Best of the Southwest: Get in on the Lake Charles action

by Sydney Blanchard

Never let anyone tell you there's not much going on in Southwest Louisiana. In the beginnings of a huge economic boom, the region is looking forward to rapid growth, and with rapid growth comes new reasons to check out the blossoming Lake Charles area.

Southwest Louisiana has always been good about entertaining people. With killer food, music, and culture seeping out of the area, it's made its mark as a Louisiana tourism destination.

Check out some of our favorite blog posts of the past year that highlight the best parts of Lake Charles.

Well, Hot Dog!

Kobe Beef Frank topped with Mac n' Cheese, Feta, Pickled Jalapeños, Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce and Bacon

"Botsky's has a modern, grayscale interior with pops of color from framed pictures and wall decor to napkin holders featuring movie characters holding a Botsky's hotdog with talking bubbles singing the restaurant's praises. It's unique, it's real, and it's just what the Lake Area needs more of."

Red Hot Ember

Stuffed Rabbit Loin: Pancetta Wrapped, Potato Purée, Natural Jus
Photo: Dan Jones

"There's way more going on amid the rice and crawfish ponds than even the natives give themselves credit for. And with a thriving casino industry bringing folks in from Texas as well as some huge industrial developments, I can only imagine that the next couple years will really see Lake Charles shine."

Pop Culture on Ice

(Your Own) Personal Ginger, Save a Pear, and Same Rosewater As You
Photo: Anna Sprigg

"These guys aren't playing around with these pops. The flavors they're creating are very layered and complex, but don't mistake that for intimidating."

Wild 'N Out

Sunchoke velouté en crôute with duck confit

"Chef Mohamed combines his background in traditional French cuisine with a dedication to the local ingredients Louisiana has to offer to create mouth-watering, seasonal menus."

Get Away From It All

Smoked boudin from Rabideaux's Sausage Kitchen

"Admittedly, Lake Charles isn't always the first place that comes to mind when I dream up day trips or weekend excursions, but after a recent stay in the Boudin Capital of Louisiana, it's safe to say I've converted."

Pop Culture on a Stick: Pops and Rockets in Lake Charles

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

From top to bottom: (Your Own) Personal Ginger, Save a Pear, and Same Rosewater As You
Photo Credit: Anna Sprigg

Recently I went back home to Sulphur/Lake Charles for the first installment of the Louisiana Winter Beer Festival. Event organizer Nick Villaume invited me to the festival and suggested that I should check out this popsicle business he and a friend started up called Pops and Rockets. He described them as "gourmet pops with an '80s music theme."

 "Oh hell yes," I replied.

I couldn't have been more excited to be attending a craft beer event in my home town with one of my good friends/down-the-street neighbors, Anna Sprigg. Nick instructed us to find his partner Robbie Austin and have him take us to their pop-eration (my words, not his). He said his partner could better explain some of the flavors. Maybe it's because Robbie is a teacher: high school theology and college art. As well as a gourmet popsicle maker.

You know, just the average day in Lake Charles.

Nick had the idea to start up a gourmet pop business, but Robbie wasn't buying it. One day Robbie started thinking of '80s lyrics and pop flavors and caved into Nick's pop demands. They've now sold over 5,000 pops just from pop-up business, special events, and the local farmer's market.

Robbie told Anna and me all of this as he led us into a shady storage area where a tiny and brightly-colored structure stood containing deep freezers and a pasteurizer. We started opening pops and talking about flavor profiles. 

Co-owner of Pops and Rockets, Robbie Austin and I have a connection.
Photo Credit: Anna Sprigg

The first one I tried was (Your Own) Personal Ginger made with coconut milk, ginger, and honey. Spicy, creamy, and just mind blowing-ly satisfying. While this one topped my list, the Save a Pear with spiced pear and golden raisins is my ideal Fall weather pop.

Anna went to town on the Same Rosewater As You made with raspberry, cherry, and rosewater. It was super refreshing. The tartness of the berries mellowed out the floral notes of the rosewater. This one would be perfect on a hot Louisiana day. 

These guys aren't playing around with these pops. The flavors they're creating are very layered and complex, but don't mistake that for intimidating.

Their goal is to up production of their pops to meet the demand they're faced with at farmer's markets. Check out their Facebook page in the link above to stay hip to the latest pop news. 

