Cafe Americain - Baton Rouge, LA - Soup du Jour

Cafe Americain

Baton Rouge, LA

Lunch

March 10, 2010

The Set-Up - With just a few minutes to spare in between a church meeting and a doctor's appointment we slipped into nearby Cafe Americain for a quick lunch. I've probably eaten at least one meal in this restaurant in every one of the 23 years I've lived in Baton Rouge.


The Meal - Cafe Americain makes some of the best soups in Baton Rouge. Among my favorites is their crab and broccoli. I ordered a bowl ($9) though I probably could have gotten by with a cup ($5). I finished the bowl. Kay ordered the soup (crab and corn) and salad. The picture looks a little gruelish, but trust me, it's delicious.

The crab and broccoli is a cream-based soup. Crab and corn, at least here today, starts with a roux. Both were delicious. Kay loves her salads, and Cafe Americain didn't disappoint.

The rest of Cafe Americain's menu features American cuisine with a Louisiana flair.

Cafe Americain also makes great desserts. We were tempted sorely by the Bailey's Irish Creme bread pudding, but our time shortage caused us to postpone it for another day, which might come soon.

Drinks - Kay had a nice glass of white wine. I had my usual iced tea. Both were just fine.

Ambience - Cafe Americain has expanded piecemeal over the years, so dining is now spread across three rooms. The atmosphere is casual without being barlike; friendly without being overly noisy. Overall, perfect for a casual lunch.

Service - No problems. Lunch was efficiently and pleasantly served, eaten and paid for well within our timetable.

The Check -Even with a glass of wine our bill with tax and tip came to just $36.00.

The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - Five for what we ate. Cafe Americain's overall menu would be closer to four.

Drinks - Four. Wine for less than $7.50 a glass would help.

Ambience - Four

Service - Five for meeting our timetable without being asked.

Price/Value - A solid four


Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite - Cafe Americain isn't enough of a favorite of ours that we make special trips, but its handy locations (one near church; one near home (though a trip for Bailey's Bread Pudding may be in the offing), tasty food (especially soups), and reasonable prices cause us to eat their fairly often.

Very Good

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking


Other Info -

7521 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, LA
924-9841, 927-1626 (fax)

Also at 15255 George O'Neal Road

Hours:


Monday thru Thursday - 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday - 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Sunday - 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (brunch menu and drink specials)


Cafe Americain

Coyote Blues - Baton Rouge, LA - Spice of Life

Coyote Blues

Baton Rouge, LA

Lunch

March 5, 2010


The Set-Up - This restaurant opened recently on the site of the former Lone Star Steakhouse. The peanut-strewn home of tough steak won't be missed as diners enjoy a new source of Tex-Mex food with a Louisiana flair. The original Coyote Blues restaurant is in Lafayette, LA.

We'd thought about trying the new restaurant for awhile, then learned that a son of our friends worked there as a waiter, which heightened our interest.

On a recent Friday we met friends for lunch, taking care to stay ahead of the noon rush, which arrived both early and noisily.


The Meal - Coyote Blues offers a lunch menu, but we ordered a couple of their specialty items off the dinner menu. I picked the Grilled Tilapia Tacos ($12.79), which I hoped would resemble my grilled fish taco favorites from Cafe Adobe in Houston. Kay got the Nuevo Crab Enchiladas ($16.29), which the waiter recommended, and which had the promising of matching our favorite crab enchiladas from Mestizo's.

With a little readjusting, my dish was spectacular. It came with far too many jalapenos, but was spectacular when I swept all but one or two aside. Kay didn't think the Nuevo Crab quite measured up to Mestizo's, though I was very impressed with the leftovers I ate for lunch today. The poblano rice that came with the tacos proved a special treat - the call it verde (green) rice at Serrano's, which I can eat by the shovelful.

Our friends got beef fajitas and cheese enchiladas respectively. The enchiladas came with cheese corn grits, which were creamy and delicious. On my next trip I'll probably go with poblano rice and cheese grits as side orders.

