Jay D’s Backyard BBQ at Tin Roof Brewery

by Sophie Spring, intern

Our Bull Grill from Goodwood Hardware loaded up with meats at Tin Roof Brewing
photo credit: Jordan Hefler Photography

The Bite & Booze team was excited to throw a Backyard BBQ party at Tin Roof Brewery to help celebrate the release of their new Watermelon Wheat. The day started early, cleaning ice chests, loading red beans and Supreme Rice into the Goodwood Hardware trailer, lugging heavy cast iron pots to the brewery, cooking up cheese sauce and slicing smoked sausages. Aimee and Therese planned the schedule for smoking the chicken, ribs and sausage days in advance. The pimento cheese sauce was made with love the morning of the event, proportions of rice and beans and seasonings were calculated carefully, and lists of supplies covered tables in the office.

Grill me something mister! 📸: @jordanhefler . . . . . #jayd #hugjayd #biteandbooze #backyardbbq #batonrouge #br #gobr #225batonrouge #225 #summerBBQ #ribs #sausage #chicken #grill

A post shared by Bite & Booze (@biteandbooze) on Jul 10, 2017 at 11:20am PDT

What was on the menu for the event, you ask? Tender, fall of the bone ribs, juicy smoked chicken, and flavorful sausage. The trio of meat was accompanied by impossibly creamy pimento mac and cheese, dirty rice and BBQ beans.

Chef Aimee Tortorich shows off some Jay D's smoked ribs!
photo credit: Jordan Hefler Photography

All of which was served with an iconic slice of white bread to sop up all the juices that gather in the bottom of the red checkered trough used to serve our “Full Monty” (a plate of all three meats and each of the sides). The team used Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub to season the meats, Louisiana Barbecue Sauce to mop the meats as we finished them on the grill and Louisiana Molasses Mustard and barbecue sauce were available for dipping and slathering.

What a weekend! The Jay D's Backyard BBQ at @tinroofbeer was a huge success. Sorry if we sold out before you got to taste all this deliciousness but hopefully we will be doing it again very soon! Stay tuned to find out where we will be cooking next. . . . . #backyardbbq #bbq #jayd #tinroofbrewery #watermelonwheat #summer #summerBBQ #usa #fourthofjuly #independenceday #225batonrouge #eatbr #gobr #batonrouge

A post shared by Bite & Booze (@biteandbooze) on Jul 5, 2017 at 9:52am PDT

The weather was perfect for the event, sun shining and clear skies. It was the ideal day to relax in the yard at Tin Roof Brewery, Watermelon Wheat in one hand a smoked BBQ rib in the other. As we anticipated, the “Full Monty” was our best seller. No one wanted to miss out on any of the meats or sides. We were so happy with the turnout, it felt like there was an endless line of people from the start to when we sold out of meat.

Sophie Spring and Chuck P. scooping the Supreme Rice dirty rice for service
photo credit: Jordan Hefler Photography

The team was running back and forth with hot trays of ribs and sausage, using paddles to scoop steamy dirty rice into hotel pans, pulling BBQ beans out and rushing to get them to our customers.

Sold out BBQ! photo credit: Jordan Hefler Photography

The food was gone before we knew it, and at the end of the night all we had left was the bottom of the pot of dirty rice and BBQ beans. Overall, the event was a success: beer, BBQ, and a good time!

Dog Hunt: In Search of the Best Hot Dogs Around pt. 2

by Sydney Blanchard

Hot dog heaven

The saying goes, "if you love something, let it go." I love hot dogs, but to be honest, I can't let them go. I won't let them go.

Continuing my never ending quest to find the best hot dog in Baton Rouge, I recently forced strongly encouraged Team Bite and Booze to venture to Barcadia to try their latest addition to the menu: gourmet hot dogs.

After the disappointment of Frankie's, my expectations were low. I was ready to accept that I'd just need to make the drive to Dat Dog whenever I had a hot dog hankering. But after ordering and trying literally every gourmet dog on Barcadia's menu, I'm happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of these dogs.

Da Dog, in all its glory

Da Dog was one of my favorites because of its simplicity: good sausage, great bun, simple toppings. It really lets the ingredients speak for themselves. This smoked crawfish sausage is topped with diced onion, house relish and mustard. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

Hawaiian Dog with jalapeño and cilantro

The Hawaiian Dog is a true blessing to one's tastebuds. You can't go wrong with smoked alligator and pork sausage, and this dog is topped with pineapple salsa, jalapeños, cilantro and Sriracha. There's a lot going on here, and the way the flavors play with each other reminds me a lot of some of Dat Dog's best creations.

