Dinner Dominicana at Red Stick Spice Company

by Jay Ducote
all photos by Jordan Hefler


The Dominican Republic is a special place to me. I've been able to travel there four times now, including twice in 2017. I've seen, or at least traveled through, the majority of the country, and I've fallen in love with the people, the food and the culture. I could go back there time and time again.

On my first trip in 2013, I had one of the most memorable meals of my life. Upon my returns to the country, those expectations have only been matched... other than in Punta Cana, where all-inclusive resort food does not live up to any sort of authenticity standards.

Presidente, the ubiquitous beer of the Dominican Republic

Last year I launched Jay D's Single Origin Coffee, a project that sources coffee beans directly from Dominican coffee farmers then roasts the green coffee with Baton Rouge's Cafeciteaux Coffee Roasters. I spoke about how it all came together at TEDxLSU.

After a trip to the coffee farms in May and then another culinary media trip  in August to Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata, I felt like it would be a great time to bring some of my Dominican bite and booze experiences back to Baton Rouge.

We've been organizing a series of dinners at Red Stick Spice Company on Jefferson Highway, so putting together a Dinner Dominicana at Red Stick just made sense!

Goat empanadas with coconut habanero hot sauce

We started the meal with an appetizer while guests were able to walk around the store and browse the selection of spices, oils, vinegar, teas and local products. Our goat empanadas were formed into yucca flour dough and fried to crispy. They were served with a coconut habanero hot sauce. This dish reminded me of empanadas available from street vendors in Santo Domingo.

Anne Milneck from Red Stick Spice speaks to the crowd at Dinner Domicana

As the group of hungry diners took their seats on the classroom side of Red Stick Spice, Anne Milneck, the store's owner, welcomed everyone. She gave them each packet of Adobo seasoning, commonly used in Latin American cooking, as party favors to take home. I also greeted the guests before the second course arrived, a Dominican beef and root vegetable stew called sancocho. 

Our second course was paired with a Santo Libre made with Brugal Extra Viejo Dominican Rum and Sprite

Back when Blair and I were in the Dominican Republic we brought back a couple bottles of Brugal Extra Viejo, one of my favorite Dominican rums, so that we could use it for a dinner like this. We used the tasty sugarcane elixir in a batch of Santo Libres, a simple beverage of rum and lemon-lime soda. Used to rum and Coke? Next time try Sprite or 7up!

Jay Ducote serving up the Sancocho at Red Stick Spice Company

The Sancocho is a thick and hearty stew of beef and root vegetables like sweet potato and yucca. It could be equated to the Dominican (and Puerto Rican) version of gumbo, and sometimes even served with rice, but it uses the starches from the root vegetables instead of a roux as the thickener. I had an absolutely fantastic sancocho from Chef Martin Omar at Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando in Santo Domingo. All I could do was try to do that stew justice.

Pollo Guisado, Rice, Beans, Avocado, Fried Plantains

The main course of the evening was my play at the most quintessential dish in all of the Dominican Republic: pollo guisado. This is also the dish in my previously aforementioned memorable meal post. Chicken, which can be found free-ranging all over the country, is stewed in a bath of tomato and garlic then served with rice, beans and fried plantains. It is a nurturing, comfort, home-cooked kind of a meal that has slight variations anywhere and everywhere you eat it. No two cooks make it the same, and you can have great versions and some very mediocre versions, but all in all, it's the lifeblood of the nation. 

Coconut Cake with Jay D's Single Origin Coffee

For dessert, we took a trip to the more tropical side of Caribbean cuisine. Our Gov't Taco Majority Whip, Therese Schneider, took the lead on making a rum-infused coconut cake that we served with a cup of Jay D's Single Origin Coffee. I wanted the opportunity to talk about my coffee and the people in the Dominican Republic who grow the beans. The coffee, as well as all of my products, can be found at jayducote.com/shop.

Now I just need to figure out when I'll be able to make a return trip to the Dominican Republic. I'm sure it won't be long!

A Day in the DR

by Blair Loup

People are always telling me how fun and cool my job is and they’re 100% correct. As a result of being a Bite and Booze employee, I’ve landed a seat on several adventures, but my trips to the Dominican Republic are always at the top of my list.