Drinks - It was a non-drinking day for me, but Kay enjoyed a margarita. No problems with my iced tea.

Ambience - Decor at Coyote Blues is understated. Noise levels are not. As the big restaurant filled with customers, so did the air with assembled chatter and clatter.

Service - The Coyote Blues staff seemed to have the kinks worked out. Our meal came off without a hitch.

The Check - Two plates and two margaritas with tax and tip came to about $55. A little pricey for lunch, but reasonable for dinner.

The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - Four with prospects to go to five

Drinks - Four, since Kay didn't rave about the margaritas, and they weren't happy hour price

Ambience - Four, spacious, attractive and comfortable, but a little noisy.

Service - Four, could have been five if Kay had liked the crab better.

Price/Value - 3-1/2, lunch portions of the crab and fish dishes would be welcome; definitely four for dinner.


Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite
Very Good - One visit can't qualify for Favorite status, but a promotion is very likely.

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking


Address - 2450 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge
Phone - 225-361-0676

Also at 5741 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA
Phone - 337-988-3668


Hours of Operation

Sunday and Monday - 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday thru Thursday - 11 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Friday and Saturday - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Lunch Menu available - 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.


Website - coyotebluesrest.com

Ruffino's - Baton Rouge, LA - Valentine's Lifesaver

Ruffino's Italian Restaurant

Location - Baton Rouge, LA

Meal - Dinner

Date - February 14, 2010

The Set-Up - As it has before on other holidays, Ruffino's came through for us on Valentine's Day by being open all afternoon and evening on Sunday. Without a reservation, we showed up at about 3:00 p.m., avoiding both the lunch and dinner crowds, which our waiter said would add up to the restaurant's busiest day of the year, and cap their busiest weekend.

Ruffino's is owned by Baton Rouge restauranteur T.J. Moran. Former LSU football star Ruffin Rodrigue donates his name to what Moran previously called Highland House and DiNardo's (after two LSU head football coaches ago - Gerry DiNardo). Moran, Rodrigue and Chef Peter Scalfani bill Ruffino's fare as Italian-Creole fusion - unique in Baton Rouge.


The Meal - Due to the high volume of diners, Ruffino's offered a limited Valentine's menu, but still with plenty of good choices. We took it easy, ordering just an appetizer, one entree to share and a bottle of wine. The crab ravioli was as good as advertised. Having eaten a lot of steak recently, we opted for the Pork Tchoupitoulas (there's a bit of a pun there) - two large pork chops topped with New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp. We also enjoyed bread and olive oil, though the olive oil part could have been at another recent restaurant meal.

Drinks - We washed it all down with a lovely Estancia Pinot Grigio from California.


Ambience - In between rush periods, Ruffino's was quiet and romantic, albeit a bit dark upon first entry. As with many restaurants operated by celebrities or near-celebrities, they like to hang pictures of their clientele posing with restaurant management. Fortunately, the displays are focused in the foyer and other non-dining areas.

Service - Top notch. Our 20-year veteran waiter answered all our questions about the menu (noting that the pork came with steamed asparagus, making it unnecessary for us to order a side of veggies), made recommendations, refilled our wine glasses and followed up for other needs.

The Check - The receipt has moved from my wallet, but I remember the total being about $100 with tax and tip. The pork entree was about $30, the appetizer about $13 and the wine another $30 or so

The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - 4.5 - Ravioli was a five; the pork a little lower as the meat could have been more tender.

Drinks - 4 - very nice wine, but I've had pinot grigio just as good for about $10 less.

Ambience - 5 - perfect for the occasion, once I found our table in the relative darkness.

Service - 5 - what you'd expect and hope for at a high-end restaurant. Kudos also for the expanded Valentine's Day hours.

Price/Value - I'll call it 4.5. Going with the filet mignon might have provided better value, though the barbecue shrimp were a treat.


Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite - Ruffino's isn't my first choice among Baton Rouge special occasion restaurants, but its overall quality and availability make it a more than adequate backup and a family favorite.

Very Good

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking


18811 Highland Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
225-753-3458

Hours:

Open daily at 4:30pm
Sunday 11:00am - 9:00pm

Ruffino's Italian Restaurant

DeAngelo's - Baton Rouge, LA - Pizza of My Heart

Restaurant - DeAngelo's Pizzeria

Location - Baton Rouge, LA

Meal - Lunch

Date - February 9, 2010

The Set-Up - More often than not, a mid-morning medical appointment at the Oschner Clinic on Bluebonnet Blvd is followed by lunch at DeAngelo's Pizzeria about a mile down the street. From a humble start in a small space in a strip mall, DeAngelo's has grown over the last twenty years into one of Baton Rouge's most popular restaurant chains. Founder Louis DeAngelo, then about twenty years old, borrowed money from his family and brought their recipe for New York-style pizza to Baton Rouge, a market where Pizza Hut was still the best choice if you didn't want to eat pizza in a bar.

Today, there are four DeAngelo's restaurants in Baton Rouge proper, two in nearby Denham Springs and Prairieville, LA and two more across the state in Lake Charles, LA. I've been a loyal fan of DeAngelo's pizzas and pastas (not to mention salad and garlic bread) for the whole run.


The Meal - I know what I like, and that's what I eat. On this day I got my standard 10" pizza on regular crust with pepperoni, anchovies and roasted red peppers. Kay went with soup and salad - probably the Isabella, which features Asiago cheese and a wonderful shallot vinaigrette dressing. It's probably my favorite salad anywhere. Kay often gets pizza with a whole wheat crust. Kallie, though not with us on this trip, is a fan of the crawfish diavolo. I also enjoy the Little Italy Foccaccia-Latta - Italian meats and vegetables on wrapped flat bread.

Drinks - Along with making the best salad in Baton Rouge, DeAngelo's serves the best iced tea. At dinner we usually choose from the wine list, which is a very nice one for a restaurant that started as a pizzeria.


Ambience - DeAngelo's has upgraded their restaurants over the years to the point that they about the nicest pizzerias you're likely to find. Despite the sign at the Bluebonnet restaurant, they're trying to move away from the pizzeria tag to be known as Louis DeAngelo's Casual Italian Dining.

Service - DeAngelo's uses the team approach as well as any restaurant in Baton Rouge. Essentially any member of their staff, including managers and hostesses, will help with any request.

The Check - Our bargain lunch (one small pizza; one soup and salad; two soft drinks) came in at less than $30, including tax and tip. Ordering entrees and wine can push the bill up, but at any meal DeAngelo's provides good value.

The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - Five - The best pizza and salad in Baton Rouge.

Drinks - Five - If iced tea can be a five, DeAngelo's qualifies.

Ambience - Five - Many DeAngelo's restaurants feature works by local artists.

Service - Five

Price/Value - Five - As you can probably tell, I really like DeAngelo's.


Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite - The menu isn't quite special occasion worthy, but based on the dozens of meals I've eaten at DeAngelo's over the years, favorite definitely describes our relationship.

Very Good

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking


Other Info -

7550 Bluebonnet Blvd. (Bluebonnet Village Ctr)
Baton Rouge , LA 70810
Phone: 225-761-4465

Other Baton Rouge locations are on Jefferson Highway, Coursey Blvd (at Hickory Ridge) and Lee Drive (at Burbank).

Hours:

Monday 11am to 9pm
Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 10pm
Sunday 11am to 9pm


Louis DeAngelo's Casual Italian Dining

The Chimes East - Baton Rouge, LA - Updated Version of an Old Favorite

Restaurant - The Chimes East

Location - Baton Rouge, LA

Meal - Lunch

Date - February 8, 2010

The Set-Up - Kay and I both had 1 p.m. medical appointments so we decided to go to lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants along the way. The Chimes East is a second location of the popular restaurant/bar, The Chimes, at the north gate of the LSU campus. I first ate at the original Chimes in 1987 when I first came to Baton Rouge. Whereas The Chimes still feels like a restaurant that has grown up around a bar, The Chimes East is clearly a restaurant first. Like all Louisiana restaurants, both locations are non-smoking, though Chimes East does offer a patio where smoking is allowed.