Coney Island dog, smothered with chili and cheese

The Coney Island's flavor profile isn't particularly inspiring, but it's a classic: smoked duck and pork sausage topped with house chili, grated cheddar cheese, diced onion, bacon bits and mustard. Let me reiterate how perfect this bun is.

Pizza Dog, because why not?

The Pizza Dog was my least favorite of all the dogs, probably because I'm not the biggest Italian sausage fan. Smothered in marinara, mozzarella, sautéed peppers and onions, I can see this being a crossover favorite among pizza and hot dog lovers (like myself).

Tijuana Dog, with jalapeño and cilantro crema

The Tijuana Dog was definitely my favorite. When it comes to hot dogs, I'm of the opinion that a spicy pork sausage is always the way to go. This one's topped with bacon, grilled jalapeño, salsa and cilantro crema. It's like a taco had a baby with a hot dog and this is the result.

Barcadia's gourmet dogs beat Frankie's by a long shot, but I'm not sure they're quite at Dat Dog level. Perhaps in the future they'll add some crazy sauces or let you build your own, which to me is a huge part of hot dog enjoyment.

8 Delicious Reasons You Should Get On Our Mailing List

by Sydney Blanchard



As you may or may not have heard, Jay and the Bite and Booze team have been hosting small intimate multi-course dinners for up to 12 people, and it's been a blast so far.

The way it works is this: we plan an incredible menu, usually centered around a theme. We create an Eventbrite page and share it with a small group of insiders, people who have attended our previous events.

Then, if we have tickets left, we'll send an email out to our newsletter subscribers letting them get in on the action. If we still have tickets left after that, we resort to social media.

The week of the event, we email ticket holders the location of the dinner.

It's kind of exclusive, and kind of secretive, and that's what makes it so much fun. You never know who else you might be dining with!

So go ahead and sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on upcoming dinners. We hope to see you there!

Bloody Mary from our Valentine's Day Brunch

Jay D's Molasses Deviled Egg topped with picked shrimp

Soda bread from our St. Patrick's Day Dinner

Smoked sausage and sweet potato hash from our Valentine's Day Brunch

Blood Orange sorbet palate cleanser from Rue Rusike's Forage & Cook dinner

Chocolate molten cake with figs and edible flowers from the Forage & Cook dinner

Pork chop and colcannon at the St. Patrick's Day Dinner

Dominican style red beans and rice with stewed chicken and fried plantains, from a private dinner

Jay Takes on More Austin Barbecue

by Jay Ducote

Franklin Barbecue may have been home to some of the best brisket I've ever tasted, but I knew my barbecue tour of Austin couldn't stop there. While I didn't get the chance to venture to any of the legendary stops outside the city limits, I did make sure to find a couple of the best BBQ trailers around.

The first of those quests brought me to Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ. A trailer located a little out of downtown, Valentina's puts a Texas-Mexican spin on traditional Hill Country barbecue. Their pork ribs were the best I had in Austin. Brilliantly spiced and the proper kind of tender, I could go back and get a whole rack of ribs if it weren't for something else on the menu calling my name...

Brisket Taco Special at Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ in Austin

The brisket taco gave me a new appreciation for what happens when good barbecue combines with Tex Mex flair. A fresh flour tortilla engulfed the smoky brisket which was dressed with spicy salsa, crunchy slaw, and a squeeze of tart lime juice. This is what I want in a taco. Layers of flavors and textures combine into one sensational bite after another. And like a burger is only as good as its bun, the tortilla game at Valentina's is strong.

Of course, I didn't just have the brisket taco. I also feasted on an arrangement of brisket, ribs, and a play on an off-the-cob Mexican street corn. I found my happy place.

Brisket and ribs from @valentinastexmexbbq has me and @dylanewers like 😄😂😋🤗 #atx #bbq #texasbbq

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@jayducote) on Nov 17, 2015 at 12:55pm PST

On the east side of town is a food truck lot that hosts a single occupant: La Barbecue. With two smoking trailers, a service trailer, and plenty of picnic tables and open space, this joint just rings out “Austin” in my ears.

