B.R. Food

Montrel's Bistro

2012-01-11T11:47:00.002-06:00

This weekend in New Orleans we went to Montrel's Bistro, and were able to enjoy a great meal and watch the Saints/Loins game at the same time.

Louisiana Crab Cakes

These tasty crab cakes with a creamy crawfish sauce on top and served with lime was a great start. It was savory, and definitely whetted our appetites. The crawfish in the middle was more for decoration, but we still ate it.

Rating: Excellent

Note: The Bread in this picture was also delicious. Being fresh from the oven, crunchy and with just enough olive oil, and we asked for another order. This went very well with the next dish.

Crawfish Etoufee

This iteration of the classic dish did not disappoint. The sauce had a spicy kick to it that we used as a sauce for the excellent bread. The rice was a little hard to break up because they had packed it into a mound for presentation. Other than that this was a great.

Rating: Great

Atmosphere

A great Sit-down restaurant. Bring the family, or your extended family, you'll love it.

Rating: Good

Service

Christine was our server. She was Great. However the host was not. He is the person who greets us at the entrance. He had a bluetooth device in his ear, and didn't show us to a table, but told us to take our pick. We also saw two waiters get into a scuffle. Apparently since there were so few customers that day they were fighting over the few that there were. The server we had was fantastic, but because of what I observed from the other service staff I can't rate this highly.

Rating: ok

Bill Breakdown

Louisiana crab cakes 12.50

Crawfish Etoufee 18.85

Subtotal 31.45

tax 2.83

Subtotal w/tax 34.28

Total 34.28

Tip ~5

Overall experience
Great food, questionable service staff.

Overall rating: Good

Here is their website
????????????????

Here is their address and phone number

4957 Essen Ln.

Baton Rouge, LA 70809

(225)769-1800

Here's their google maps view:

Copeland's Taste of New Orleans

2011-12-10T19:40:00.001-06:00

Today we went to Copeland's in Baton Rouge on Essen. I've never been there before and was roped into going, but was happy I did.

Hot Crab Claws
The menu described this as "Fresh Louisiana Blue Crab claws sauteed in an olive oil vinaigrette with a light garlic touch." They were delicious. The sauteed claws with the slightly tart flavor of the vinaigrette were splendidly complimented by the butter sauce seasoned with chives, and parsley. The slightly toasted bread was great for sopping up the left over sauce, and topped of this fantastic appetizer. You have to try this!

Rating: Excellent

Crawfish Fettuccine

This is creamy standard of a dish with a Louisiana twist. With crawfish, some Cajun seasonings and a buttery roll, it turned out to be more than enough for one person.

Rating: Good

3. Half order of Shrimp Orleans
This spicy flavorful dish with andouille sausage, ham, and shrimp in a creamy sauce seasoned with spices, chives, over a bed of rice is enough to fill you up fast even in a half order.

Rating: Very Good

Atmosphere

A great Sit-down restaurant. Bring the family, or your extended family, you'll love it.

Rating: Good

Service

Kaylee B. was our server. She did a great job. No complaints here.

Rating: Great.

Bill Breakdown

1 CRAB CLAWS 13.49

1 CRW FETT 12.99

1 SP-SHRIMP ORLEANS 6.99

Subtotal 33.47

fta 3.01

Subtotal 36.48

Total 36.48

Tip ~5

Overall experience
New Orleans cuisine done well, for a reasonable price. What's not to love.

Overall rating: Great

Here is their website

http://www.copelandsofneworleans.com/

Here is their address and phone number

4957 Essen Ln.

Baton Rouge, LA 70809

(225)769-1800

Here is their google maps view

La Madeleine

2011-11-27T20:30:00.002-06:00

Today we went to La Madeleine next to Barnes and Noble on Bluebonnet and tried five dishes. I've never been there before and didn't know what to expect, but enjoyed myself nonetheless.

1. French Onion Soup
This was a solid iteration of a classic. Not too salty, or too watery, the savory onion broth was delicious and the cheese (although it sunk to the bottom) was warm and gooey like it should be. My only issue was that there was no bread to soak up the flavor, and keep the cheese on the surface. Still, very good.
Rating: Good

2. Tomato Basil Soup
This creamy Tomato Basil Soup was very good. I enjoy tomato Basil soup without cream, but enjoyed this very much.
Rating: Good

3. Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta Salad
This filling dish with Bow Tie Pasta could be ordered hot or cold. I chose cold. I could taste a creamy olive oil flavor that went well. In hindsight I probably should have decided to get either this or the tomato basil soup, not both.
Rating: OK

3. Quiche Lorraine

This Quiche had Ham and Cheese and reminded me of a a ham Omelet. The flakey crust was tasty, and it was very filling.

Rating: Good

3. Quiche Florentine

This Quiche had spinach and swiss cheese. The pie crust was delicious, and the egg mix was light and fluffy. I really liked this one. This and the previous Quiche may look small or like a side dish, but they are deceptively filling. If you order one be careful of ordering more. we couldn't finish the quiches. (as leftovers they were still good)

Rating: Excellent

Atmosphere

A great Sit-down restaurant where you can savor your meal.

Rating: Good

Service

You can either sit down and order, or they have an ala Carte option. Something for everyone

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

Quiche Florentine $5.59

Quiche Lorraine $5.59

Side sampler combo $7.99

French Onion Soup (cup)
Tomato Basil Soup (cup)
Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta (cold, cup)

Total paid $20~21

Overall experience
The Quiche is delicious. The soups are tasty. Great atmosphere.

