Pop Culture on a Stick: Pops and Rockets in Lake Charles

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

From top to bottom: (Your Own) Personal Ginger, Save a Pear, and Same Rosewater As You
Photo Credit: Anna Sprigg

Recently I went back home to Sulphur/Lake Charles for the first installment of the Louisiana Winter Beer Festival. Event organizer Nick Villaume invited me to the festival and suggested that I should check out this popsicle business he and a friend started up called Pops and Rockets. He described them as "gourmet pops with an '80s music theme."

 "Oh hell yes," I replied.

I couldn't have been more excited to be attending a craft beer event in my home town with one of my good friends/down-the-street neighbors, Anna Sprigg. Nick instructed us to find his partner Robbie Austin and have him take us to their pop-eration (my words, not his). He said his partner could better explain some of the flavors. Maybe it's because Robbie is a teacher: high school theology and college art. As well as a gourmet popsicle maker.

You know, just the average day in Lake Charles.

Nick had the idea to start up a gourmet pop business, but Robbie wasn't buying it. One day Robbie started thinking of '80s lyrics and pop flavors and caved into Nick's pop demands. They've now sold over 5,000 pops just from pop-up business, special events, and the local farmer's market.

Robbie told Anna and me all of this as he led us into a shady storage area where a tiny and brightly-colored structure stood containing deep freezers and a pasteurizer. We started opening pops and talking about flavor profiles. 

Co-owner of Pops and Rockets, Robbie Austin and I have a connection.
Photo Credit: Anna Sprigg

The first one I tried was (Your Own) Personal Ginger made with coconut milk, ginger, and honey. Spicy, creamy, and just mind blowing-ly satisfying. While this one topped my list, the Save a Pear with spiced pear and golden raisins is my ideal Fall weather pop.

Anna went to town on the Same Rosewater As You made with raspberry, cherry, and rosewater. It was super refreshing. The tartness of the berries mellowed out the floral notes of the rosewater. This one would be perfect on a hot Louisiana day. 

These guys aren't playing around with these pops. The flavors they're creating are very layered and complex, but don't mistake that for intimidating.

Their goal is to up production of their pops to meet the demand they're faced with at farmer's markets. Check out their Facebook page in the link above to stay hip to the latest pop news. 

The Bee Sting Smash: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Lock and Key

The Bee Sting Smash at Lock & Key Whiskey Bar

It's that time of year again, and we in Baton Rouge look forward to another glorious St. Patrick's Day parade. I was looking for something to get me in the spirit of this year's festivities, but not just any old Irish whiskey drink--something magical, sparkly, and giddy. Arthur Lauke and Brandy Tabor of Lock & Key Whiskey Bar pointed me straight to one of their most popular whiskey cocktails: The Bee Sting Smash.

Delightfully simple, each of their cocktails is made with love and attention to detail. I would not be shocked if you told me they tucked each drink in to bed with a bedtime story. That's how delicious these drinks are. Like I said, I was looking for something that wasn't just delicious, but something that contained sparkle. Each Bee Sting Smash is made with lemon and mint muddled in a succulent, house-made ginger syrup. They toss in some ice cubes, pour in some Paddy's Bee Sting Irish Whiskey and send it on it's way. The Paddy's Bee Sting is floral and friendly. You don't get that punch of whiskey, but I like how the floral notes sweetened by the ginger syrup. The slight earthiness and spice of the ginger mellows out with the rest of the ingredients, and the lemon and mint lend some brightness. You'll definitely want to swing by Lock & Key sometime this week to get your fix. 

The Happiest of Happy Hours at Johnny Sánchez

– Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

A couple of weeks ago, Blair and I took a little road trip to New Orleans to interview the Headmistress of Hops herself, Nora McGunnigle. We made it to the city sooner than expected, and to kill some time we figured we'd stop in somewhere and take advantage of some Happy Hour deals.

That's when we stumbled upon Johnny Sánchez. The restaurant, situated in the CBD, resulted from the combined efforts of Chefs Aarón Sánchez and John Besh. Together, the two established a Mexican-style taqueria utilizing the amazing local ingredients available in New Orleans. 

Johnny Sánchez has a super cool interior. Find them at 930 Poydras Street in New Orleans. 

With a focus on local ingredients and the super cool atmosphere, it's no surprise it was a hit with us. 

