Remarkable Root

Amuse at Root

Few restaurants in south Louisiana have gotten the buzz that Root in New Orleans mustered in 2012.  With a plethora of dining options in the Big Easy, it can be difficult for a rookie eatery to burst onto the scene, but Chef Phillip Lopez managed to do just that and more.  Root brings to life modern cuisine in Nola, rooted in traditional flavors and techniques.  But then they are twisted, mangled, and stretched.  They expand culinary palates and challenge even the most sophisticated taste buds.  Every dish plays with textures, flavors,  and art.

I had the chance to dine at Root recently, unannounced, and somewhat incognito.  I didn't get any special Bite and Booze treatment, nor did I ask for any.  I wanted the real experience.  I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.  Unequivocally, it did.  Joined by Lindsay and Kimmie, a couple friends from New Orleans, we drank, we dined, and we enjoyed.  Now for some food porn: admire this, and know that you can eat it yourself at Root!

Charcuterie selection featuring "Face" Bacon, Chocolate Espresso Cured Lamb Bresaola, and Cochon de Lait Porchetta

Louisiana Pickled Shrimp: Shrimp Stuffed Deviled Eggs, Truffled Egg Yolk Mousse

Palate Cleansing Sorbet made with Liquid Nitrogen

"KFC" Korean Fried Chicken Wings, Pepper Jelly Glaze, House-made Kimchi

Moroccan Goat Boxes, Winter Tabouil, Bergamot Goat Cheese, Compressed Cucumber Salad

Pumpkin Schumpkin: Indian Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream, Roasted Sesame Praline, Colombian Coffee Cake, Smoked Hay Peanut Butter Panna Cotta

Sweet Corn Caramel Flan: Salted Corn & Caramel Ice Cream, Vanilla Milk Foam, "Cracker Jacks"

I'm happy that I avoided the scallops in the cigar box.  Not because they aren't appetizing... I'm sure they are!  But rather because it is the dish that everyone had told me about.  The dish that I got 6 or 7 glimpses of while sitting in the dining room.  I could pretty much see it and taste it without having to order it.  But the dishes that I did order were sensational.  I'd gladly go back.  I'm also excited for Chef Lopez's next venture, Square Root, which will feature small seatings and outrageous tasting menus on Magazine Street.  Be on the look out for that in 2013!

BR Foodies Visit Latil's Landing at Houmas House

A group of Baton Rouge Foodies, proudly known quite simply as the BRFoodies, recently made a trip to Burnside and the famous Houmas House Plantation.  The historic house on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi is a thriving tourist and filming destination (including recent episodes of Bravo's Top Chef and Wheel of Fortune) with a Southern charm and beautiful gardens throughout the grounds.  My good friends Paul and Courtney got married at Houmas House and I got a complete tour after the Baton Rouge Socials Media Association's Coastal Social Conference last Fall, but this trip was for a different reason: FOOD!

L to R: Jeremy, Jay, Meghan, Brent, Kelly, Christina, Olivia, Josh and Nick at Houmas House

Our group met Jesse Lambert at the Turtle Bar to begin the evening with a couple cocktails.  Jesse works in marketing for the plantation and graciously offered to meet up with us and talk about the property.  The Turtle Bar sits in one of the twin Garconniere on the property which creates a really unique and historical watering hole.  From there were were off to Latil's Landing Restaurant in the old French House to find our table and start our feast. 

On the second floor of the plantation we found our beautifully set dining table in a private room.  Jesse stayed for dinner and we were also joined by the plantation's owner, Kevin Kelly.  Kevin, a New Orleans native, bought the home in 2003 and restored it to its luxurious yet preserved 1840's roots.  As great as the house and gardens are, and with all of the historical artifacts and relics around the home, Kevin seems to take equal pride in the cuisine that is served at his restaurant.  He told us that before Latil's Landing opened he would routinely find himself returning to New Orleans for dinner.  When he hired Executive Chef Jeremy Langlois to run the restaurant, all of that changed.  He now had a place in Burnside to dine, and it happened to be right outside his bedroom!