Sipping on a Santo Libre on the North Coast. Photo Credit: Dawn Garcia

Walking around with an ice-cold beer in hand past walls and doors bursting with color and music flooding the streets is an all too familiar feeling for a Louisianan in Santo Domingo. The people, culture and food of the Dominican Republic always make me feel at home…until someone asks me something in Spanish.

Jay and I posing in Santo Domingo. Photo Credit: Dawn Garcia

While the taste and ingredients are far from Louisiana dishes the cooking methods and love that goes into their food hits home. Inspired by the dishes that are classic Dominican for me, Jay and I have created an authentic, sort of “Day in the DR”, menu we’ll be cooking at Red Stick Spice Co. Oct. 23rd and 24th.

Trust me, this four-course paired dinner is one worth getting out on a Monday/Tuesday night for.

Here’s a look at some of the dishes and drinks we had all along the island that we’ll be recreating:

Goat Empanadas:

Goat Empanadas made with yucca flour.

They’re not the prettiest bite you’ve ever seen, but these flavor-packed pockets are a must-try. Stewed down with tomato and plenty of strong, fragrant oregano, the goat is stuffed into yucca flour dough.

You’d be hard-pressed to not find yucca in something you eat in the DR. The yucca flour comes out a little more flat than the dough you’d use for a Natchitoches meat pie, but holds up against the filling and coconut/habanero hot sauce I doused mine in.

This will be paired with a Passion Fruit Sangria made with Jay D’s Blanc Du Bois. I would say that passion fruit, yucca and plantains are some of the most often seen ingredients on a menu. There’s passion fruit juice everywhere you go, fresh passion fruit at breakfast every morning, passion fruit candy…you name it. It’s tangy, tart and naturally sweet all at once which will balance well with the crisp, honeysuckle vibes of the Blanc Du Bois.

Sancocho:

Sancocho with long grain rice and fresh avocado.

Everyone’s mom makes it differently, but they’re all good. This stew is as comforting as a bowl of gumbo, but with more vegetables and less fat. Sancocho combines, different roots and tubers, often times a mixture of stew meats and fresh herbs.

Jay loves Brugal Rum. 

We’ll be pairing the Sancocho with the ever popular Santo Libre. Not a far stretch from its cousin the Cuba Libre, this rum and seven cocktail will be made with Jay’s favorite Dominican rum that we brought back with us: Brugal. Like Louisiana, the DR is flush with sugar cane and is home to some delicious rum distilleries.

Pollo Guisado:

La Bandera lunch plate: Pollo Guisado, tostones, rice and beans with a little fried chicken for good measure.

Pollo Guisado is a stewed chicken dish that has an extreme depth of flavor with a strong tomato backbone. Often served with different sides, the most common way to enjoy pollo guisado is with rice and beans.

This is typically called La Bandera Dominicana. A plate made up of red beans, white rice, a meat option and usually fresh slices of avocado and tostones (fried plantains).

You can find a meal like this at any lunch counter across the island. It’s always cheap and delicious.

It’s one of my favorite things to eat while I’m there and we’ll be pairing it with my DR beverage of choice: Presidente.

Beer. Beach. @bloup3.

A post shared by Gov't Taco (@govttaco) on Aug 18, 2017 at 10:00am PDT

Finding a frosted bottle of Presidente is more common than a bottle of water and I’m not complaining. A simple, crisp lager, Presidente is bright gold and light bodied with a foamy head that dissipates after a few sips. You can buy a regular sized bottle or go for the jumbo that gets served with a few dental office cups for you to share with friends…or not.

Coconut Cake:

We’ll wrap up our Dinner Dominicana with a piece of coconut cake. Dominicans love their sweets. They always spring for dessert and coffee, and yes, even the coffee comes pre-sweetened at times.

You can sip on a fresh coconut while you walk along the beach or find it in their dough mixes and hot sauces, but why not just eat coconut cake?

We’ll be serving Jay D’s Single Origin Coffee: a very special project using beans from the Dominican Republic. You can read more about our Dominican coffee project in conjunction with Lycoming College and local Baton Rouge roastery, Cafeciteaux here.

Tickets for Dinner Dominicana at Red Stick Spice Company on October 23rd are still available now (October 24th is sold out). Book your spot and take a stay-cation to the DR with us!

Celebrating a SOUPer Holiday: National Homemade Soup Day

by Sarah Grimball, intern

If you’re anything like us, you believe that homemade soup is the epitome of comfort food. In honor of National Homemade Soup Day, we are taking a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the best soups we’ve made and have been served throughout the years.