The moment we were seated, we were brought a green, chunky salsa and a dark red, thinner salsa. For optimum dipping, we were brought tortilla and plantain chips. I'd never tried dipping plantain chips into anything, and after that fateful day, my eyes have been opened. Blair and I couldn't agree on which of the salsas we preferred. Luckily, our waitress kept bringing us refills of each as we decided on our drinks.

Johnny Sánchez has crazy Happy Hour deals. From Sunday to Friday between 3 pm and 6 pm, draft beer, house wine and well mixed drinks are half off. Their house made margarita pitchers are half off. And their street tacos are only five bucks.

Blair and I opted for the 'ritas, made with Agavales blanco, lime, triple sec, and agave and rimmed with salt.

Before we decided on a more substantial meal, we got hit with the best guacamole either of us had ever had. It was made with avocado, pico de gallo, lime and cilantro, which is pretty standard, but it was topped with radish shavings. We couldn't get enough. 

Can't get enough of this guac. 

As for the street tacos, we ordered one of each. You know, for science. 

The Pork Carnitas taco is filled with slow-cooked pork, chipotle, and raw onion. As a pork fan, this was one of my favorites. The combination of the pork flavors with crunchy onion does me in every time. 

The Pork Carnitas street taco

The Al Pastor, with chargrilled pork, achiote, and grilled pineapple was a close second. I'll put grilled pineapple on anything. The acidity of the grilled pineapple complemented the pork really well. 

The Al Pastor street taco

The Papas con Rajas were a happy surprise. I didn't have much faith in a taco filled with Yukon gold potatoes, grilled poblano peppers and onions, and chihuahua, but I clearly underestimated my love for carb-based tacos.

The Papas con Rajas street taco

It has been well-documented that Blair loves beef tongue. The Lengua was right up her alley: slow-cooked beef tongue, Valentina hot sauce, and white onion. It's almost like this taco was made with Blair in mind. Valentina is her hot sauce of choice at home. 

The Lengua street taco

Last, but definitely not least, the Chorizo y Camote, with Mexican chorizo, crispy sweet potatoes, and pickled red onion. These might have been my favorite. They reminded me of the authentic street tacos I had in Austin. Once you try the pink pickled onion, there's no going back. I have dreams about these tacos. 

The Chorizo y Camote street taco

By this point, we'd finished our 'ritas. Blair ordered a beer, and I ordered a wine, and we continued munching and talking happily until we left the CBD to meet Nora at Avenue Pub on St. Charles.

If you want to get in on one of the happiest hours I've experienced, check out Johnny Sánchez.

Vino and Venison: Taking a bite out of the monthly wine dinners at L'Auberge Baton Rouge's 18 Steak

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out 18 Steak at L'Auberge yet, you're missing out. The decor is totally luxe and over-the-top: quilted leather booths, dark interior lighting, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

It looks like somewhere The Godfather would bring someone he was either trying to kill or impress. And it's awesome.

Recently we had the opportunity to try one of 18 Steak's monthly wine dinners. The restaurant has been offering multiple course dinners paired with a variety of wines, and when L'Auberge Public Relations Manager Julie Collins got in touch with us about attending a dinner, we couldn't very well pass it up.

The dinner started with a cocktail hour where we sipped on champagne and admired the decor. We snacked on some passed hors d'oeuvres while Blair and Julie rekindled their friendship by nerding out over Harry Potter (you may have read about these two gals gushing over HP before in Put it all on 18 Steak).

Poppin' champagne like we won the championship game.

First course: oysters on the half shell

Once we were seated, the serious eating began.

Our first course consisted of a variety of raw oysters served on the half shell and paired with a lovely chardonnay, the William Fevre Champs Royaux 2013. One of the oysters, the table favorite, was a rare find from Japan. It was topped with a lemon-y granita and had a really unique flavor, different for those of us who are used to Gulf oysters.

Next, we were brought a duck confit salad served with fresh Louisiana strawberries. I wasn't a huge fan of how stem-y the greens were, but the confit made up for it. The strawberry sauce added an unexpected sweetness to the salad which went along nicely with the duck as well as the paired wine, the Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Reserve Bougogne Rouge 2011.

Second course: duck confit salad

Around this point, we were all two glasses in (well, three if you count the champagne at the bar). The previous courses had definitely whet our appetites, but we anxiously awaited the main course while juggling our multiple wine glasses.

When it was finally brought out, it took all our efforts to keep our jaws from hitting the floor. We were served a medium rare venison chop. Porcini crusted and topped with micro-greens, the venison laid in a red pool of cherry reduction. Cutting into it was like cutting into a stick of softened butter, and the texture was the same upon eating a bite. This dish paired elegantly with the Bouchard Pere et Fils Beune Savigny-les-Beaune 2012.

