Le Foret: Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Jumbo Seared Scallops Topped with Ghost Pepper Caviar

I took the Bite and Booze Radio Show on the road to New Orleans with my buddy Chuck P. from the Me and My Big Mouth Radio Show and my Chief Confusion Coordinator Blair Loup to tear up the town. One of our first stops brought us to Le Foret, a fine dining restaurant located on 129 Camp Street. Upon walking in to the restaurant, my eyes we drawn to the beautiful art pieces and large wine cellar. The dining room is bright and refreshing and each wall has a really cool piece of art the owners get from a gallery up the road.

Take a listen to the show and salivate with us as we feast on these amazing dishes.




Chef Brandon Felder prepared a couple of his starters for us. The first was classic New Orleans BBQ Shrimp. Massive, succulent shrimp set atop a fried grit cake were enveloped in an Abita Beer Sauce. The rich sauce layered with spices finished smoothly with a bite of the creamy grit cake.

Louisiana BBQ Shrimp

Something else to start with is the Truffled Gnocchi. Gnocchi has a very potato-ey texture which pairs well with a creamy sauce. Chef chose a crawfish Parmesan cream sauce. Asparagus tips, corn and wild mushrooms offered a little bite and balance both texture and flavor-wise.

Truffled Gnocchi

Chef Felder showing off the fresh soft shell crab

Next out of the kitchen came perhaps the most beautiful dish I've seen. The colors added a lot of character to the plate and the dish composed with classic flavors we bold and fun together. Sweet Louisiana soft shell crab straight out of the water that morning set atop a savory corn maque choux accompanied by a peppery arugula salad made for a refreshing, satisfying dish.

Louisiana Soft Shell Crab Crusted in Cornmeal

The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM and replays Sundays at 8 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge. The show is hosted by Jay Ducote and won a Taste Award in January 2014 as the best food or drink based radio broadcast in the country. The producer of the show is Chris Courtney at Guaranty Broadcasting and the field producer is Charles Pierce from the Me and My Big Mouth Show. It is also available on iTunes. The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Portico Restaurant and Bar, Lock & Key Whiskey Bar, Le Creole Restaurant, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Mama Della's N.Y. City Pizzeria, Mason's Grill, Donner-Peltier Distillers (Rougaroux Rums and Oryza Vodka and Gin), Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, the Louisiana Culinary Institute and Triumph Kitchen.

Hot Tails in New Roads: Dare to be Delicious

I caught Chef Cody Carroll (left) pulling out a fresh batch
of his famous boiled crawfish.

Hot tails is tucked away in New Roads, Louisiana which is about 45 minutes outside of Baton Rouge, and it is worth every second of the drive! Louisiana Culinary Institute classmates, turned chefs, turned married couple are the creators of Hot Tails. This is a casual yet hardcore Cajun place that has a lot more going on than it might appear. Each dish is prepared with an artful mind, a bold taste profile, and several smiling faces. In its inception, the primary reason for its existence was to be a crawfish house. Chefs Cody and Sam Carroll have a crawfish farm up the road of their own so they know exactly where the mudbugs are coming from. They then boil some of the most delicious batches of crawfish anywhere in the state.

Along the way Chefs Cody and Sam started to incorporate their flare into some of the dishes we all grew up loving. Everything coming out of the Carrolls’ kitchen is spot on. Every site, sip, and bite presents out of control deliciousness. They have been recognized as the Crawfish King and Queen by Louisiana Seafood and have been the subject of many write ups in various publications that adorn their walls at Hot Tails. Trust me--this place is worth checking out.

Here's a sampling of their menu so you don't have to take just my words for it, but you can also see for yourself. To taste and smell, though, you'll have travel to New Roads.

Blackened Alligator Po-Boy with Fried Okra and a pint of Tin Roof Blonde

The legendary Creole Crawfish Burger topped with sautéed crawfish, onions, mushrooms and pepperjack cheese.

The monstrous Gulf Platter with a fried soft shell crab, oysters, catfish, crawfish tails, and the most tender frog legs in existence.

The Seafood Muffaletta: sautéed shrimp, crawfish, mushrooms, onions, and garlic with Provolone.

Louisiana Seafood Gumbo.

Chef Sam prepared this beautiful and delicious Bloody Mary while Chef Cody made one of my favorites: fried rabbit with red beans and rice.

The Hot Tails boiled crawfish... legit!