Our meal began with an amuse bouche to whet the appetite.  The cucumber and salmon tart refreshed our mouths and got us ready for more gluttonous glory.  The table was also spread with three types of bread and three different house-infused butters including one with fresh honey from the beehives at the plantation!    

Immediately following the very light salmon cucumber came a much heavier crab and mango cake.  The plentiful lump crab meat was sauteed and served with a gorgeously decorated chipotle remoulade sauce.  With the addition of the mango, the crab cake tasted simply sensational.  One of the most popular lunch dishes at Houmas House is the Crab and Mango Cake Salad, and it is quite easy to see why!   

The soup course featured a Latil's Landing specialty: a bisque of curried pumpkin, crawfish, and corn. The soup had a great flavor with a balance of sweetness and spiciness.  The pumpkin and curry tastes were bold and delightful while the crawfish and corn brought it back towards a Cajun bisque that we all know and love.   

For a third course, Sous Chef Bryan Duck delivered a Cosmopolitan Sorbet.  Meant to serve as a palate cleanser before the main entree, the sorbet delivered a little punch of refreshment.  The cranberry heavy sorbet received a little extra encouragement from a shot of orange Grey Goose vodka.  With the pre-dinner cocktails and the constant pours of wine, this sorbet was exactly what I needed to keep the night moving right along!

The duel entree came out to our table and our entire BRFoodie group gasped.  We had already been over-fed, but then we laid our eyes on the lamb and lobster and knew we couldn't stop eating yet.  The lobster portion featured a papaya stuffed lobster tail perched on top of Louisiana crawfish tails with a Creole tomato risotto.  It may have been one of the most inventive lobster dishes I've ever had.  Still, it had nothing on the lamb.  Not to slight the lobster, but the lamb nearly knocked my socks off!  The lamb had been marinated in Louisiana's own Community Coffee and then grilled to a succulent medium rare.  The chops were downright delicious and I was caught gnawing on the bones to get every ounce of flavor out of them!

Naturally, no meal is complete without a dessert at the end.  Latil's Landing served us their Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding to wrap up the meal.  The brown sugar and date bread pudding had a terrific texture and worked very nicely with the toffee sauce.  The blue berries and cream were a nice addition too!

But, as it would turn out, our meal didn't actually end with the bread pudding.  Sous Chef Duck came back up to our dining room with a round of praline shooters.  Chef explained that the shooters were a bit of molecular gastronomy.  It featured a dehydrated and finely ground praline mixed with salt.  When taken as a shot, the praline mixture re-hydrates with saliva and loosely sticks to your mouth leaving the flavor of a salted praline and a very unique textural sensation.  Playing with food is fun!

To cap off the evening, Kevin Kelly led us on a tour of the house and then out to the gardens.  We got an inside look at the former water cistern turned wine cellar that is stocked with an absolutely amazing selection of worldly wines.  Seriously... Mr. Kelly held nothing back when purchasing case after case of Wine Spectator's highest rated wines on the planet!

All in all, it was a great trip to Houmas House.  We had some fantastic drinks, an amazingly delicious meal, and an inside look at the home and property.  I highly suggest a trip out to the plantation whenever you get a chance.  I don't think you'll regret it!

Curbside Truck and Go-Ya-Yas

The Curbside Truck

The Baton Rouge food truck craze doesn't seem to be slowing down, which is a good thing as there is still plenty of room for growth.  I've felt bad that I hadn't previously had the fortune of tasting the Curbside Truck or writing about  Go-Ya-Ya's, so yesterday when they announced that they were both setting up shop in United Plaza off of Essen, I knew this would be the right time to crash their street party.

"Gourmet Street Food" just about sums it up.

At lunch time I made my way down to the "curb" to give some gourmet burgers and crepes a "go".  The Curbside Truck serves up burgers and fries, but it is far from your typical fast food.  Promoting themselves as "gourmet street food", they take their ingredients very seriously.  They grind all of the beef themselves for guaranteed fresh burger patties.  Their potatoes are cut into fries each morning, and their lettuce and tomatoes come from local organic farms or the farmers market.  They even make their own pickles, if you like that sort of thing (if you are a regular reader, you know at pickles are my arch nemesis).    

Don't forget the swine!

The Curbside Truck has a few other practices that set them apart even more.  First, their buns come from an artisan bakery in town, not a large commercial bakery that throws extra preservatives in their "enriched" flour.  That bakery is top secret as the bun is often what sets one burger apart from another, but Chef Nick did tell me that it is a mix between a kaiser roll and Hawaiian style bread.  They also make their own pork belly preserves.  Yes that's right, pork belly preserves.  Basically they take a little pork belly, season it up shallots, garlic, and spices, then render it all down until it is just a porky paste that is left.  The preserves are used as a spread on the burgers, which you'll see below.  Not to stop there, they also supply bacon for their burgers in the form of praline bacon.  They basically take really good bacon, cook it until its crispy, and coat it in a homemade Louisiana praline mixture that includes pecans and plenty of sugar.  The sweet and savory condiment is as delicious as any sandwich topping I've ever had.  And I mean that.  It goes to the top of my list.  I even think praline bacon is one better than the previously mentioned on Bite and Booze bacon praline.  You seriously have to get your burger with the pork belly preserves or praline bacon... or if you are like me, you can get it with both!

Curbside's cheeseburger with pork belly preserve spread and praline bacon on the side along with some fresh cut fries

A compostable "plastic" cup filled with Arnold Palmer

At the end of the day though, it really all boils down to whether or not the burger is worth a damn.  Fortunately, it is worth way more than that.  The ground beef is well seasoned and the patty is most certainly substantial without turning into meatloaf on a bun.  Mine was cooked to a medium temperature and juices ran down the back side of my hand as I consumed the succulent sandwich.  The pork belly preserves highlighted every bite in a perfectly complementary way as they were sufficient to taste but by no means overpowering.  And then I added some praline bacon... and... I... became... borderline... speechless.  The sweet, nutty, savory mixture of the praline bacon combined with the garlic-y pork belly preserves and the beef patty and the cheese and lettuce on that slightly sweet, still salty bun... let me tell you friends, next time you think about going to "Five Guys" or some other burger joint, pick up your cellular telephone, access facebook or twitter, and find out where Curbside Truck is set up.  Oh, and while you're there, grab an Arnold Palmer to drink.  It is half lemonade, half tea, but all delicious.  Crap, I forgot to write about the fries.  They were pretty damn tasty.  I recommend them.  There.  Got that covered.

Still, with all that talk about Curbside, there were actually two street food vendors at United Plaza for our dining pleasure.  Go-Ya-Ya's also brought out their gourmet food truck to sell some crepes to the hungry office workers around Essen.  The crepes are stuffed with various combinations of meats, cheeses and vegetables to provide some unique and rather tasty creations.  I took Chef Kevin's suggestion and ordered the Vietnamese crepe.  This overstuffed pasty of sorts came with shredded pork, sautéed onions, bean sprouts, and some garnish with a Vietnamese sauce.  The crepe was certainly enough to fill one's stomach for a lunch on the go.  It is also a very unique street food and I certainly take my hat off to the outside the box thinking.  I really enjoyed the Vietnamese crepe but I think I'd try something else next time.  I found the shredded pork to lack a little it of seasoning and the bean spouts didn't add anything until I got all the way to one side of the crepe.  Perhaps I should have opened it up to even everything out a bit before diving into it.  Still, the fresh crepe on the outside tasted just fine and the overall flavor and concept of the Vietnamese crepe was certainly there.  I'll be excited to try Go-Ya-Ya's again because I definitely believe in their product, but they didn't hit a home run like the Curbside Truck did.

Christina's in Beauregard Town

Hidden in downtown Baton Rouge at the corner of St. Charles and Somerulos, Christina's has been offering up quality home cooking for years.  This little restaurant is not as well known as it should be around town, but its loyal customers still keep the place packed for breakfast and lunch.  I recently ate lunch at Christina's for my first time and was certainly not disappointed.  Darrell Broussard joined me on the walk from our busy offices to the Beauregard Town neighborhood.  The quaint restaurant is warm and welcoming, and the lunch menu is full of Southern-fried home cooking. 

Christina's in Downtown Baton Rouge

Christina's had a lunch special on this fortunate day that featured a chicken fried steak with gravy and three sides.  Their list of sides rotates so it is written on the wall instead of in the menu.  However, it is long enough to count as reading a book, so picking three seemed like a difficult task.  I wanted to vary things up a bit, so I eventually settled on the buttered corn, collard greens, and praline yams.

Chicken Fried Steak with Buttered Corn, Collard Greens, and Praline Yams

The corn had a good buttery taste as the name implied but beyond that was just your average canned corn.  The collard greens tasted pretty good and I enjoyed their saltiness and tender texture.  However, the highlight of the sides, and in fact the entire meal, came in the form of the praline yams.  They may not have been much more than canned sweet potatoes with plenty of butter and caramelized sugar, but this dish was purely delightful!  I could have eaten those praline yams all day!  The chicken fried steak had a great flavor and combined well with the white gravy, but it was a little smaller than I would have liked.  Still, the praline yams made up for everything and in the end, I had no complaints with the meal or the restaurant.  I'd gladly go back to Christina's any time, and I especially want to check it out for breakfast!

Cochon Butcher - New Orleans

After the ISAW South African wine tasting at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, the only logical thing for Eric, Brandon, Katie, and I to do was find some food to soak up the delightful wine in our stomachs.  Fortunately we were in downtown New Orleans, so there happened to be quite a few dining options for us to choose from.  I heard wonderful things from various sources about Cochon Butcher in the Warehouse District, so we decided to give it a try. 

The first thing we noticed after walking in the door was a sample of bacon pralines that were available for tasting.  Man, talk about great first impressions!  I could have eaten nothing but pralines and been totally satisfied.  They contained the essential balance of sweet, salty, and savory that any good sweet with bacon must attain.  Wow.... wow. 

Bacon Pralines at Butcher

After stuffing my face with bacon pralines, which were like a Louisiana and bacon version of peanut brittle, I noticed that the butcher shop/restaurant had a lovely meat counter matched by a beautifully delicious display of hanging smoked meats.  I've seen very few more appetizing sites in my days.

Assorted Smoked Meats Hanging on Display

I had no clue where to begin when trying to determine which appetizer or sandwich to order, but fortunately I bumped into the Chef Partner, Warren Stephens.  Chef Warren had a few recommendations for me based on what he would order at the time, but certainly noted that everything on the menu is tasty and nothing can be overlooked.  He informed me that Butcher has only been around since January of 2009 and is part of the Link Restaurant Group which also runs the neighboring Cochon and Nola's famous Herbsaint and Calcasieu restaurants.  Butcher specializes in artisan meats and sausages that are made on the premises in the theme of an old world meat market.  I was ready to enjoy.

Jay, Katie, and Brandon Check Out Cochon Butcher

After a good discussion, Warren sold me on the Duck Pastrami Slider from the "Bar Food" menu and I opted to go with the Buckshot Bacon Melt from the "Sandwiches" list.  My excitement level peaked in anticipation of the flavors that were about to hit my lips!

The Menu Boards at Butcher: Bar Food, Specials, and Sandwiches.  They also have Wine and Cocktails!

The duck pastrami slider proved that simple can beat out complex any day of the week.  The sandwich contained delicate, thinly sliced duck pastrami and melted cheese on grilled slices of bread.  The flavor of the duck highlighted each bite and it was hard for me to share the remaining wedges with my friends!  Chef Warren also sent out some house-made boudin for our table to try, which tasted fantastic as well.

Duck Pastrami Sliders

Katie ordered the Cochon Muffaletta with tons of Butcher's delicious meats, provolone cheese, pickled peppers and olives.  This take on a New Orleans special is one of the best Muffalettas that I've tasted in years.  I'm extremely happy that the sandwich was too large for Katie to finish on her own because that meant I got take a couple bites to realize how fantastic it is.  The meats were smoky and complex, tender, sweet, and just plain delightful.  I'm pretty sure that Chef Warren told me that the Muffaletta is one of their best selling sandwiches, and it's easy to see why!

Cochon Muffaletta with Home Made Chips

Brandon ordered the barbequed pulled pork sandwich and Eric gave the Gambino a try.  Brandon's pulled pork (in the background below) came served with potato salad.  It looked great and Brandon ate every bit of it, so I didn't get a bite.  I also didn't get a bite of the Gambino, but it looked like a sensational sandwich.  The French bread got stuffed with Italian-style meats like salami cotto, sopressata, and coppa along with a fresh herb vinaigrette.  Eric also tried a Black Chocolate Stout from the Brooklyn Brewery which tasted rich and delicious.  I caught a hint of espresso in with the chocolate.  I'd drink that stout again any day.

The Gambino Front and Center with a Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

As Chef Warren recommended to me, I went with the Buckboard Bacon Melt.  Yet another simple but astonishingly delicious sandwich, the Buckboard consisted of thin slices of toasted white bread filled with beautifully cured bacon, Swiss cheese, collard greens, and pepper aioli.  Every bite made me think of how much I love bacon.  Each time I chewed and the flavors oozed onto my taste buds my mind rushed into thoughts about how much I enjoy sandwiches.  I do love a good sandwich.  And this, the Buckboard Bacon Melt at Cochon Butcher, is a great sandwich!  Simple yet complex, earthy yet sophisticated, this sandwich should appeal to everybody and leave nobody unsatisfied!

Buckboard Bacon Melt at Cochon Butcher

Not wanting to only explore the culinary aspects of Butcher, I also perused the custom cocktail list and stumbled upon a drink call the Haitian Dark and Stormy.  Thinking this was an interesting name for a drink, especially in post-Katrina New Orleans and after the earthquake in Haiti, I had to know more.  It turns out that proceeds from the drink go to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Haiti, so I thought I might as well do my part.  The drink is made from a mixture of Barbancourt Rum and ginger beer.  Barbancourt is a Haitian rum company that makes traditional Caribbean sugar cane rum in multiple varieties and flavors.  Their distillery is located just outside Port au Prince, where the earthquake hit the strongest.  The Haitian Dark and Stormy itself proved to be a rather interesting drink.  Overall it was little sweet for my tastes with the rum and ginger beer mixed together.  Still, the cocktail was refreshing and quite drinkable, and would have been perfect on a warm summer day on the beaches of Haiti (or walking around in the French Quarter, for that matter).

Haitian Dark and Stormy

My Cochon Butcher experience ended up being marvelous.  I'm sure it was only enhanced by being a little sauced already from the ISAW wine tasting.  I also enjoyed chatting with Chef Warren about the restaurant and the menu.  Still, it all really comes down to the food, and this food is top notch.  The meats were fresh, salty, and marvelous.  The work that gets put into the meats at Butcher is obvious, and should be appreciated properly.  And by appreciate, I mean eaten.  And by properly, I mean often. 

"Bon Appétit.  That's French for good meal." - Brandon Brown

Thanks to Eric Ducote of the BR Beer Scene for taking the pictures for this post.  Check out his beer and other beverage blog here.

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