Main Course: Procini Crusted Venison Chop
with Cherry Reduction

The main course was Blair's favorite, but I enjoyed the dessert course most of all.

We were brought a beautiful little log of chocolate cake topped with a hazelnut creme and poached pears sprinkled with cinnamon. Chocolate syrup was dotted on the plate along with a dollop of pear jelly. This final course was served with the Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Gevery Chambertin 2012.

Blair goes to a lot of these dinners, so she's a seasoned professional. She was very happy with the amount of food we were served. Normally, she said, each course is a huge portion of food. At the end of the 18 Steak dinner, we were able to move and weren't feeling the 'itis.

Dessert: Chocolate cake with hazelnut creme and poached pears

Blair and I both appreciated that the wines weren't super heavy. Each glass paired nicely with each course, and at the end of the dinner we were each given a bottle of Pinot Noir to bring home.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, you're in luck! 18 Steak will be hosting another wine dinner featuring Hall Family Vineyards on March 25 for only $99 per person. And Julie told us to keep our eyes peeled for another dinner in April. More information can be found here.








If the wine dinner is a little out of your price range (normally, it is for me), Julie gave us the down-low on a great promotion starting this week in Bon Temps Buffet at L'Auberge. They're calling it Fisherman's Keep, and for $25 you can eat all the snow crab clusters, sautéed scallops, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, stuffed crabs, barbecue shrimp, stuffed flounder and crawfish you can get your paws on until April 4. Julie suggests heading there Wednesday for dinner and hitting up Blitz Bingo at Edge afterward. Click here for the menu. 

Irish Whiskey Flight: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Lock & Key

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Irish Whiskey Flight featuring Green Spot, Redbreast 12 Year, and Jameson Black Barrel at Lock & Key $18

One of my favorite things about Lock & Key Whiskey Bar is how approachable they make things. If you're not a whiskey aficionado, chances are you're lost in a place like Lock & Key. With over 200 different whiskeys, it's easy to feel intimidated. Fret not, under the wings of their knowledgable and helpful staff, you can easily find your next whiskey obsession. If I'm not getting one of their delicious whiskey cocktails, I go for one of their incredibly affordable flights. Each flight has different levels of complexity; you'll get to try some stuff you're used to and try some stuff you've never had before.

This month, Lock & Key is featuring an Irish Whiskey flight for $18 you really won't want to miss. Featuring Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel, Redbreast 12 Year, and the hard-to-find Green Spot, this Irish Whiskey Flight is available throughout March.

The Jameson Black Barrel and Redbreast 12 year are always available, but the Green Spot is what makes this flight a deal, so you'll definitely want to stop by and give it a whirl.

I got the chance to sit down and taste these three whiskeys with co-owner and whiskey-pedia, Arthur Lauck. What I love most about drinking whiskey with Arthur is he lets your draw your own conclusions and feel your way around before he lays down his infinite whiskey knowledge.

He suggested I try the Jameson Black Barrel first. Heavy vanilla on the nose, it was initially super balanced and smooth. After adding a few drops of water, the flavor expands into taller vanilla and toasted oak notes and moves the taste to the back of the palate. It kind of coats your mouth and lingers for a while, but none of the flavors are overpowering. It's also only a few dollars more than a regular Jameson and is far better tasting.

Moving along the tasting board, next up is the Redbreast 12 year. Being a single pot still distilled three times is what sets the Redbreast and Green Spot apart from the Jameson Black barrel. While the Black Barrel is from one distillery, it's still made up from different mashes. The Redbreast is slightly sweet, creamy, and full bodied. It instantly makes you feel warmer and has similar tasting notes to the Jameson Black Barrel, but is about 6 levels above that. You can really see where the single pot still makes a difference.

Green Spot is very hard to come by and has limited allocation, luckily Arthur was able to snag some. Instantly, I'm in love. It's super drinkable. It has an extremely clean finish, a little creamy, fresh and dried fruit notes, and strong on the peppermint. It's soft and delicate, but has a really great flavor. I loved it so much, I ran to Ben Q Liquor on my way back to the office to snag a bottle.

This is a really fun way to pre-celebrate the St. Paddy's festivities with three delicious whiskeys. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @biteandbooze, and "like" us on Facebook and let us know which Irish whiskey in the flight was your favorite!