Jess Pryles set me up to meet Ali, one of the owners of La Barbecue, to do a proper sampling of the smoked meat menu. Along with my Chief Confusion Coordinator Blair, my buddies Andrew, Jonathan and Zac joined me because I knew we couldn't eat it all.

When the cafeteria tray covered in pink butcher paper came out, the salivation began, and the meat sweats ensued. Before us, arranged majestically to cover every square inch of the platter, lay a smorgasbord of smoked meats that could feed an army. One of the stars of the show was the legendary La Barbecue beef rib. Accompanying the rib were brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, smoked sausage, pork ribs, and a number of legit sides.

Doing things for real at @la_barbecue in #atx! Check out that colossal beef rib! #bbq #texas #foodpics #foodporn #barbecue

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Nov 18, 2015 at 12:06pm PST

After polishing off the entire spread, we could barely manage to pose for a picture. Every bite I took brought me to new levels of barbecue glory. There was a line when we arrived, but nothing like the one at Franklin. I'd gladly go back to La Barbecue again and again. This place is the real deal!

We did some damage at @la_barbecue in #atx. Thanks to @jonathanjow and @hitmanzac for joining me!

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@jayducote) on Nov 18, 2015 at 12:00pm PST

Germany: Street Food Bite and Booze of the World Cup

It's the final countdown!! Germany and Argentina go cleat to cleat in the final game of the FIFA World Cup 2014 today at 2pm. While they gear up for glory we're going to sit down to our second to last plate along the street food guide! This morning we're going to take a look at a great recipe for currywurst and the Bed of Roses Cocktail.

Photo Credit: finedininglovers.com

Currywurst is an extremely popular street food in Berlin. Steamed, then fried knackwurst (pork sausage) sliced and tossed in a curry sauce is all there is too it. The key to an authentic currywurst recipe is the sauce. This recipe for the sauce seems simple enough to execute and stays true to the curry ketchup phenomenon that is currywurst. The spiciness of the curry marries well with the concentrated tomato and slight sweetness of ketchup. This sounds like good game eats if you ask me!

Photo Credit: drink-agency.com

The Bed of Roses cocktail features herbal liquors found often in the glasses of your everyday German. The main liquor is Josef Meiers which looks and tastes extremely similar to Jaegermeister. The "in your face" herbal flavor is sweetened by grenadine and brightened by lemons and limes. This drink may not be for the faint of heart, but it's worth a try.

Australia: Street Food Bite and Booze of the 2014 World Cup

G'day mates!...It's time for another dose of the street food guide to the FIFA World Cup 2014! This time we're headed down unda' (that's the last one) to Australia (playing the Netherlands at 11am CDT) for a Sausage Sizzle and a Dark n' Stormy. There's a huge street food movement in Australia going on right now, but a lot of it is Chinese dumplings and dim sum. While that's delicious, it doesn't really highlight the average intake of an all-Australian bite. The two indulgences we'll be looking at today are both delicious and simple to make in time for you to watch the match!

Photo Credit: The Life She Made

The Sausage Sizzle isn't super complicated; it's essentially a glorified hot dog. I found a recipe to kick up the simmer to a full on sizzle. Cooking the sausages in a covered pan with onions really helps flavor both ingredients. After you get a nice crisp from the grill and a good caramelization on the onions, you're ready to rock! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Photo Credit: barmansjournal.com

Australians, much like Americans, like to keep it simple. The Dark n' Stormy has three ingredients: dark rum (use Rougaroux Full Moon to keep it local), ginger beer, and a hint of lime. The refreshing ginger beer will not only make you feel pumped about life, but ginger also serves as a digestif which will help you out if you've been snacking on game food.

Charcuterie Defined at Baton Rouge's City Pork

City Pork Deli & Charcuterie in Baton Rouge

Fairly new on the Baton Rouge scene, City Pork’s opening in December 2013 was highly anticipated... so much so that they made my 2013 list of the top 10 new bars and restaurants in the Capital City despite not even being open one month. With the culture and history that surrounds the art of charcuterie, I wanted to see how legitimate their practices would be. 

For those of you who aren't sure

about charcuterie, it’s simply defined as the art of salting, smoking, and preserving meats; and these guys know how to do it. They cure their own meats in house and have them for sale on charcuterie boards and as to-go options. While they carry familiar favorites like andouille, tasso, boudin, and bacon, they also have some European favorites like bolognas, summer sausages, and prosciutto.