Overall rating: excellent

Here is their website

http://www.lamadeleine.com/

Here is their address and phone number

7707 Bluebonnet Blvd # 190
Baton Rouge
(225) 766-1875

Here is their google maps view

Beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde

2011-11-21T01:05:00.001-06:00

A couple of days ago we went to Cafe Du monde, and had some Coffee (Cafe Au Lait) and Beignets. They were really good. The beignets are always excellent, and if you don't try them you're really doing yourself a disservice.
Rating: Excellent
Coffee Rating: Good

Atmosphere

With a laid back atmosphere in the middle of the French Quarter, you can just sit down and enjoy the ambiance.

Rating: Excellent

Service

They were nice, and good. Very Amiable, and amusing server.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

1 Order Beignets ~2.50

1 Cafe Au Lait ~2.50

subtotal ~5.00

tax ?

Grand Total <6.00

Overall experience

If you're visiting the French Quarter, and you don't go here, you're making a big mistake.

Overall rating: Excellent

Here is their website:

http://www.cafedumonde.com/main.html

Here is their address and hours:

800 Decatur Street

(French Quarter) New Orleans, LA

24 hours a day 7 days a week, except Christmas.

Magnolia Cafe

2011-11-21T00:35:00.004-06:00

A couple of days ago we went to the Magnolia Cafe, and tried the fried Calamari appetizer, and the Blackened Redfish.

1. Fried Calamari

There was nothing really stellar about the Calamari, but it was still edible, and a good with the cocktail sauce. They didn't give us enough of it. They were kind of like onion rings. Lots of rings, and not enough tentacles.

Rating: Ok

2. Blackened Redfish

This was a tasty looking dish. It had grilled Zucchinis with caramelized onion, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Blackened Redfish with a crawfish sauce over it. The zucchinis were good if you added some hot sauce to liven it up. The Mashed potatoes were ok, but needed more garlic. The Redfish had a little spicy after taste that was good, but other than that was lacking on flavor. Hot sauce helped here too.

Rating: ok

Atmosphere

With a laid back atmosphere in the middle of the French Quarter,and right next to the french market, I could see as a good place for a party, or family. We got there before the rush, and missed out on some of that colorful atmosphere.

Rating: Good

Service

They were pretty nice, and good, but we were the only ones there.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

1 Calamari 6.99

1 Blk Redfish 15.95

subtotal 22.95

tax 2.18

Grand Total 25.12

Overall experience

We didn't really see them at the height of the day, but it was ok food.

Overall rating: ok

Here is their website:

http://www.magnoliagrillofnola.com/

Here is their address and hours:

1122 Rue Decatur

(French Quarter) New Orleans, LA

Mon - Fri:	7:00 am	-	7:00 pm
Sat - Sun:	7:00 am	-	9:00 am

Central Grocery: Muffaletta

2011-11-20T20:24:00.003-06:00

This is half a Muffaletta, each quarter is larger than my hand.

A couple of days ago I went to Central Grocery, and tried the world famous original Muffaletta. We split a half order.

This sandwich was a half loaf but still very large. It had genoa salami, (and probably some other kinds) two kinds of cheese, and a healthy covering of Olive Salad. The olive salad had carrots, Capers, and some other vegges that made the flavor just pop. The combination of these things led to a great experience. I'm sorry I didn't get more. You really need to try this. It will blow you away. If you're a Vegan or a Vegetarian, then this sandwich is not for you. Meat and cheese is a very big part of this sandwich.

Rating: Excellent

Atmosphere

Central Grocery is located right in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter. Here you are not at a lack of activities or sights to see. The sandwich, along with this grocery, is world famous, so there will probably be a line, but they crank out the Muffaletta quickly. They've had more experience making them than anyone else. They even have a seating area for customers who want to eat in the Grocery. In addition to the famous sandwich, they also sell grocery goods from around the world. There were a lot of European products, and especially Italian and Mediterranean ones. If you're making a really good Italian recipe in the french quarter you'd better know where to find this grocery.

Rating: Excellent

Service

The staff were laid back and full of witty banter amongst themselves. Good luck getting in the conversation, but you can listen for free.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

1/2 Muffaletta ~7.25

subtotal ~7.25

tax ?

Grand Total ~8.00

Overall experience

Cozy eclectically european food items is this fun local Grocery/Sandwich shop. Try it, you'll like it.

Overall rating: excellent

Website:
They don't have a website, but here is a wikipedia page with more info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Grocery

Here is their address and hours:

923 Decatur Street

(French Quarter)

New Orleans, LA

Tues - Sat:	9:00 am	-	5:00 pm

Here is their Google maps view:

Meanwhile back at drunken Fish

2011-10-21T17:35:00.005-05:00

A couple days ago I went on a date back to drunken fish. We were feeling chilled by the sudden cold weather and ordered the Beef Noodle Soup (Pho), and the Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho).

Usually when one orders Pho, it comes with a lot of fixings. They have some bean sprouts, a couple of leaves mint and cilantro, some slices of spicy peppers, lime, and two sauces, one spicy, one sweet and savory.

1. Chicken Noodle Soup
The only way to fight a cold. With a little of the fixings, and a lot of the spicy sauce, this warmed me up very quick.
Rating: excellent

2. Beef Noodle Soup
My date sweetened her soup with the sweet sauce, which was not particularly to my liking, but it was still tasty, wam, and filling.
Rating: excellent

Atmosphere

The same as stated in my previous post on Drunken Fish. They were pretty close to closing time when we got there, so the number of customers was dwindling as the night went on. Still good service this time. I liked the server a lot more than the one I had here last time.
Rating: excellent

Service
Still good service this time. I liked the server a lot more than the one I had here last time.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

BEEF NOODLE SOUP 8.00

CHKN NOODLE SOUP 8.00

subtotal 16.00

tax ~17.00

Total ~17.00

Tip 3.00

Total paid $20~21

Overall rating: excellent
Overall experience
The soups are the main reason for coming. If you've got a chill, come to drunken fish, you wont regret it.

Here is their website

http://www.drunkenfishsushi.com/

Here is their address and phone number

4410 Highland Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225-248-6391

Here is their google maps view

Back at Bacio Di Roma

2011-09-28T18:03:00.000-05:00

Last week we went back to Bacio di Roma, the relatively new gelato place just north of LSU campus.

1. Small cup with Banana and Chocolate gelato

This fulfilled my simple desire for fruit and chocolate. The Banana was refreshing and the chocolate was rich and creamy. Once again a winning gelato combination from Bacio di Roma.

Rating: Excellent

2. Small cup with Nutella and Biscotto (cookie) Gelato

My date ordered this concoction, and generously let me try it. I don't usually like Nutella, but in this gelato it was fantastic. The Biscotto tasted like a buttery cookie that you might have with tea, and the combination made me jealous I had not ordered it.

Rating: Excellent

Atmosphere

gelateria for the Baton Rouge LSU area. What makes it different from the many ice cream / yogurt shops in BR is its modern European café design with its touch of coziness that makes it a great hangout for college students, or for those who just have a gelato craving. There were plenty of café tables and chairs inside the shop, as well as on the painted patio out front. Also there were couches and bar-like seating areas in the back with several flat screen T.V.s, which makes it perfect for those who can’t make it to Tiger Stadium on gamedays but would like to enjoy watching the games while eating authentic Italian gelato and catching a break from the Louisiana humidity. With its convenient location to the LSU campus, friendly gelato-enthusiast servers, and sweet treats I believe Bacio di Roma is the sweet touch of modern Italy that Baton Rouge has been waiting for.

Rating: Excellent

2.2 pounds of Gelato = A kilo of flavor

Service

The staff were very helpful, and social. They gave us as many samples as we desired, and made a great first impression for us as new customers. Not only that, but they serve gelato by the kilo.

Also, as a rule of business they let you pay after you've finished your Gelato. That makes them pretty classy in my view.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

1 SMALL 4.00

subtotal 8.00

tax ?

Grand Total >8.00

Overall experience

Lots of flavors, great service, a bit expensive, but its fantastic gelato! You get your moneys worth!!! I came back, I'm betting you will too.

Overall rating: excellent

Here is their website, facebook and twitter page:

http://www.baciodiroma.com/

https://www.facebook.com/baciodiroma?sk=info

http://twitter.com/#!/search/agelatolandkiss

Here is their address and hours:

128 W. Chimes st.

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Mon - Thurs:	10:00 am	-	11:00 pm
Fri - Sat:	10:00 am	-	12:00 am
Sun:	10:00 am	-	10:00 pm

Here is their Google maps view:

Gumbo Shop (French Quarter)

2011-07-22T04:28:00.000-05:00

Recently I went on a date to the French Quarter, and thought we'd check out one of the restaurants in the area. This being New Orleans, I couldn't pass up the chance to try some Louisianan fare. With an eye towards creole Cuisine We settled upon the GUMBO SHOP. A quick look at their menu shows an impressive cross section of creole offerings, but one thing in particular caught my eye: The Complete Creole Dinner.

There are four courses, of which there are three or four options each. There were a lot of possible combinations, but we decided upon 1) Chicken Andouille Gumbo (its the Gumbo Shop), 2) Creole combination Platter with Shrimp creole, Jambalaya, and Crawfish Etouffee substituted for red beans and rice, 3) Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and 4) Chocolate Brownie Pie. The dishes came to our table in that order, and we reviewed them as such.

1. Chicken Andouille Gumbo

Before we even got the Gumbo, they gave us a loaf of bread and butter. The Bread was good, and whetted our appetites. The Gumbo itself was somewhat disappointing. This being the GUMBO SHOP, I had expected to be blown away by a flavorful broth. The Andouille sausage was good, but the dish was kind of ho-hum. It was late in the evening, maybe we got the bottom of the batch.
Rating: ok

2. Creole combination Platter

The crawfish etoufee had a nice dark savory sauce, and the jambalaya was good, but the Shrimp Creole was too watery, and bland. It needed some serious doctoring with seasonings to give it life.
Rating: ok

3. Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This was one of the best dishes of the night. In a marked difference from the previous dishes, this one was full of flavor. You could really taste the garlic! It wasn't overpowering, but really gave the mashed potatoes a memorable kick that made me want more when it was all gone.

Rating: good

4. Chocolate Brownie Pie

Simply a fantastic desert. The hot fudge over the warm brownie pie with cold ice cream and pecans was delicious. This was no small slice of cake, it was pretty impressive in size, and with the rich chocolate fudge and brownie, this desert was the best course of the evening. I would go back just to have this desert again.
Rating: excellent

Atmosphere

Laid back french quarter surroundings. No rush, no fuss. It's a great place to relax while you eat.
Rating:good

Service

Nothing was really out of the ordinary, our server was ok

Rating: ok

Bill Breakdown

1 Creole Dinner 23.99

spec Combo Pltr 2.00

Garlic Mash Pot

Ch Brownie Pie

food 25.99

tax 2.53

Total 28.52

Tip ~4.00

Total Paid ~32.00

Overall experience

Good setting, and an array of creole dishes, some ok, some excellent

Overall rating: good

Here is their website:

http://www.gumboshop.com/

Here is their address phone number:

630 St. Peter Street
New Orleans, La. 70130

504-525-1486

Here are their Hours:

Here is their Google maps view:

Bacio di Roma (Kiss of Rome)

2011-07-10T22:27:00.005-05:00

Wednesday evening I went on a date to Bacio di Roma, the new gelato place just north of LSU campus. We stumbled upon it, and had a look inside. Once inside we were greeted by a large charismatic italian man who said they had just opened and prompted us to try every flavor, and we just about did. And then we ordered.

1. Large cup with Chocolate, Strawberry and Coconut gelato

After trying numerous flavors I settled on this combination because of personal preference, but I must say that each of these three flavors was stellar. The strawberry had a refreshingly sweet taste, with visible pieces of strawberries in the gelato. The coconut was cool and mellow, and I could taste and feel the sweet pieces of coconut in the gelato. By far the choice I'm most proud of was the chocolate. It's richness of chocolate flavor was a delight I rarely find. I'm partial to these flavors, but I must say that for my favorite flavors, this is the best iteration of them I have tasted yet.

Rating: Excellent

2. Small cup with Birthday Cake Gelato

My date ordered a reasonable portion of gelato, and here's what she wrote. "That night I opted for a small cup of Birthday Cake gelato rather than my usual chocolate, but was quite satisfied with my choice. The gelato itself was a vanilla cake batter flavor and had a caramel drizzle over the top for an added sweet surprise. Although this may sound like sugar overload it had a very light, and almost fluffy, texture, and was a perfect dish for satisfying my sweet tooth without inducing a sugar coma."

Rating: Good

Atmosphere

Rating: Excellent

2.2 pounds of Gelato = A kilo of flavor

Service

The staff were very helpful, and social. They gave us as many samples as we desired, and made a great first impression for us as new customers. Not only that, but they serve gelato by the kilo.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

1 LARGE 6.00

1 SMALL 4.00

subtotal 10.00

tax .95

Grand Total 10.95

Overall experience

Lots of flavors, great service, a bit expensive, but its fantastic gelato!

Overall rating: excellent

Here is their website, facebook and twitter page:

http://www.baciodiroma.com/

https://www.facebook.com/baciodiroma?sk=info

http://twitter.com/#!/search/agelatolandkiss

Here is their address and hours:

128 W. Chimes st.

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Mon - Thurs:	10:00 am	-	11:00 pm
Fri - Sat:	10:00 am	-	12:00 am
Sun:	10:00 am	-	10:00 pm

Here is their Google maps view:

Derek Chang's Koto

2011-07-03T23:13:00.000-05:00

Saturday evening I went on a date to Derek Chang's Koto Japanese Restaurant. Since neither of us had been here before we didn't know what to expect, so we tried some dishes we hoped we'd like. Deciding to opt for sushi, we started with the Pepper Tuna Tataki appetizer and finished two specials: the Koto II Roll, and the Volcano Roll.

1. Pepper Tuna Tataki

Menu description: "Seared black pepper tuna served with ponzu wasabi sauce."

As I understand it, Ponzu sauce is in the bowl and the white sauce over the tuna is wasabi mayonnaise. The peppered tuna was tender, and melted in the mouth. The wasabi mayonnaise gave it a spicy kick, and the ponzu sauce had a slight tartness to it. On the slices of tuna was an orange roe that felt bubbly, and mixed well with the wasabi flavors. Underneath the garnish leaf were sliced cucumbers light and vinegary. This was an excellent appetizer. It was light, flavorful, and whetted our appetites.

Rating: excellent

2. Koto II Roll

Menu description: "Wasabi tobiki tops an outside of alternating snow crab and spicy tuna and an inside of avocado and spicy crawfish."

This dish was quite simply amazing. The avocado and spicy crawfish was a great marriage of flavors, and with the snow crab and spicy tuna I really enjoyed myself. The greened wasabi tobiko roe on top gave it an excellent finish. Even the pickled ginger tasted fresher and more flavorful than I had imagined.

Rating: excellent

3. Volcano Roll

Menu Description: "Slices of California roll horizontally placed and topped with alternations of snow crab and spicy tuna. Buried under homemade crunchy and koto's firey volcano sauce."

This was a bit of a mess, but good. With Panko bits obscuring everything is took a bit to get to the actual rolls, and they were difficult to eat, but still very tasty. This dish invested a lot in presentation that made the eating less than optimal. It was still a good dish, and volcano sauce on the panko crumbs was good, not firey as the menu promised, but good.

Rating: good

Atmosphere

This particular evening it was fairly empty and quiet. This seems like a good place for a business meal, or to take someone for a nice evening date. It was clean, stylish, and had a fully stocked bar, and a Hibachi grill area. The place was also very climate controlled, so if you want to get out of some bad weather for a meal, then this is a good option.

Rating: excellent

Service

Our server Hannah was very prompt, polite, calm, and even gave us mints and to-go cups of water after we gave her our check.

Rating: excellent

Bill Breakdown

Pepper Tuna Tataki 13.00

Koto II Roll 14.00

Volcano Roll 13.00

subtotal 40.00

tax 3.60

Total 43.60

Tip 6.40

Total Paid 50.00

Overall experience

Great food, great atmosphere, great service.

Overall rating: excellent

Here is their website:

http://www.kotoofjapan.com/

Here is their address phone number:

2562 Citiplace Ct.
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225.456.5454

Here are their Hours:
Monday-Thursday; 11:00am-10:00pm
Friday; 11:00am-11:00pm
Saturday; 2:00pm-11:00pm
LUNCH MENU serve until 2:00pm
Monday-Friday

Here is their Google maps view:

Sno-Man Snoballs

2011-07-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Friday afternoon my date and I decided to treat ourselves to an afternoon snowball at Sno-Man Snoballs on Burbank Drive, between College and Bluebonnet. With the temperatures reaching their highest peak we thought what better way to cool down than to splurge a little on a favorite sugary delight. We each ordered our own snowballs with a few fixings. I ordered a small chocolate snowball stuffed with vanilla soft serve ice cream and my date ordered a medium blended raspberry cheesecake and blueberry cheesecake snowball stuffed with vanilla soft serve ice cream and drizzled with Hershey’s syrup on the top. Not only does Sno-Man Snoballs make snowballs, but they also sell soft serve ice cream, hot dogs, nachos, candy, and chips, which makes it a perfect place to stop with the family after a day of outdoor summer fun.

1. Chocolate snowball stuffed with vanilla soft serve ice cream

Being the chocoholic that I am I decided to order what I love best, a chocolate snowball, but gave it an extra kick of sweetness with a heaping of soft serve vanilla ice cream in the middle. The chocolate flavor was lacking a bit. It had more of a cocoa taste, when I was really hoping for more of a creamier taste. However the ice cream was very creamy and sweet, and it mixed perfectly with the chocolate flavoring, especially with the chocolate syrup residue at the bottom of the cup.

Rating: Ok

2. Raspberry / Blueberry Cheesecake snowball stuffed with vanilla soft serve ice cream and drizzled with Hershey’s syrup

Raspberry cheesecake and blueberry cheesecake were two of the new flavors recently added to their menu this summer, so my date decided to be adventurous and try both in this blended sweet concoction. Surprisingly both of the flavors mixed very well and weren’t too sugary in taste. With the vanilla soft serve ice cream in the center the overall taste was similar to a combination of angel food cake and pound cake. The Hershey’s syrup drizzled on top may have been a little over board, but once the top shavings were eaten the rest of this chilling delight could be enjoyed. Turns out my date’s snowball endeavor proved to be a tasty one.

Rating: Good

Atmosphere

Being a snowball stand it was conveniently located as a roadside stop with ample space for parking in the back. However, there was only one picnic table, and the only shaded area was the small covered patio where customers would place their order. In order to save ourselves from the sweltering Louisiana heat and humidity we ended up eating our snowballs in the car with the A/C on.

Rating: ok

Service

At the time there were only two men working the stand, but they seemed very efficient and never was there too long of a line standing outside. Also when deciding on what flavors to choose from they kindly offered us spoon-sized samples to try.

Rating: ok

Bill Breakdown

Chocolate snowball (small) $2.00

Stuffed $0.75

Raspberry / Blueberry cheesecake snowball (medium) $1.75

Stuffed $.0.75

Chocolate syrup
$.0.50

Subtotal $5.75

Tax $0.52

Total $6.27

Paid with cash

Overall experience

Lots of flavors, quick service, satisfyingly sweet snowballs!

Overall rating: Good

Here is their Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SnoMan-Snoballs/186301468085156

Here is their address and hours:

9534 Burbank Drive,

Baton Rouge, LA 70820

Monday – Sunday: 11:00am – 8:30pm (Open rain or shine)

Here is their Google maps view:

Jason's Deli

2011-07-02T00:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening I went to Jason's Deli on Siegen. Although I heard it was a chain, I had never been to one, so I decided to check it out. We decided to order a cup of French Onion Soup with the Manager Special Club Royale, and a cup of Tomato Basil Soup with a Quarter Turkey Muffaletta and we finished it with Soft Serve ice cream.

1. French Onion Soup

It was surprisingly authentic tasting. The bread and cheese over the salty onion broth was fantastic. The bread portion was perfect, and just the right amount of mozarella with sliced onions made this delicious. A must try

Rating: excellent

2. Manager Special Club Royale

It's a tasty blend of turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, and honey mustard on a buttery toasted croissant. This savory sandwich will satisfy your need for meat, while appealing to your taste buds with a surprisingly sweet honey aftertaste. They make the chips themselves, but they're nothing special. Also included is a crunchy sliced dill pickle. However, there were more chips than sandwich, which was a minor disappointment.

Rating: good

3. Tomato Basil Soup

This was the best tomato soup I ever had. With Chunks of tomatos lots of basil, and mozarella cheese on top, I was only disappointed I didn't order a full bowl. It was creamy and hearty, full bodied, and not watered down. This is not campbells condensed, this is real soup. Try it.

Rating: excellent

4. Quarter Turkey Muffaletta

This was only 1/4 of a real muffaletta, but already big enough. It was slices of turkey with an olive salad between what looked and tasted like toasted artisan bread with sesame seeds. It had a tasty crunch, and was very filling. I felt very sleepy after this one.

Rating: good

5. soft serve ice cream

When I saw this came out of a machine I thought it would be pretty ho hum, but it was very decent. It was very creamy, but by the time I got to it I was already too full to really enjoy it. The muffaletta did a number on me. I also got too ambitious with the chocolate syrup.

Rating: good

Atmosphere

It had a family with children kind of atmosphere. There were multiple families with kids all over the restaurant. It's not bad.

Rating: ok

Service

Our server was Suzi at the cash register. Other than that we sat down, the brought our food to us, not really your usual sit down restaurant, and had a do it yourself salad bar, which I'll have to try in the future. It seems to be a quick in and out place for a meal on an itinerary.

Rating: ok

Bill Breakdown

MgrSpc Club Royale 6.99

(N) Chips

(Mgr) Cup French Onion

Water

TK Muffaletta Special 6.99

(N) Chips

(Mgr) Cup Tomato Basil

Water

subtotal 13.98

tax 1.26

Dine In Total 15.24

Paid with VISA

Overall experience

Excellent soups, tasty sandwiches, and free ice cream

Overall rating: good

Here is their website

http://www.jasonsdeli.com/

Here is their address and phone number

6725 Siegen , Ste X
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Phone: 225-293-9099
Fax: 225-293-9044

Here is their google maps view

Drunken Fish

2011-06-28T16:44:00.000-05:00

Two days ago I went on a date to Drunken Fish on Highland Road. I had heard this was a good place to go, and thought I'd try out their food. We decided to try the Golden Fried Calamari with Tangy Chili Sauce appetizer. My date ordered the Beef Noodle Soup, and I ordered the Scallop Hu Tieu, another soup.

1. Golden Fried Calamari with Tangy Chili Sauce
I was convinced these were french fries when I saw them. When I tasted them I found there was barely any calamari in these, it was mostly fried batter with oily, salty residue. The calamari was bland. The tangy chili sauce had a cooling spicy kick to it that gave the bland calamari some life, but neither I nor my date could bear to finish them.Rating: poor

Soups

The waiter brought these for the soups, but too early. We were left staring at them hungrily while we waited for the soup. They were nonetheless very good in the following dishes.

2. Beef Noodle Soup

This was a very good soup. The beef in a hearty broth along with the fixings above was a warm savory dish. The teriyaki sauce provided went well with this dish.
Rating: good

3. Scallop Hu Tieu
This was a lighter dish. The scallops were prepared very well. This dish went well with the sprouts, and the very spicy sauce provided. This was not as heavy as the beef noodle soup, but was still a good meal.
Rating: good

Atmosphere
Just a stone's throw from LSU campus, this restaurant caters to the collegiate crowd. Even in the summer college students can be seen frequenting this establishment. It includes an impressive looking sushi bar. Multiple large screen TVs hang on the wall tuned to sports and other shows.
Rating: good

Service
Our server could have been better. He seemed to be in a rush, and not necessarily focused on our service. He wasn't very communicative about dishes when we ordered them, and when he brought them.

Rating: poor

Bill Breakdown
CALAMARI 6.25
BEEF NOODLE SOUP 8.00
SCALLOP HU TIEU 9.00

subtotal 23.25

tax 2.21

Total 25.46

Tip 3.00

Total paid 28.46

Overall rating: ok
Overall experience
After a poor appetizer, and ok service, the soups are the main reason for coming.

Here is their website

http://www.drunkenfishsushi.com/

Here is their address and phone number

4410 Highland Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225-248-6391

Here is their google maps view

Lots o' Knots at Schlittz and Giggles

2011-06-26T22:55:00.000-05:00

Today I went in the late afternoon with seven of my friends back to SCHLITTZ AND GIGGLES and once again one of my friends graciously let me borrow her iPhone and take a picture. Today, however, we were in for a big surprise. My friends ordered three orders of knots, and I ordered a half order of Cinna-knots, however the cooks mixed up the order and ended up giving us four orders of Cinna-knots and four orders of Knots. This was a fantastic opportunity, and I thought I'd take advantage of it, and gorge myself on both appetizer and dessert along with my friends.

1. Cinna-Knots

These looked very good. They had the knot dough with cinnamon inside, and a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon on the outside. The dipping sauce was a buttery sugary mixture that was amazing. I wish I had more of it. This was a great dessert. I highly recommend it.

Rating: great

2. Knots

Previously reviewed. See here.
http://brfood.blogspot.com/2011/06/schlittz-giggles.html

Atmosphere

Downtown, and laid-back made for an excellent atmosphere for some dinner conversation with my friends. No loud blaring music.

Rating: good

Service

Our server Jessie was very nice. I asked for my check early, and she dealt with it quickly.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown

1/2 CINNA KNOTT 4.00

subtotal 4.00

tax .36

Total 4.36

Gratuity 18.00% .72

TOTAL 5.08

Cash 6.00

change .92

I just gave her six dollars and didn't ask for change.

The 18% gratuity was added because we were a party of four or more.

Overall experience

A very good experience across the board. Good food, good atmosphere, good service, and a very good serendipitous accident.

Overall rating: good

Here is their website

http://www.schlittz.com/locations/index/directions/id/1

Here is their address and phone number

301 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70810
225-218-4271

Here is their google maps view

Lucy's Bar & Restaurant

2011-06-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

For a little celebration with some coworkers (around 9pm) we decided to to to Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and restaurant in downtown Baton Rouge. It's right next to the Shaw center. I've been here once a long time ago, so yet again I thought I'd take advantage of the blogging opportunity, and yet once again the same friend who was kind enough to loan me her iPhone for picture taking did so again.

1. Jerk Chicken Since it had been a while, I asked one of my friends what he recommended. He recommended either the Jerk Chicken, or the Fish Tacos. I didn't feel in the mood for Fish Tacos, so I decided to go with the chicken. Perhaps that's where I went wrong. This appetizer was a disappointment.

The presentation was lacking. The large plate made the portions look meager, which it appears they tried to mask with lots of shredded lettuce. Instead of an easily squeezable slice of lemon on the side it had four baby sized cuts of lettuce skewered to the chicken that were cut too small for squeezing. The biggest presentation mistake is making this dish neither finger-food nor a kabob, but giving it the difficulty of both. This dish should either do away with the sauce cup by pouring the sauce over the meat on the skewers, or do away with the skewers so the meat is easier to dip in the sauce. As the dish now stands, you have to work for your food.

The taste was lacking. The preparation made it look like blackened chicken, but the meat was salty, and didn't have that characteristic Jerk chicken spiciness. For Jerk Chicken it was pretty bland. The Sauce had a good sour flavor with some spicy kick to it, but didn't make up for the chicken's lack of Jerk flavor. To label this a chicken appetizer would make it ok, but to label this Jerked Chicken is misguided, and for it's price, not really worth it.

Rating: poor

2. Fish Fingers

One of my friends order this, and offered me some. He described it as fried catfish prepared similar to a chicken finger. The Fish fingers were crunchy and filling, and the tartar sauce with its sour and savory flavors and dill thrown in the mix was phenomenal. After the "Jerk Chicken" this was a great surprise. I only wish this was the appetizer I ordered.

Rating: great

Atmosphere
It was downtown, we were near the bar, and it seemed like a nice place to grab a beer and/or a meal, meet with some friends and just relax into each other's company.

Rating: good

Service
Our server Red Sonja was ok. Nothing really out of the ordinary.

Rating: ok

Bill Breakdown
Jerk Chicken 7.95

subtotal 7.95

tax .72

Total 8.67

TOTAL 8.67

Cash 10.00

change 1.00

Overall experience
The good atmosphere is the reason to go here. The service is ok, and it seems the food can be hit or miss.

Overall rating: ok

Here is their website

http://www.lucysretiredsurfers.com/batonrouge/

Here is their address and phone number

151 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
(225) 361-0372

Here is their google maps view

Schlittz & Giggles

2011-06-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

For dinner today (after 8pm) I went with seven of my friends to SCHLITTZ AND GIGGLES in downtown Baton Rouge. I've been to the other one in town (on Ferndale), but never this one. Once again I thought I'd take advantage of the blogging opportunity, and once again one of my friends was kind enough to loan me her iPhone for picture taking.

1. Italian Nachos I decided to try the Italian Nachos, and was pleasantly surprised with what I got. It was Tomatoes, Basil, Jalapenos, Mozzarella, over nacho chips, and a white sauce-like ricotta drizzled over it. I was originally disconcerted to see these things together with a marinara cup in the middle, but without and especially with the red sauce the appetizer was very tasty. The Jalapenos gave it a little exciting kick that the ricotta kept under control. The pepperoni and Italian sausages were little more than garnish, which worked great for me, throwing a meat-torpedo on the heap might off-balance the great flavors they already have at play, but then again it's an appetizer.

Rating: good

2. Knots

One of my friends order this, and let me try some. It's a bread stick tied in a knot. Fluffy, olive oil, and garlic make for an interesting shaped bread stick.

Rating: good

3. Cheese pizza slice

Another one of my friends ordered a personal cheese pizza and could not finish it so I jumped on the chance to try it. It held together, was sufficiently cheesy, had enough Italian seasoning, and would have gone well with beer.

Rating: good

Atmosphere
Downtown, and laid-back made for an excellent atmosphere for some dinner conversation with my friends. No loud blaring music.

Rating: good

Service
Our server Lucie was very nice, very good, and prompt. As I asked for my check early she even offered a to-go water cup which I accepted.

Rating: good

Bill Breakdown
ITALIAN NACHOS 8.50

subtotal 8.50

tax .77

Total 9.27

Gratuity 18.00% 1.53

TOTAL 10.80

Cash 20.00

change 9.20

The 18% gratuity was added because we were a party of four or more.

Overall experience
A very good experience across the board. Good food, good atmosphere, good service.

