Total Wine & More, a wine superstore (with 205 locations in the U.S.), is slated to open soon in the former Stage retail space at 4407 Ambassador Caffery, featuring wines from every wine-producing region in the world, more than 2,500…
Before Hurricane Rita washed me out of it, I lived on a small bayou that emptied into Vermilion Bay. I knew shrimp season was about to open when I heard my neighbor tuning up the engine on his boat, the…
Lent is upon us, and probably just in the nick of time. The human body can only take so much Mardi Gras before it spirals into an altered state. Someone once said that Louisiana itself is an altered state of reality,…
With his rock star persona, tattoos marking culinary milestones, penetrating eyes and an easy laugh that obscures an indefatigable, serious work ethic, Chef Ryan André is at the top of his game at Soji Modern Asian in Baton Rouge. Opened…
Several factors make Roberto's River Road Restaurant in Sunshine memorable. For starters, the location — it is nearly impossible to find to the extent that it can start to feel like a prank as you drive and drive, seemingly going…
It’s the height of crawfish season, and as much as we love our weekly crawfish boils, we also enjoy those little crustaceans in other preparations. For a change of pace, try a crawfish etouffée enriched with shrimp and lump crabmeat,…
Now’s the time when I look forward to cozy dinners of substantial food and hearty red wine. Soups, stews, one-pot dishes and sweet or savory baked goods are warming, comforting and an affirmation of life amid the darkness. The enjoyment…
As twilight gives way to darkness, and spirits wander through the Myrtles’ wintry mist, the alluring aroma of burning logs, fat dripping onto coals and ribeye steaks charring over leaping flames puts guests in a smoky trance at Restaurant 1796.…
Ashley Locklear works for some of New Orleans’ most celebrated restaurants, but her work often carries her away from kitchens and dining rooms. She travels a circuit of farms in southern Louisiana and Mississippi, bumping through fields behind tractors, jotting…
Every year those of us who lack the “organized” gene vow that this holiday season will be different. We’ve had enough of all-nighters and kitchen chaos, so we’re going to overcome our deficiency and prepare holiday meals with ruthless efficiency…
While Spoonbill Watering Hole & Restaurant partner and chef Jeremy Conner isn’t originally from Louisiana, his deep southern roots (he was born in Opelika, Alabama) and passion for flavors are right at home in Lafayette. It is those qualities and…
A gardener, I came a across Southern Gateway garden center a couple of years ago. A sign reading “90,000 square feet of greenhouses” caused me to slam on the brakes and make a sharp turn off of Belle Chase Highway…
If you’re speeding or texting you’ll probably miss it, but tucked away in a beige block of industrial-looking storehouses off a small side road in Hammond, stands what the Brewers Association has twice named one of the 50 fastest-growing craft…
Casinos are now scattered liberally across Louisiana’s landscape and cityscapes, offering entertainment of many kinds. Since the actual gambling part of gaming houses is pretty much the same everywhere — you do split 8’s against dealer’s 10; you don’t get…
I was traveling through north Louisiana with a worldly friend skilled in cooking many cuisines with a concentration in the foods of Asia. I had long heard rumors of a sensational Chinese restaurant in Bossier City with a voluminous wine…
Cajun Asian in Bossier City is the kind of place where magic culinary mash-ups happen. Think Cajun meets Vietnamese meets American and a hint of classic French cuisine. Under the leadership of Chef Ryan Dunning, along with the management of…
Fall makes me think of breakfast, which I love, or — horrors — brunch. The late Anthony Bourdain once contemplated what he might do if his gig as a celebrity came to an end. I could always cook brunch, he…
Casinos are now scattered liberally across Louisiana’s landscape and cityscapes, offering entertainment of many kinds. Since the actual gambling part of gaming houses is pretty much the same everywhere — you do split 8’s against dealer’s 10; you don’t get…
A pot of gumbo was the first challenge Chef Alexis Cupich-Indest undertook in the kitchen after moving to Louisiana. A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cupich-Indest attended the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin, fulfilling her childhood dreams of becoming a…
With 10 bowling lanes, a stage for live music, a full-service restaurant, multiple bars, a rooftop deck and a beer garden, Red Stick Social, Baton Rouge’s newest hot spot, defies definition. Robert Lay was the developer who reimagined then…
Ice cream has no season, but if it did, it would be now. Ice cream consumption is highest in July and August, which should come as no surprise, but for many of us it is a year-round obsession. There are…
Their fingers were crimson — almost stained — and with bellies full like the certainty of a cicada song at sunset, baskets of strawberries remained, and a decision had to be made. “There were just too many, and we didn’t…
The first time I had the Shrimp Buster at Herby K’s I could have fallen off of my counter barstool and cracked my head on the floor. It was years ago and I was dining with my friend Chris Jay,…
One of the many great things about living in Louisiana is the abundance of our seafood. In addition to all the shellfish and crustaceans, we have a variety of delicious fish. Some species, such as black drum and sheepshead, were…
