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!

Nora McGunnigle: Head Mistress of Hops

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Nora McGunnigle at Avenue Pub in New Orleans

The world as it pertains to Louisiana beer bloggers is what the average person would expect: a small group of white men who have nice day jobs, but when night falls, they're cloaked in a cape of Untappd beer patches, home brew tools in hand, and opinions in tow.

For a moment, let me suggest a alternative image: a New England native with a degrees in Theatre and Higher Education Administration transplanted in New Orleans to drink beer like it's her job, because it is.

Clad in blue jeans and a Gnarly Barley Catahoula Common t-shirt, Nora McGunnigle is the "it girl" of craft beer writing (my words, not hers). I had never formally met Nora until I joined her for a beer at Avenue Pub on St. Charles, but I knew instantly we would get along because of the shirt. I've said it many times, but Gnarly Barley is my craft beer spirit animal. Anyone who shows up in one of their shirts is automatically on my good side.

Patrons of New Orleans' top craft beer bars treat her like the nice popular girl in high school. She's knowledgable, she's friendly, and she is cool.

Nora decided to move to New Orleans after a few visits, and like any female in charge, made it happen. Thankfully her lovely husband is a talented software engineer and was able to bring a valuable skill set to the New Orleans market; they were able to move just in time for American Craft Beer Week.

I learned from the Women in Booze segment I wrote on Lindsay Nations of Great Raft Brewing that it was not unusual for women to not be taken seriously in the beer industry. When I asked Nora if she had encountered anything similar to Lindsay's experiences, she gave me an interesting response.

"I definitely feel like it took me a long, long time for people to take me seriously as a beer person. In fact, it probably wasn't until I quit [my day job] and started writing professionally," she said.

Nora said there are definitely instances where she feels out of the loop on a new beer, or doesn't get a media sample some of the other beer writers receive.

I feel like everyone in the business of blogging has experience that at some point, even Bite and Booze.

What I found interesting was that she didn't make it into a, "Woe is me, I am woman," thing. She said she wasn't sure if those instances of exclusion were due to her gender or her status as a Louisiana transplant.

"Being a transplant, I think, and justifiably to some extent, people in Louisianan and New Orleans are very wary of transplants coming in and telling them what's what and what's going on," she said. She mentioned that it was hard to see the difference in the beginning. 

I find this disheartening because in my opinion Nora is very much an authority on craft beer. To leave her out of anything cool going on in the industry would be an injustice. I look forward to a day where it's not noteworthy to be a female beer blogger.

Until then, I sleep soundly at night knowing that Nora is looking out for giving everyone, including females in the beer industry, credit where credit is due. Cheers to Nora McGunnigle and to those like her striving to make Louisiana a better/cooler place.

You can find Nora on NOLA Beer Blog and as a writer for Gambit Weekly, Eater, or Thrillest just to name a few. Follow her on Twitter @noradeidre.

This post is part of a monthly series spotlighting Louisiana women in the business of booze. Previous features include:
Natalie Parbhoo: Duchess of Distribution
Lindsay Nations: Baroness of Beer
Dori Murvin: Sorceress of Service

Tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with us this summer: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Lock & Key

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard, intern

You know what sucks? Being a broke intern. Pinching pennies gets old, and things can look pretty bleak until Treat Yo Self day.

But here's the thing: Team Bite and Booze is heading to Kentucky this summer, and it's a trip even a broke intern can afford.

Really. It's, like, alarmingly affordable.

For $1,850 per person, you can come with us on a trip to explore the Kentucky Bourbon trail. From July 9 to 13, we will be staying in the state's fanciest historic hotels and having lunch and dinner at the best local restaurants, all while tasting the best drinks bourbon country has to offer.

This is an all-inclusive trip. You don't have to worry about where you'll be staying, what you'll be eating or how much you'll be drinking.

We've got all that covered.

For three days we'll be touring distilleries across the state hand-selected by Jay. The only thing not included in the price is airfare. You'll have to arrange your own flight.

You can get a look at the more detailed itinerary by filling out the form here or by sending an email to our tour guide and favorite sommelier Myrna Arroyo at myrna@rouxwinetours.com.

Registration closes on March 15, so get in touch with Myrna to pay your deposit and save yourself a spot! This is a trip you won't want to miss out on.

A Lifetime of Achievement...& Sausage! The BRES honors Manda CEO with a pre-Fête Rouge Dinner

The Baton Rouge Epicurean Society does a lot of amazing work for childhood nutrition in the area, and we just heard that at their Annual Awards Dinner they'll be honoring the co-owner and CEO of Manda Fine Meats, Robert "Bobby" Yarborough! Congratulations, dude! We love Manda sausage.

This year's honorees at a luncheon, with Yarborough in the center. Can you spot one of our Women in Booze, Dori Murvin? 

The Baton Rouge native has dedicated much of his life to serving the community, notably through his support of organizations like the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Family Road, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club and the Baton Rouge General Hospital.

The honor couldn't be going to a more deserving guy.

Yarborough will be honored with the Grace ‘Mama’ Marino Lifetime Achievement Award on August 27, 2015, at the Annual Awards Dinner held at L’Auberge Hotel & Casino.

A seven-course dinner will be served in his honor by local area chefs and will feature a selection of fine wines paired with each course. The dinner kicks off the Fête Rouge Weekend, which showcases prominent Baton Rouge area chefs and some of the finest wines from around the world.

Tickets are $200 per person or $1,600 for a table of eight. For more information and tickets to the festival, check out www.feterougebr.com.