Charcuterie defined at Baton Rouge's City Pork

Charcuterie aside, City Pork is an inspiring deli. They feature a nice handful of sandwiches to choose from and, while I haven’t had them all at this point, I've been impressed with each one. Bread is sourced locally from Chef Eric Arceneaux at the City Club in Baton Rouge and Poupart's Bakery in Lafayette. The City Club is pretty spot on with their house cured bacon and smoked turkey breast. If I’m being honest, it’s the bacon... I can’t turn it down. There are two options to try the bacon: the City Club and the BLT. It is hard to choose a favorite though, especially with the Cubano, Big Pig, and New Yorker staring you in the face. Each sandwich comes with a side of their homemade potato chips, or you can check out soup options like their stunningly delicious tomato basil soup.

The Big Pig

The Cubano

I usually have to think about what I’m getting before I go in so I don’t hold up the line, which can be out of the door at lunch time most days. Don’t worry though, there is a quaint atmosphere inside with adequate seating and come spring the little patio will be a welcome sight. I know I’m looking forward to the spring weather and trying their duck confit salad on the patio with a signature cocktail or cold Tin Roof brew as well as a cheese or charcuterie board. Sounds like happy hour to me. Yes, I said happy hour! From 4-7pm City Pork has some awesome specials on beer, wine, and their cheese or charcuterie boards.

The New Yorker with Pastrami

The smell of bacon and cured deliciousness when you walk in the door is phenomenal. You can tell by the enthusiasm of the staff how passionate they are about what they’re offering to the city of Baton Rouge. City Pork is full of good eats, great meats, and thirst-quenching drinks. If you aren't in the mood for an adult beverage, try a Swamp Pop made in Lafayette with pure cane sugar. If you haven’t had the chance to swing by, make time. And do it soon.

Another Pro Tip: Don’t skip out on the pickles they give you with the sandwich or boards. They are made in house and can turn a pickle hater like me into a lush. Noteworthy for sure.

Lake Charles' Annual Rouge et Blanc Wine Festival

Jay gets ready to enjoy Rouge et Blanc in Lake Charles

Each fall Lake Charles plays host to a pretty phenomenal food and wine festival. Taking up a couple blocks in downtown by the courthouse and city hall, Rouge et Blanc celebrates food and wine, or maybe that should be wine and food, in Southwest Louisiana. The outdoor setting is great for such a big event. With plenty of room to move around and the region's most fantastic fall weather, Rouge et Blanc is most certainly worth seeking out. I got to attend the festival this past October on the heels of eating like a king at the L'Auberge Lake Charles, at different boudin and seafood houses, and at a special wine dinner at La Truffe Sauvage. Needless to say, it had been a good weekend. The festival itself worked kind of like Baton Rouge's Fete Rouge with different restaurants providing the food and plenty of wine being poured. But with the outdoor venue in the middle of town and street closures, the festival really comes alive.

Rouge et Blanc in downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana

With a glass of wine in hand I wandered around the grounds to find some interesting grub. It didn't take long to find what I was looking for. Botsky's Hotdogs came up with an awesome presentation of jackalope sausage on a toast point with a wedge of something pickled. Perhaps it was just a pickle. I don't fully recall. No matter what, I liked it, especially with the little bit of mustard they provided for dipping as well. Many other finds like this came at Rouge et Blanc. 

Jackalope Sausage from Botsky's at Rouge et Blanc in Lake Charles

Always with a glass of wine in hand, I worked my way from table to table tasting food and wine, then wine and food. I drank reds, I drank whites, and I drank some sparkling. I tried not to discriminate among grapes, growers, or regions. You know, for research. A great time was had at Rouge et Blanc and during my entire time in Lake Charles. I'll have to make sure I go back!

One of my favorite wine tables of the day at Rouge et Blanc

Damn! Toups' Meatery Impresses.

Jay takes a shot of Jameson out of a beef bone at Toups' Meatery

You know you're at a uniquely fantastic restaurant when you are requested to take a shot of Irish whiskey using a sawed in half bone out of which you just consumed the marrow. It turns out, the marrow bone works quite well as a whiskey luge and the flavors picked up from the remains of roasted goodness enrich the water of life quite well. Michele took a shot too as we dined at Toups' Meatery, a mid-city New Orleans restaurant that has quickly shot up the charts of not-to-miss dining locations in the Big Easy.