Whether made by our own hand or by the hands of chefs we love, these soups have taken us to taste bud heaven:

Smoked Creole Tomato Soup

Momofuku Ramen from Momofuku Noodle Bar

Squash Curry

It's a chicken curry and @supreme_rice Jasmine rice kind of day! What kind of recipes have you made with Jasmine rice? #tastelouisiana #eatlocal #curry #foodpics

A photo posted by Bite & Booze (@biteandbooze) on Jan 4, 2017 at 9:57am PST

Pho from Dang's

Gumbo

Working on a chicken and sausage gumbo with @slapyamama and @supreme_rice for @ron.aguirre_otr and company at the @tommy.talley residence. Happy rainy new year!

A photo posted by Bite & Booze (@biteandbooze) on Jan 2, 2017 at 5:48pm PST

Sancocho in Santo Domingo

Snapshot of Santo Domingo: Blair's Favorite Moments in the Dominican Republic

by Blair Loup

Working at Bite and Booze is an ongoing whirlwind. I’ve gotten more out of this job than I could have ever imagined. I figured out early in my time working with Jay to never turn down an opportunity to have a good time because those times usually turn out to be unbelievable experiences.

Since turning 25 in January, I’ve dubbed this the “Year of Blair,” so when the Dominican Republic’s Magistry of Tourism invited me to travel to Santo Domingo, I couldn’t say no. 

My journey got off to a rocky start with plane drama, but after a stop in Atlanta and a gin martini at JFK, I made it to Santo Domingo. My sleepy friend and fellow travel writer/blogger Caroline Eubanks of This is My South and Caroline in the City met me in the lobby with a Presidente. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but holding a cold Presidente wrapped in a tiny white napkin was #soDR. 

Despite its rocky start, the rest of my time in Santo Domingo quickly overshadowed the previous day with bright colors, interesting characters and culinary moments worthy of this epic “Year of Blair.” Here are some of my favorite Dominican Republic experiences: 

Sancocho in the sun... 

Local chef Martín Omar González Mayí explained the lengthy process of making a traditional stew. Cooked down yucca, potatoes and other tubers combined with leaves from native plants like those seen in the pictures from the Mercado Modelo come together with different cuts of beef or pork. Typically served over rice, Sancocho isn’t too far from the stews and Cajun dishes of Louisiana. 

Chef Martín Omar's Sancocho served over rice with freshly sliced avocado.

Feasting on fried snacks in Boga Chica... 

This local gathering spot is a great way to beach bum it, enjoy a few boat drinks and get your snack on. Vendors line the street selling whole fried fish, plantains, sweet potatoes and “Johnny Cakes” (fried sheets of dough) and carry them across the street for your beach munching pleasure. 

Fried whole fish, sweet potatoes, plantains, and "Johnny Cakes" at Boga Chica.

Discovering a natural alternative to the Jolly Rancher... 

I learned Cocoa Pods contain delicious fruit that surrounds the beans. It’s super slimy but juicy and tasty beyond all reason. We got the chance to learn about the process of roasting and peeling the cocoa beans on a family's small plantation. Let me tell you, there's nothing like fresh hot chocolate!

A fresh Cocoa pod sliced open. Look at all that juicy goodness!

Drinking Presidentes at the Colmado... 

These tiny corner stores are brightly lit and carry everything from cigarettes to toilet paper. That list also includes the Dominican Republic’s answer to water: Presidente. Me and a few of the other writers had a great conversation with a lovely elderly English-speaking man sipping our beer from tiny dentist office cups while a couple danced to some Marc Anthony. Life made.

Our lovely English-speaking friend at the Colmado and our bomber bottles of Presidente.

Pollo Guisado Pit Stop... 

On the way to the Ron Barcelo Rum Distillery, we made a stop at a roadside eatery. Similar to a lunch line/plate lunch eatery you might find in Louisiana, this place had avocado salad, whole fried fish, tamales, rice, etc. I went for the Pollo Guisado, bone in chicken stewed down with tomatoes, onions and spices typically served over rice. Jay Ducote sings the praises of this dish regularly, and it did not disappoint!

A bowl of Pollo Guisado accompanied by fresh chunks of avocado and a Presidente.

This trip to Santo Doming, DR was provided through trade with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism.