Slap Ya Mama Giveaway

Bite and Booze is proud to team up with Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning for the holidays and present you, the loyal Bite and Booze readers, with a chance to win great Slap Ya Mama gift bags!  Slap Ya Mama is a Cajun seasoning company from Ville Platte, La. which produces an array of seasoning options including their original Cajun seasoning, a white pepper blend, hot sauce, fish fry, and seafood boil.  What sets Slap Ya Mama apart from other similar Cajun seasonings is that their mixture contains more red pepper and other spices that make great tasting Cajun dishes without filling the product with such high levels of sodium that leave you with over-salted food.  Slap Ya Mama is "recommended for all dishes, from popcorn to seafood, breakfast to late night snacks, gourmet foods to French fries." 

The Slap Ya Mama Gift Bag

Five (5) Slap Ya Mama Gift Bags ($18.00 value each through their website) will be given away to five random contest entrants.  The gift bag includes:

•12oz. Box of “Slap Ya Mama” Fish Fry

•5floz Bottle of “Slap Ya Mama” Pepper Sauce
•8oz Canister of Original Blend
•8oz Canister of White Pepper Blend
•8oz Canister of Hot Blend

To enter the giveaway contest, please leave a comment about your thoughts on Cajun foods in the space provided for this post.  Feel free to be humorous, comment about your best Cajun meal ever, share your favorite Cajun/Creole restaurant from wherever you are from, or tell everyone how much you love Slap Ya Mama.  Make sure that you leave a way for me to get in touch with you: email, twitter name, facebook profile, google account, etc.  I will contact the winners to get a physical mailing address so Slap Ya Mama can ship your gift bag.  Only U.S. residents are eligible (due to shipping costs) and shipments cannot go to a P.O. box.  Other than that, everyone is welcome!  The contest will end at midnight central time the night of Wednesday, December 16, 2009 to make sure there is time to get your gift bags shipped to you by Christmas!

Please share this contest on your preferred social media outlet and join Bite and Booze on facebook and twitter




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Delpit's Chicken Shack

There are several good places in Baton Rouge to find fried chicken other than Popeye's.  Undoubtedly one of the best of these places is Delpit's Chicken Shack on N. Acadian.  The Chicken Shack serves up hot lunches to many satisfied patrons every day as they have quite a few offerings on the menu, but their specialty is the bone-in, finger-licking fried chicken.

Delpit's Chicken Shack, N. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, La

I recently visited the Chicken Shack for my first time after strong recommendations from Eusebio and Eric.  The lovely Caroline met me there for lunch to help me see what all the fuss was about.  We got things started with an order of the "shack balls."  These hand-battered boudin balls were unlike the other deep-fried Cajun treats that you can find around town.  The each ball contained the flavorful rice and meat mixture that remained extremely moist inside.  The shack balls impressed me a lot, so I couldn't wait for the chicken!

Three Shack Balls

The fried chicken dinner came in a styrofoam box with couple of sides and a roll.  I ordered a three piece meal of all dark meat and picked cornbread dressing with brown gravy and yams as my side items, which may have been a decent call, but they weren't anything too special.  Fortunately for me, they were better than the two sides that Caroline got so at least I can brag about that!  Both of my sides were plenty good enough to eat, just not good enough to bring people to Chicken Shack on their own.  The chicken, on the other hand, is a different story!

Fried Chicken, Cornbread Dressing, Yams, and a Roll from Delpit's Chicken Shack

Seasoned well, fried crunchy on the outside, and juicy on the inside, this chicken could soundly be argued to be the best fried bird in town.  It was absolutely delicious from the first bite of crispy skin to the final nibble of tender flesh off the bone.  Each bite made me want to order more to eat until I couldn't stuff any more down my throat, then go back for more the next day!  I resisted the temptation though.  But don't worry, I'll be back soon enough.

How do you say, ah yes, Turkey Day

Turkey Day 2009 proved to once again to be a day filled with family, friends, food, and fun.  Eric and Dana, my brother and sister, went to my cousin Philip and his wife Lisa's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  The family generational gap made its presence as Granny made it to dinner with a lot of her grand children but none of her kids (our parents) were present.  They all seemed to be out of town and feasting somewhere else in the country.   Oh well, more bites and boozes for me!

Cousin Travis attended the Thanksgiving dinner with his lady friend, Lauren.  He prepared a fantastic pumpkin and pecan bread which we devoured like we hadn't eaten breakfast.  Oh yeah, I didn't eat breakfast.  I was saving room for dinner!!

Travis's Pumpkin and Pecan Bread

Travis also came to the gathering with some home-vinted vino.  He brought a bottle of Pinot Noir made from a home-fermented Pinot concentrate.  The wine was surprisingly good!  I expected it to be pretty good because I have never really known Travis to make anything bad, but this wine actually had some character to it.  It was a refreshing red wine that was fairly light on the palate and I'd say a little less complex and fruity than a typical Pinot, but still extremely drinkable, delightful, and cheap!

Home-Vinted Pinot Noir

Thanksgiving is not just an occasion for wine though.  It is also a holiday that calls for really good beer.  I started my pre-dinner beer drinking with a homebrewed porter.  This porter, which was crafted by Phil, Travis, and Eric, I believe, came out strong, rich, and spicy.  I could taste the dark-malted brew on my lips and tongue while the liquid went down my throat and into my extremely satisfied belly.

Homebrewed Porter and Stone Brewery's IPA in Frosty Third Row Mugs

Stone's IPA is a terrific, hoppy bear that went down so well after Thanksgiving dinner.  It is a beer drinker's beer for sure, and those that don't like robust hops need not give it a taste.  I, however, love strong hoppy flavors and found the Stone IPA to be a great beer for a holiday dinner.  Now, on to the meal!

Thanksgiving Dinner Plate at Phil and Lisa's House

Thanksgiving dinner was served with a marvelous spread of food that covered the entire kitchen at Phil and Lisa's house.  Granny made her signature cornbread dressing which was the only thing that I HAD to have on Thanksgiving.  There was also mashed potatoes and gravy, Dana's green bean casserole, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and, of course, turkey and cranberry sauce.  Philip smoked the turkey this year and it came out very nicely.  The bird was flavorful, moist, and tender with a smoky flavor that made the turkey extra special.  I can't say that I'd mind eating food like that all the time! 

For dessert Travis and Lauren brought over an assortment of pumpkin and apple pies.  I had a slice of each, adding a hefty scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla to the apple pie.  Man, that was a treat!  I wanted to eat it so badly that I apparently forgot to take a picture!  After hours of chatting, playing some UNO with the kids, and talking about beer and wine, it was time to leave Phil and Lisa's home.  No worries though!  The next stop happened to be Sara's house for more dessert!

Cranberry-White Chocolate-Ginger Cheesecake

I had the pleasure of swinging by Sara's house with Eric and Dana to meet Sara, Lauren, Lizzie, and Mitch for some hanging out and extra dessert.  Lizzie is a pastry chef in Minnesota and whipped up this cranberry-white chocolate-ginger cheesecake for us!  Have I said how much I love cheesecake?  This dessert knocked my socks off!  What a great way to use cranberries during the holidays!  Everything about this cheesecake made me happy, and now writing about it I want more!  If there is one thing I need to learn how to make, it is cheesecake!

A Lunch Poboy at Downtown Seafood and Grill

Downtown Baton Rouge is alive with places to eat for lunch.  Another hidden gem in the mix on Third Street is Downtown Seafood and Grill.  This little restaurant uses a couple deep fryers and a flattop grill to turn delicious seafood into golden brown delicacies and raw beef patties into fresh 3/4 pound cheeseburgers.  Downtown Seafood does not offer a great variety on their menu but instead does a few things well.  Burgers, poboys, and... well, that's about it really.  I suppose their fried seafood plates are pretty good too, but everyone goes there for the sandwiches!

Downtown Seafood and Grill, Third Street, Baton Rouge

I've been to DSG on multiple occasions and can say that their seafood poboys and burgers are quality, affordable grub.  It certainly isn't gourmet, but it is rather tasty!  On a recent visit I decided to try something a little different and ordered a three-meat poboy instead of fried seafood or a burger.

Three-Meat Poboy at Downtown Seafood and Grill

The sandwich came out hot and fresh.  The meats weren't as plentiful as I had hoped based on how they liberally fling fried shrimp between the french bread on the shrimp poboy.  Their bread is rather good, but nothing that they bake in house or anything.  It usually is the french bread that makes or breaks a poboy in my opinion, and DSG does alright in that regard.  The sandwich included ham, turkey, and roast beef but the only cheese option sadly happened to be the same American cheese that they melt on the burger patties.  Overall it was a satisfying lunch but from now on when I hit up this spot on Third Street I'm going to get a fried shrimp or fried chicken poboy.  Those are the real winners!  Cheers.

Beer Wars: Brewed In America

Drink craft beer!  Drinking Bud, Miller, and Coors products every time you drink beer is like eating at McDonalds and Burger King for every meal.  Support your local and craft breweries!  I do believe that macro-brewed beers have their place, just like fast food, but it is time for people to pay as much attention to what they are drinking as what they are eating!  When the occasion calls for it, go ahead.  Otherwise, help support your local economy and help fund the brewing of GOOD beer!



Local beer available in Louisiana is currently confined to Abita, Heiner Brau, and NOLA though two more are on the way in the form of Parish and Bayou Teche.  Lazy Magnolia comes from nearby Mississippi while Saint Arnold, Shiner, and serveral other are made in Texas.  Drink their beer!  You won't regret it!