The bone marrow dish, as if the rich marrow followed by a shot of Jameson weren't enough, came topped with escargot and served with chicken liver mousse. We followed that up with some mussels in a white wine chili broth that tasted absolutely incredible. French bread is made for mopping up sauces like this. I also couldn't go to Toups' without indulging in their housemade cracklins. The morsels of pork skin, fat, and muscle are fried twice until they crack in the hot grease. There's nothing wrong with that!

Michele prepares herself for a shot of Jameson with bone marrow remains

Bone marrow with escargot

Mussels, white wine chili broth, grilled bread

Cracklins

We weren't finished at Toups' Meatery just yet. With a bottle of Horrow Show from the Vending Machine Winery to split, Michele and I continued our feast on more meat. We were dining at Toups' Meatery, after all. This is no place for vegans or vegetarians, nor is it a place for a standard cut of meat. You must have at least a slightly adventurous mind and palate to truly appreciate Toups', which is probably why I loved it so much. The Toups' Meatery Board came loaded with a chef's selection of house cured meats. We got more chicken liver mousse, hogs head cheese, sausage, rillons, and a smorgasbord of accoutrements. They were all delicious. Our final course came in the form of duck and pork belly, two of my favorite meats on earth. The confit duck leg and fatty pork belly were accompanied by more sausage and some potatoes and a balsamic duck jus. 

The Menu at Toups' rotates and changes fairly regularly, so while some of the options that I tried may not be available all the time, you can rest assured that whatever new dishes are on the menu, they'll be as unique and fantastic as mine. This is definitely a restaurant in New Orleans that I could see myself going back to over and over again!

Horror Show from the Vending Machine Winery

Meatery Board, selection of house-made fresh and cured meats and condiments

Duck, pork belly, weisswurst, petite potatoes, balsamic duck jus

Grand Isle NOLA Style

Smoked Fried Louisiana Oysters

Smoked fried oysters and hogs head cheese came out of Mark Falgoust's kitchen at the Grand Isle restaurant in New Orleans.  I wasn't quite expecting it from the seafood restaurant sandwiched between Harrah's and the Convention Center.  Well, I expected oysters.  And plenty of them.  But the smoked fried oysters are something worth venturing to Grand Isle for over and over again.  The crispy fried mollusks had a delicate layer of smoke on them, elevating the flavor from delicious (as most fried oysters are) to extraordinary.  When Mark brought them out of the kitchen, and then followed that with a plate of hogs head cheese, I knew this guy really knew what we was doing beyond the typical fried seafood platter.

Hogs Head Cheese from Grand Isle

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo with a Side of Potato Salad

After the deliciousness of a couple pints of Hopitoulas at the bar where I devoured the previously mentioned oysters and head cheese, we found a table to sample the rest of the fare from Chef Falgoust.  The chicken and house-made andouille gumbo hit the spot with a side of potato salad.  This is certainly more of a Cajun and Grand Isle way of serving gumbo than a lot of the Creole styles around New Orleans.   And the gumbo certainly delivered the flavor.  We also tried the Grand Isle version of Shrimp and Grits.  The Papa Tom's grits with Louisiana shrimp were smothered in an andouille gravy.  The dish was most certainly an interesting play on the classic dish, though truth be told I could barely stop eating it!  The grits and gravy were creamy and delicious, though the shrimp may have been lost a bit.

Shrimp and Grits at Grand Isle

Shrimp Caminada Poboy

As it turns out, Chef Falgoust has taken home a couple prizes at the New Orleans Poboy Preservation Festival.  The Shrimp Caminada is one of those award winning sandwiches.  It features a spicy citrus butter with Asian herb slaw and shrimp on Leidenheimer French bread.  It certainly had a unique taste profile compared to other shrimp poboys, which mean completely as a compliment.  It is nice to see something so classically New Orleans changed with just a few tweaks of condiments.  Heading back to his trusty smoker, Chef Falgoust concluded my tastings with a pork shoulder entree.  The smoked chunk of pork broke apart gingerly with an excellent combination of sweetness and smokiness.  Served with a bed of lima beans, cucumbers, red onions, and herbs, this pork shoulder is another example of Grand Isle being able to do more than just fry seafood.

Pork Shoulder, Lima Beans, Cucumber, Red Onions, Herbs