Shiny New Toys: A Taste of Shreveport-Bossier's New Kids on the Block

While there are plenty of Shreveport-Bossier staples, some of which we covered yesterday, there are also some new kids on the block that aren't afraid to make a scene. One of those is Sevendipity Café. Husband and wife duo Scott and Liz Roebuck have taken a whack at the famed Cronut (fried croissant dough in the shape of a donut)...but what's more is Scott's Creauxnuts! He fills alternating pockets with different fillings, hits them with a glaze and then blows your mind. Simply put, this guy has creauxnuts that make you go nuts, and has been selling hundreds a week. If you're ever in the area, you've got to stop by--word on the street is they have phenomenal lunch as well. Before you try anything though, you have to have a slice of their homemade bread. It is, as Scott Roebuck says, "our bread and butter."

Sevendipity's Homemade Bread topped with fresh Mayhaw Jelly

This particular creauxnut, filled with raspberry blackberry filling and banana filling melted in my mouth. The citrus glaze brightened up the flavors and the crushed pistachios added a nice texture element to the dough.

Raspberry Blackberry & Banana Filled Creauxnuts with a Citrus Glaze and Crushed Pistachios

Frank's Pizza Napoletana opened its doors in 2012. The area's only true Pizza Napoletana, Frank gave us a show of some of his best pies served with some Great Raft beer. They have excellent salads and pastas served alongside some phenomenal cocktails as well!

First up: The Crawfish Lagniappe Pizza. One would think the flavors of Louisiana don't belong on a pizza, but one would be wrong. With spicy sautéed Louisiana crawfish covered in Cajun Trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery), roasted Andouille sausage, Creole roasted garlic panna, Pecorino Romano, homemade Mozzarella, and a spritz of basil oil the flavors came together so well, I like to think of it as the gumbo of pizza.

The Crawfish Lagniappe Pizza

The Too Duckin' Good pizza at Frank's is, well, better than good! An Italian flour dough is topped with Panna, Parmigiano, caramelized onions, fontina, gorgonzola, house made Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Confit, sliced pears and then drizzled with a little local honey. If you've never tried a rich, decadent pizza, you're missing out. This pie had character and a luscious flavor profile that would go great with a bottle of red wine.

The Too Duckin' Good Pizza

The Margherita Pizza

Hot Passion Geauxsicle: Pineapple, Passion Fruit, and Jalapeño

There's nothing like grabbing a gourmet popsicle after a day of exploring Shreveport! Luckily for us, Shreveport is home to a killer popsicle shop: Geauxsicles. Geauxsicles is located in an old bank where they use the deposit drawer to transport drive-thru patrons their tasty pops. They have a bunch of flavors to choose from so it was hard to make and delicious decisions! I went for the Hot Passion...this icy treat was made with fresh pineapple, jalapeños, and passion fruit. The spice kicks you in the back of the throat like a stubborn mule but the sweetness of the fresh fruit balances everything out. If you want to try some, you can have them shipped right to your door!

Last but not least, Great Raft Brewing Co. is making a crazy amount of waves in the craft beer scene. The first brewery to open up in Shreveport since before prohibition has recently been named one of the "10 New Breweries to Watch, from D.C. to California" by Bon Appétit and they have rooted themselves in the heart of locals. One of my favorite things about the brewery is their taproom. It has a great design and atmosphere, their pint glasses are unique, and the owners and staff couldn't be friendlier. Specializing in both lagers and ales, Great Raft has three year-round brews and quite a few seasonal taps as well. Their flagships, Southern Drawl Pale Lager, Reasonably Corrupt Black Lager, and Commotion American Pale Ale are super popular and come in beautifully designed cans as well as on tap. If you're ever up in North Louisiana, stop by, grab a pint with some friends and taste some food from local food trucks that park on their loading dock!

Restaurant IPO Coffee Dinner and National Coffee Day

Good Morning

Chef Chris Wadsworth took on a new challenge with the attitude of an expert who had been there before.  Actually, he had.  In 2010, while serving as the Executive Chef at Nottoway Plantation, Chef Wadsworth won the annual WYES Cooking with Community Coffee contest.  He created a five course meal using ten different Community Coffee roasts.  Invited to cook again in 2012, Chef Wadsworth, who now runs the kitchen at Baton Rouge's latest smash hit, Restaurant IPO, decided to one up himself.  Or maybe two up.  He created a seven course tasting menu utilizing fourteen different Community Coffee roasts.  Since tomorrow, September 29th, is National Coffee Day, I thought I'd share the meal with you.  Chris decided to title the meal "A Day at the Office" in reference to The Office Bar that sits upstairs as well as the incessant need for coffee during a routine day at the office.  The dinner also came paired very well with wines from Republic National.  All of the pairings were fantastic despite me not really getting into them here.  

