't mind checking out other cities and seeing the best they have to offer.

We got to do a good bit of traveling in 2015, and obviously we blogged about it. Check out our take on Oxford, Shreveport, Oklahoma City, and New York!

Oxford, Mississippi

"Oxford doesn't preen or parade; it waits patiently to unravel itself to curious passersby."

"There’s plenty of old school historic Oxford to fall in love with, but it’s the vibrant group of new culinary talent that captured my attention."

Shreveport, Louisiana

"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. "

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

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"If there’s one thing I learned about Oklahoma, it’s that it isn't what you'd expect."

"I'm okay with Jay shipping me off to Oklahoma any day. The people are passionate and forward-thinking in a way that's making room for some very cool stuff."

New York, New York

"While winning a James Beard Award is one of the ultimate milestones of a career in the culinary arts, getting invited to cook at the James Beard house is also one of those monumental achievements for aspiring chefs."

"No trip to Momofuku Noodle Bar would be complete without a walk to their sister bakery Milk Bar a few blocks away."

Best Bites of 2015: Blair's Picks

by Blair Loup

At the end of last year, Jay and I teamed up and narrowed down a list of the 10 best bites of food Jay had that year. In 2015, Team Bite and Booze grew to a team of three, and Jay, Sydney and I have traveled extensively throughout this year.

We all curated our own lists of the five best things we’ve eaten this year. It wasn’t easy, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go through any personal turmoil in making this decision.

These are the five most delicious, life-changing, fork dropping, emotionally involved bites I had the pleasure of eating this year.

Torta Ahogada at Araña New Orleans, LA

I’m not typically in the mood for sandwiches. It is what it is. I can’t explain it, but I could eat this any day, any time. All of the flavors and textures are everything I want: savory, fresh, pickled, spicy, sweet. The bitter/fruity nature of the chili sauce that drowns the torta harmonizes the dish like a rug that ties a whole room together. Every time I think about this dish or see this picture, I fight the urge to drive to New Orleans.

Torta Ahogada: Slow Roasted Pork on Bolillo Bread, Black Bean Purée, Avocado, Crema, Cotiga Cheese, Cumin Pickled Onion,
Spicy Chili Dipping Salsa

Smoked Duck Banh Mi Waffle at Waffle Champion Oklahoma City, OK

I had zero expectations for the Oklahoma City food scene when Jay shipped me off in May, and it blew me away. There are several places I wanted to try that weren't on our schedule, and I honestly can’t wait to plan a trip there soon. Seriously. Picking one item off of the menu at Waffle Champion is challenging, so I went with my heart. The smoked duck was on point; the pickled red onion gave a nice crunchy, acidic bite, and I’m all about pickled fresh jalapeños on anything. The right amount of duck fat soaked into the waffle, which made my life. If you’re ever in OKC, go to Waffle Champion and order this.

Smoked Duck Banh Mi Waffle packed with pickled veggies, jalapeño, and cilantro mayo

Beet Salad at Compère Lapin New Orleans, LA

I love beets. I’m not ashamed of that, and if there’s an item on a menu with beets on it, I will have it. I got the chance to hang out at Compère Lapin interviewing head bartender Abigail Gullo for my Women in Booze series. We talked about seasonal menus, and when she realized my appreciation for beets, she had them send out their beet salad. These perfectly, and I mean perfectly, roasted beets atop house made ricotta, a little Kale pesto, pistachios, and a rocking ciabatta toast point made me emotional.

Roasted Beets, House Ricotta, Kale Pesto, Ciabatta
Photo Courtesy: Compère Lapin

Besh Shrimp at The Second Line Oxford, MS

Born and raised in Louisiana, I’ve never really caught on to the whole New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp thing. I can appreciate it, and I think it tastes okay, but it’s not my favorite Louisiana dish. Recently on a trip to Oxford, Mississippi, at Chef Kelly English's  Second Line, I had the best BBQ shrimp dish of my life. Obviously named after one of Chef Kelly’s mentors, John Besh, this New Orleans style BBQ shrimp dish had me on that feeling you’re supposed to get when you bite into a York Peppermint Patty. Executive Chef Meredith Pittman runs a tight ship at the Lousiana-inspired eatery with a lovely staff of devoted and talented students. I could eat these Besh Shrimp until the end of my days. It legit made me feel feelings.

