Month of Salads: Mansurs on the Boulevard

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

I've only recently begun eating duck, and it's quickly become a menu item I gravitate toward.

Recently when Team Bite and Booze ventured to Mansurs on the Boulevard for our month of salads, I spotted the Warm Duck Salad, and it spoke to me.

Grilled duck medallions, along with pecans, bleu cheese, and dried cherries, sit atop a bed of spinach drizzled with a rosemary raspberry vinaigrette. It's the perfect combination of sweetness, warmth, crunch, and cheesiness. 

Warm Duck Salad at Mansurs on the Boulevard

Unlike other salads, this one goes for warm and hearty over crisp and refreshing, and the combination of the duck and spinach kept me full until dinner! This is a great option for the meat eater trying to get some greens in their diet (me).

Between Two Shells: Oysters Rockefeller and the Louisiana Mule

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

The Louisiana Mule and Rockefeller Oyster at Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar in Downtown Baton Rouge

I’m not a girl of many talents. There are some that may contest this, but I feel like I have a small skill set that consists of things that are relatively useless with only a few exceptions: I tend to find good parking spots, I have the patience and determination it takes to tackle an entire season of a television series in one day, and I have a knack for pairing drinks with food. Having that said, at Jolie Pearl, when it comes to pairings, the world is your oyster…get it?

Now that you’re done laughing, let’s explore the harmonious flavor profiles of the Louisiana Mule and Rockefeller Oyster.

The Louisiana Mule at Jolie Pearl is prepared with Louisiana White Lightning Whiskey instead of vodka. This gives the drink an extra layer of boozy flavor. With slight moonshine notes from the whiskey, the concoction is spicy, herbaceous, and refreshing. I paired it with the Rockefeller because of the licorice flavors of the Pernod and earthiness of the spinach.

The more grounded flavors of the oyster are like the moms (or dads) of your friend groups. They keep you from getting carried away, but you’re still allowed to party. While the flavors in the Louisiana mule work together, they are separately extremely strong flavors, so it pairs deliciously with a toned down, classic, and scrumptious Rockefeller oyster.

Whether you’re eating them raw, baked, or char-grilled, you’re going to want to run, don’t walk, to Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar. Check back here for more pairings each month, and take a look at this pairing that we've already tasted and tested:

Raw Gulf Oysters and Fresh Margaritas

"Month of Salads" Post VII: Columbia Street Tap Room's Spinach Salad with Raw Oysters

Spinach Salad with Fried Oysters at Tap Room

While in Covington, Louisiana filming a bunch of beer I figured it would be the perfect time for fried oysters. Then I remembered that I should also make one last effort at a "Month of Salads" post. Fortunately the Columbia Street Tap Room allowed me to have my cake and eat it too. I added an order of fried oysters to my spinach salad and it turned out to be a winner. The oysters were delicately fried with a nice crisp exterior and a flavorful interior that retained the proper texture of an oyster. The spinach salad itself came dressed with slivered almonds, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, and a fruity vinaigrette. All of the flavors balanced each other well and the oysters proved to be a nice addition. Plus, the salad also paired nicely with my Old Ray, a mixture of the Old 504 Vanilla Coffee Porter and the Imperial IPA from the Northshore's Chafunkta Brewing Company!

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. 

LCI's Race to Cannes Final: Jeremy Campbell vs Bryan Poche

Jeremy Campbell (left) and Bryan Poche went head to head in the finals of the Louisiana Culinary Institute's Race to Cannes cooking competition.  When I judged Round 2, groups 3 and 4 earlier in the competition, I actually helped score both Jeremy and Bryan to victory.  Seeing both of them in the final got my mouth watering before I even knew what was on the menu!

Jay Ducote and the other judges prepare to be well fed

The chefs knew they would be working with the three main ingredients of Louisiana Pompano, Jerusalem Artichokes, and Fresh Fennel.  However, just before the start of the competition, both chefs were given the mystery ingredients of Smoked Mussels, Raw Pecans, Crab Butter (crab roe), and Assorted Fresh and Dried Chilies.  Both chefs were tasked with incorporating all of the ingredients into either their appetizer or entrée as a full ingredient, not just a garnish.  I love the added level of difficulty for the finals!