Warm Up

Cleverly naming his seven courses by activities in one's daily grind, we began with the Good Morning: creamy Louisiana grits accented with Breakfast Blend roasted grillades and garnished with a sunny side up quail egg and French Roast drizzle.  These may have honestly been the best grits and grillades I've ever had.  The pork had plenty of flavor and bolstered the grits with its fork tender form.  The use of the coffees came in huge as the drizzle had an elegant bittersweet combination that played well off the richness of the egg.  After this course, I couldn't wait to see what would come next.   Course two quickly came to be known as the warm up.  It featured a soup of garden carrots pureed in a blend of mirepoux and local honey laced with Cinnamon Roll Roast and highlighted by a Colombian Roast infused oil.  The soup brought about a sweetness from the carrots and honey in a refreshingly clean and palate pleasing way.  After the richness of the first course, this soup definitely warmed us up for what was still to come.

Getting Dressed

During any day, one of the first things we do is get dressed.  The Getting Dressed course rightly had a unique salad dressing of its own.  The dish featured baby mixed greens with baked Hazelnut goat cheese and pears tossed in an Almond Amaretto dressing.  The coffee balance had to be very delicate with the salad an Chef certainly pulled that off.  The goat cheese was crusted in ground up coffee that actually worked extremely well to deliver a unique flavor while not being overpowering.  The pears and greens worked very well with the dressing that had just a hint of the nutty sweet coffee roast.

Off to Work

After getting dressed it was off to work for the patrons at the WYES Cooking with Community dinner.  Our fourth course consisted of Pecan Praline smoked duck breast accompanied by a Medium Roast berry compote and crispy duck cracklins.  While the duck had been cooked past the ideal medium rare stage, it didn't present a problem with this dish because of the smoked flavors.  The duck didn't dry out and combined with the berry compote, made one heck of a dish.  Not to mention any time you have duck skin cracklins, you can't complain one lick!

Lunch Time

Lunch time came during the day at the office, and it most definitely did not disappoint.  This course tied with the grits and grillades as my two favorites, and it's not hard to see why.  The plate had a prime beef medallion rubbed with Cafe Special and topped with a 5-Star Hotel Blend demi.  It came served over a sweet potato hash and garlic braised spinach.  The steak's magnificent medium rare center cut apart with a butter knife.  The charred coffee rub on the outside lit up the steak with flavor while the sweet potato hash, cooked up with bacon, and the spinach were excellent choices with which to surround such a prize piece of beef.  I could eat this every day.

Break!!!

Our break came with a little play on a palate cleansing sorbet.  The Chocolate Almondine popsicle was one of Chef Wadsworth's more daring creations, but it certainly worked.  It had plenty of chocolate and coffee flavors in a frozen treat.  I only wish it would have served in between the duck and the steak courses to further accentuate the play on a sorbet rather than as a second dessert.  While it may not have cleansed the palate like a smooth fruity sorbet would have, it also would have broken up the two protein rich courses and the two sweet desserts.  Despite that, the popsicle worked brilliantly as a risky play to serve at a seven course wine dinner, and I applaud the chef for pulling it off!

The Drive Home

The meal ended with the way a day at the office ends: the drive home.  The Chicory and chocolate molten lava cake overflowed with Vanilla Nut ganache and came topped with Irish Cream ice cream scooped table side.  The cake had a moist brownie batter type center with chocolate and vanilla flavors, but the real highlight was the ice cream.  

The entire dinner seemed like a huge hit for everyone in attendance.  Chef Chris Wadsworth made a bold and daring dinner with seven courses and fourteen coffee roasts.  His attitude is refreshing for a chef that is new to Baton Rouge but really trying to make an impression.  He ended the dinner by saying he didn't cook this dinner to win the Cooking with Community contest.  He cooked this dinner to win it again.  After eating it, I'd be surprised if he doesn't.