Overall rating: good

Here is their website

http://www.schlittz.com/locations/index/directions/id/1

Here is their address and phone number

301 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70810
225-218-4271

Here is their google maps view

Serranos Salsa Company

2011-06-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I went to dinner with seven of my friends at SERRANOS on Highland just north of LSU's campus. I've been here before, but thought this an excellent blog opportunity. Plus one of my friends was kind enough to loan me her iPhone so I could take photos.

1. Free Chips and Salsa We all sat on the large outside covered porch area and right away the waitress served us complimentary chips and salsa. This has always been my favorite part of the restaurant, as I like free food, and the salsa is very good. This time, however they seem to have changed the salsa. It had more of a sour bite to it this time, and that surprised me. but then you get what you pay for. Rating: ok

2. Queso

One of my friends order this, and let me try some. It was very creamy, and the salty savory flavor was a nice break from the salsa.

Rating: good

3. Black Bean Soup

This soup was delicious! It was more of a thick broth, savory and good. It had a tortilla garnish (see picture) that soaked up the sauce, and chopped onions that added a spicy kick, and a different texture. I highly recommend it. I wish I had ordered a bowl instead of as the side dish of my sandwich.

Rating: Excellent

4. Passion Burger

My friends recommended I order this, and I was excited. The menu told me that it was a burger with sirloin and chorizo with bacon, and cheese. What I got was something that looked like a Philly cheese steak. The chorizo and the Sirloin were mixed into a patty, and gave it a salty taste, the cheese added to this salty taste. The onions, the only veggie on the "burger" provided a respite from the salt. The bread was good, like a ciabatta or something like that, but, for the most part it's all meat and cheese. I think big meat eaters would like this, but I did not.

Rating: poor

Atmosphere
A college atmosphere very quiet and laid back during the summer only.
Rating: ok

Service
Service was ok, nothing really bad or stellar about it.
Rating: ok

Bill Breakdown
DN Passion Burger 9.99

Black Bean Soup

subtotal 9.99

tax .90

Total 10.89

Gratuity 18.00% 1.80

TOTAL 12.69

Cash 20.00

change 7.31

I gave a total of 15 dollars which I now see was a mistake because of the 18% gratuity included for our party of eight.

Overall experience
The chips and salsa formula has changed since, it's about average now. The Queso was good, and the black bean soup was awesome, however the Passion burger was a disappointment. Its in a good area, and was pretty sedate this day.

Overall rating: good

Here is their website

http://serranossalsacompany.com/

Here is their address and phone number
NORTH GATES OF LSU
3347 HIGHLAND ROAD

BATON ROUGE 225-344-2354

Here is their google maps view

Thai Kitchen

2011-06-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

I Just got back from a Lunch date at THAI KITCHEN on Perkins road.
I had heard of the restaurant and thought I'd check it out.
Having taken a look at the lunch buffet we decided to share an order.
For two people I ordered Thai Spring Rolls and Pad Thai, as well as a Thai Iced Tea.
Below is my assessment in the order these came.

1. Thai Iced Tea
Orangish Tea in ice presented in a sundae glass with Whipped cream on top, and a straw.
I was surprised to see whipped cream on a Thai iced tea. I've never seen that before. It was a novel presentation, but my dislike for whipped cream made me question whether I'd like this particular iteration. It tasted ok to me. My date also tasted it and liked it. I then mixed the whipped cream and tea and tasted again. The difference was negligible. The slightly bitter and sweet flavors of the tea remained. I have tasted better versions of this particular drink, but this was passable.
Rating: ok

2. Thai Spring Rolls
Long rolls cut into sections with a thick dark sauce drizzled over, and presented on an oval plate.
There was no peanut dipping sauce, I was disappointed. The dish was presented well, but they took a finger food dish and turned it into fork food. In the process they took away the exciting thing about spring rolls, the dipping sauce. They probably thought the sauce on top would take it's place, but it did not. The pork and the sprouts along with the rest of the roll's innards were good, but lacked excitement.
The one redeeming flavor was provided by two slices of very hot pepper presented on the side as garnish, without which it would surely be a poor dish.
Rating: ok

3. Pad Thai with Shrimp
A Thai Restaurant's signature dish . A bed of noodles with sprouts, egg, Tofu, leeks and in this particular order shrimp. I enjoyed this dish. The bitter leeks complimented the savory flavor of the egg, and the sprouts gave a refreshing bite. The shrimp was delicious, and it was not too oily. My date commented that it was bland by Thai food comparison, but since I still had the spicy flavor of the pepper in my mouth I didn't notice so much. I felt the flavors really popped for me.
Rating: good

Atmosphere
Very inviting with carved wood decor and relatively quiet.
Since it was the middle of the lunch Buffet on a friday in the summer there were only a few other groups, notably families, and elderly.

Service
The server was very polite, and prompt. She checked back after we received our dishes, and made the experience good.

Bill Breakdown
1 THAI SPRING ROLL 5.75
1 PAD THAI 11.75
1 THAI ICED TEA 2.75

subtotal 20.25
tax 1.82
Subtotal 22.07

Payment to server (tip also) 25.00

Overall experience
The service and the atmosphere made up for the non-stellar food.
This was during a lull in patron activity, so I don't know how it would be during a rush.
Without the good service I would have rated it ok but given the circumstances I decided bump it up.
Overall rating: good

Here is their online menu
http://www.thaikitchenla.com/menu1.html

Here is their address and phone number

4335 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
(225) 346-1230

Here is their google maps view