Besh Shrimp at Second Line in Oxford, MS

Mole Burrito at El Limon Wayne, PA

When I took a trip up to Wayne, Pennsylvania (outside of Philadelphia) for one of my best friends’ graduation from Villa Nova, he took me to a local Mexican Taqueria, El Limon. Authentic Latin American cuisine is one of my soft spots, but the mole at this place is unreal. We tried several menu items there, but I dreamt about this mole the rest of the trip. That’s right…we went back for more. The cravings were so strong; I had to have that roasty, toasty, spicy goodness twice in one week.

Mole Burrito at El Limon in Wayne, PA

The Time Jay Shipped Me Off to Oklahoma for a Week: Part I

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

The first time Jay sent me on a media trip to represent Bite and Booze, I didn’t know what to expect.

Typically, these kinds of press trips are orchestrated by convention and visitors bureaus to familiarize other travel writers and bloggers with the area in hopes that we’ll like what we see and encourage others to travel to said destination.

I had zero expectations on my first media trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. Originally, I couldn't imagine what Shreveport had to offer that was worth writing about. But during the trip, I was blown away by all the cool things to eat, drink, and do in Shreveport.

With this in mind, when Jay asked if I wanted to go on a trip to Oklahoma City and Stillwater, Oklahoma, I immediately agreed and booked my plane tickets.

Similar to Shreveport, if there’s one thing I learned about Oklahoma, it’s that it isn't what you'd expect.

After indulging in a big (literally physically large) country dinner at Toby Keith's, we enjoyed an informative water taxi ride through Bricktown at sunset before we crashed at the beautiful boutique Ambassador hotel.

Learning about how the Bricktown development came to be with my buddy Karen Dawkins. She admittedly likes me more than Jay. It's the small victories in life that keep you going.

The lovely ladies at Visit OKC had us up early to show us a different side of town where we had the chance to enjoy an authentic Guatemalan breakfast at Cafe Kacao. If you've never eaten breakfast plates piled high with chorizo, black beans, avocado, eggs, and plantains, I highly suggest reevaluating your lifestyle.

Shorty after we were seated, I realized why Tabbi and Brittany from Visit OKC had us up so early. The place stays packed.

Traditional Guatemalan Breakfast at Cafe Kacao

I know what you're thinking...

"Blair, where does a girl like you find herself on the average OKC afternoon? Surely you aren't eating the entire time."

It is impossible to eat all day long, so we took a couple of breaks to tour the American Banjo Museum, home to the largest collection of banjos in the world.

Later, we visited ACM@UCO, a highly esteemed school of music run by the manager of The Flaming Lips, zip-lined across a river much to my chagrin (I have a fear of heights), and had the opportunity to tour the Oklahoma Memorial.

My roommate encouraged me to visit the Memorial, and I'm ashamed to admit I didn't know what it was all about at first. In my defense, I was born in 1991, and my history classes in school never mentioned the bombing. So let's just blame the Louisiana public school system for that one.

The Memorial was emotional and beautiful, and I'm glad I carved out the time to visit. 

The Oklahoma Memorial

Enjoying an Oklahoma brew at Bleu Garten

After a long and exhausting day, I rushed back to the hotel to get ready for drinks at an amazing food truck park/bar, Bleu Garten, and dinner at a farm-to-table restaurant called Ludivine.

The highlight of the meal was demolishing bone marrow and doing bone marrow luge shots around the table.

Afterward, we hit up the restaurant's sister cocktail bar, R & J Lounge and Supper Club for some classic, stuck-in-time cocktails.

Bone Marrow at Ludivine

Most of what I ate in OKC lived up to my standards, but it was our last meal that piqued my interest.

Waffle Champion is everything Leslie Knope ever dreamed of. Sweet waffles, savory waffles, and gourmet sodas to boot; Waffle Champion made me hungry for more of Oklahoma City.

Smoked Duck Banh Mi Waffle packed with pickled veggies, jalapeño, and cilantro mayo

The thing I enjoy most about traveling is discovering great restaurants and bars, and Oklahoma City has plenty of them. We got the chance to try out a handful of cool establishments, but there’s still more to discover, and I can’t wait to go back. From drinking out of a red solo cup in Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar and Grill to zip lining across the Oklahoma River, to doing a luge shot of whiskey out of a bone, I did it all in OKC.