Judges taste Bryan's appetizer

Bryan Poche's "Creole Stewed Octopus and Fried Grits"

Bryan presented what he called a "unique play on the ever popular shrimp and grits."  He was certainly right about that!  The dish featured some morsels of octopus that had been slow-cooked in a bath of tomatoes, chilies, and more.  To add a little something extra to the grits, he molded them and then coated the grits with a batter before frying them to crunchy golden exterior.  I love the extremely creative play on a popular dish, as well as the balls he had to use octopus in his dish.  Everything tasted great, and I think the chilies he had to use as a mystery ingredient added a nice touch.  The one critique that I made was that the dish looked like a bit of a monochromatic mess on the plate.  I would have liked too see a few different colors or even a green garnish to balance out all the red and orange.

Judges try Jeremy's Salad

Jeremy Campbell's "Braised Squid with Warm Arugula Salad

Jeremy's appetizer consisted of a salad.  However, this was no ordinary salad.  Rather than fry his squid like so many others, he braised it in red wine and served it over warm Arugula tossed with lemon and black pepper vinaigrette.  He also added some pecans in order to use a mystery ingredient and provide a little extra crunch.  Each bite of the salad left me thoroughly impressed.  The fact that the Arugula was served warm and slightly wilted added to the unique factor.  Still, the highlight of the dish easily came from the beautifully cooked squid with that gorgeous purple color after it had been braised in red wine.  Compliments to the chef, for sure!

Jay Ducote readies himself for the main courses.

Bryan Poche's "Crabmeat Stuffed Pompano

My highest rated dish came from the plate of food that I would have most likely ordered again... or tried to cook for myself.  Bryan described his inspiration as taking two things he loved and putting one inside the other.  And why not put a crab cake inside a piece of fried fish??  He topped the expertly fried Pompano, which isn't usually a frying fish due to its oily nature, with a mixture of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and pepper jack cheese.  The colors in the entree worked far better than they did in his appetizer.  However, the sunchoke gratin left a little to be desired.  It tasted slightly undercooked and a little bland, but still managed to be pretty good.  To wrap up the plate, the braised fennel that Bryan served had to have been the best fennel I've ever had.  The texture, color, and taste were all spot-on.  The dish as a whole really impressed both my eyes and taste buds!

Judges taste the Race's final dish

Jeremy Campbell's Pompano Bouillabaisse

Our final dish came from Jeremy and it packed some heat.  He plated a pompano bouillabaisse which featured fresh pompano simmered in white wine, sherry and tomatoes served over Louisiana popcorn rice.  The broth also included some chilies and smoked mussels from the mystery ingredients that added a really unique flavoring to the bouillabaisse.  Adding even more complexity to the stock, Jeremy added some brown sugar to round out the smokiness and heat.  Everything tasted spectacularly rich and it became difficult to put the fork down.  I would have liked to see some contrasting texture, but other than that, this dish proved to be a serious winner.

In fact, it did carry Jeremy on to the victory.  Scores as whole were extremely close, but Jeremy pulled out the win, and with it a trip to be part of the culinary team at the Cannes Film Festival in France.  I'd like to congratulate both Jeremy and Bryan on a job well done.  The Race to Cannes is a fantastic culinary competition and I can see plenty growth in its future.  To learn more about everything going on at the Louisiana Culinary Institute, check out their website at www.louisianaculinary.com!

Cameroon - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

Cameroon

Bite and Booze returns to the host continent of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for a look at the eats and drinks of Cameroon.  This country is sometimes referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity.  The relatively small nation sits on the western edge of central Africa and includes beaches, deserts, mountains, rain forests, and savannas.  Cameroon is also home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups, making it difficult to nail down their most cultural bites and boozes.  Still, as they play their second match of the World Cup today against Denmark, we'll see what they have to offer.

Ndole is generally considered the national dish of Cameroon.  The meal most closely resembles a stew containing nuts and bitter leaves that are native to western Africa.  Some refer to it as a bitterleaf soup.  The leaves are similar to spinach but more acidic, creating a more bitter taste when cooked than spinach.  Peanuts are usually used as well as onions and garlic.  Ndole is typically served with fried plantains, steamed banana leaves, or rice.  The meat of choice is usually a combination of shrimp and smoked fish, though ground beef is sometime used in ndole as well.

Beer is by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in Cameroon, with many people making their own brews from millet or maize.  Many publications are concerned that Cameroonians are now drinking too much alcohol, but I don't buy it.  How can you have too much of a good thing like beer?  However, Susan Diduk points out in her article titled European Alcohol, History, and the State in Cameroon, "Today it is impossible to overlook the significance of bottled alcohol production and consumption in the Republic of Cameroon.  Bars selling bottled beers mark rural commercial centers and proliferate on city streets.  They are so pervasive that it is difficult to imagine city, town, or village without them..."  Unfortunately, most of this bottled beer is imported from Europe and not a product of Cameroon.  The millet and maize beers are produced locally though, as is another popular beverage: palm wine.  Palm wine is made from the fermentation of sap from the palm tree.

For more on beer in Cameroon, check out Eric's post on the BR Beer Scene!

Thanks and Credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameroon
http://www.africapresse.com/recettes/le-ndole/09/04/2010/
http://www.jstor.org/pss/525506

Tapas at La Tasca Near DC

During my recent trip to Washington DC I for a work related conference I encouraged some of my colleagues to join me in downtown Rockville, MD for dinner and drinks.  While I actually had intentions of finding a Peruvian restaurant, our dining destination easily revealed itself when we saw a Spanish Tapas joint with outdoor dining called La Tasca.  While La Tasca has multiple locations, they are all in the greater DC/Baltimore area so it at least is a regional chain.


Joined by Nadine, Dan, and Jane, we began with a pitcher of Cava Sangria.  This delicious and sweet beverage contained sparkling wine, triple sec, brandy, grape juice, and blueberries.  The drink didn't fit with my sweet tooth all that well, but I still enjoyed it and ate the booze soaked blueberries afterwards.  We also ordered a pitcher of Sangria Rosada.  This mixed wine concoction had rose vino, grape juice, blueberries, and strawberries.  Not quite as sugary as the first sangria, I enjoyed several glasses of this one while tasting the tapas.

Spanish Tapas at La Tasca Plate Number One

Upon looking at the menu we realized that we'd really like to try everything.  Fortunately for us La Tasca has several tapas tastings for us to order.  Each tapas tasting menu is supposed to be about right for two people, so we ordered both the meat and seafood tastings for the four of us to share.  The thing I love most about eating tapas is that the variety is meant to be shared.  It designed to work like a series of appetizers at typical American restaurants.  Everybody shares a whole bunch of food, and then there is no need for individual entrees!  The meat tasting menu featured Buey al Jerez (grilled flank steak with sherry and mushroom sauce), Pollo al Ajillo (chicken breast cooked in white wine and garlic), Albondigas (meatballs served in a vegetable marinara), Chorizo a la Parilla (grilled spicy Spanish sausage links), Solomillo de Cerdo (grilled pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon), Tortilla Española (traditional Spanish potato and onion omelet), Espinacas Salteadas (sauteed spinach with pine nuts and raisins), and Meloso de Ajo (creamy rice with roasted garlic, nuts, and raisins).  By far my favorite dish out of these was the Buey al Jerez.  The beef had a tremendous flavor and the sherry/mushroom sauce was spot on.  I also like the Espinacas Salteadas for the simplicity of it while still serving as a fantastic vegetable dish.  Some of the other dishes were decent, others quite forgettable.  Let's move on to the seafood tasting.

Spanish Tapas at La Tasca Plate Number Two

The dishes arrived at our table mixed and matches, so the pictures of the plates are not necessarily in any order.  Still, with a keen eye, I bet you can identify most of the cuisines.  The seafood tasting menu had Vieiras Cava (grilled scallops in a creamy champagne sauce), Calamares Andaluza (fried calamari with garlic mayonnaise), Salmon a la Plancha (grilled salmon, spinach and fried mussels), Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp sautéed in olive oil and garlic), Paella Valenciana (chicken and mixed seafood paella), Aritos de la Huerta (fried onion, green and red pepper rings), Setas al Ajillo (mushrooms sautéed in garlic and olive oil), and Ensalada de Espinacas (spinach and Cabrales cheese salad).  While the food tasted alright at the time, thinking back it really had been masked by extreme hunger, sweet sangria, and good conversation.  All of the seafood tasting dishes were quite edible, but by no means were they admirable or outstanding.  I never once recall thinking "DAMN!" or "I need to learn how to make this!"  Even the paella was disappointing, and I had been looking forward to it!  In the end, I enjoyed the atmosphere, I enjoyed the idea of tapas, and I enjoyed the company.  The food ended up being an afterthought, and I'm glad that it was because otherwise I would have been terrible disappointed and upset that I fell victim to a fairly useless restaurant.  Tapas are great, but I'd prefer a little more authenticity.  Next time I'm in DC (or Rockville to be exact), I'll make sure to try something else.

Things To Do
Washington DC

Random Bites and Boozes

Here are random and assorted Bites and Boozes that I've had over the past few months that didn't really fit in with a full blog post.  Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Fuller's London Pride

Ribbit on a Stick - LSU Soccer

Blackened Drum with Crab Topping from Sammy's Grill

Apple Cider Moonshine From Rev

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast by Dana

Elk Burger with Cheddar at the Deer Camp

Boudin Shop and Country Store, Gotta Love Louisiana

Bonefish Grill: Lobster topped Mahi Mahi

Carrabas Beef Brasato: melt in your mouth good!

Hunter's Gumbo and Sweets

Jimmy Johns #9 Italian Sub, 10% off for saying Bite and Booze sent you, thanks for the promotion, Kyle

Wags on the Levee Shrimp and Andouille Stew

Waffle Cheese Fries from Walkons

Capital City Grill with Boo!

One of downtown's nicer dining establishments is Capital City Grill's Shaw Center location.  There you can find lunches and dinners served up daily in a business-casual atmosphere.  Their menu has a Louisiana feel to it with crab claws and gumbo as starters while serving fried seafood dishes and poboys for lunch and dinner.  Capital City Grill also offers standard American upscale dining fare like gourmet steaks, pork chops, chicken breasts, and salads.  Not too long ago I met my brother Eric (known to many simple as Boo!) there for lunch to check the place out.  We took a couple seats at the bar, though couldn't order any booze, and started our meal out with some seafood queso.

Seafood Queso and Chips at Capital City Grill

The seafood queso proved to be every bit as interesting as it was good.  The melted cheese base flourished with lump crab meat, bits of shrimp tails, and spinach.  It came served piping hot with some decent, toasted tortilla chips for dipping.  Judging by the way we gobbled it down, the seafood queso must have been pretty good!

For my meal I ordered the fish of the day lunch special.  What I got was a grilled filet of tilapia topped with a toasted pecan glaze and served with steamed veggies and wild rice. 

Grilled Tilapia with Toasted Pecan Glaze, Squash, Zucchini, and Wild Rice

As a midday fish special at a downtown grill, this meal turned out to be sensational.  The grilled tilapia had a smooth texture that perfectly parted under the edge of a fork.  The toasted pecan glaze gave the fish some sweet and nutty flavors that accented the dish very well.  The addition of steamed squash and zucchini along with some rice made the meal not only extremely tasty, but also rather healthy.  The price ended up being more that I normally spend for lunch fare, but they have cheaper options on the menu as well.  All in all I left satisfied and I might not go back often, but I'd certainly be willing to return to Capital City Grill on occasion.