The Meal - Kay got her usual Caesar salad with blackened chicken, but with the house dressing. Monday is usually Catfish Jacques (fried catfish with crawfish sauce over egg noodles) day for me, but I've never felt that Chimes East measured up to The Chimes on that dish. My second choice would have been the blackened salmon sandwich with tomato basil crab soup that I had on my last visit, but the soup wasn't on the menu, so I went with a Chimes club with blackened chicken, a sandwich I'd enjoyed on at least one other occasion. At $7.50, this huge sandwich that also includes bacon, ham and swiss cheese, is a real bargain.

Kay was a little delayed eating her food as the wait staff struggled to bring the "to go" box that she asked for. She likes to put half of the large salad in the box to eat at home, but needs to make the split before she puts the dressing on the salad. After two requests and a followup, the box arrived and lunch proceeded. Kay claims that the salad is the best in Baton Rouge. I know that the side salads that I get with various plate lunches are outstanding. The freshness of the vegetables and the tasty house vinaigrette dressing a great combo. DeAngelos' Italian restaurants are the only places that compete in this category.

Drinks - Usually it's diet Coke and iced tea at The Chimes, but Kay went with the pomegranate martini. I had one sip, which was delicious. I'm not sure how people handle that much alcohol in one drink. Chimes iced tea, at either location, is always great, and usually refilled promptly, though on this day I got through the entire meal before being offered seconds on tea.

Both locations feature an extensive selection of beers from around the world. A major feature at The Chimes (lesser at Chimes East) is earning "Round the World" status by drinking beers from a wide variety of countries. I think the target is 30 in a period of six months. Drinkers who accomplish this are memorialized on a plaque. The walls at The Chimes are almost literally covered with such plaques. Some drinkers have been "around the world" dozens of times. Surprisingly, I never made it even once. I have my favorite beers and I stick with them.


Ambience - The Chimes East was designed and built from the ground up on an open site, so the layout and ambience are essentially perfect for this style of restaurants. TVs arrayed high in the corners let you keep up on the latest sports events and news. The booth they originally seated us in was pretty cramped, even for two, but we moved to a table without getting any feedback. Both Chimes locations are generally pretty noisy. There are better choices for a quiet, romantic meal or a lunch or dinner where you want to get some business done.

Service - The veteran waiters at the original Chimes do a somewhat better job than at The Chimes East. Between the go box and the iced tea, this was not their best day.

The Check - We usually can get lunch for two for about $30. Today the martini pushed the tab to $35.65 with tax and tip.


The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - Five - There isn't much that they don't do well.

Drinks - Five - The pomegranate martini was a new treat. Chimes iced tea is always perfect.

Ambience - Five - Our table by the window allowed enough light for me to take pictures without a flash!

Service - Three - They usually do a bit better than this - at least a four.

Price/Value - Four - The salad is a little pricey, but makes two meals.


Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite - In twenty-plus years I've eaten innumerable meals at either The Chimes or Chimes East. They rarely disappoint.

Very Good

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking


The Chimes East
10870 Coursey Blvd.
Baton Rouge La. 70816
Phone: 225.296.4981

The Chimes
3357 Highland Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 225.383.1754

Hours:

Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Sundays 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The Chimes East

The Chimes

The Chimes, Baton Rouge, LA - Tomato Basil Crab Soup

Menu Note - Just a short post to note the deliciousness of Tomato Basil Crab Soup at The Chimes East Restaurant on Coursey Blvd. in Baton Rouge. Had a bowl today along with my usual Blackened Salmon Sandwich. Both were yummy, but the soup was a new great taste.

A bowl and the warm roll that comes with it would make a good lunch by themselves.

Pictures and a full report after another trip to one of our favorite Baton Rouge restaurants.

The Chimes East

La Mestiza - Baton Rouge, LA - One of Two of a Kind

La Mestiza

Prairieville, LA

Dinner

January 14, 2010

The Set-Up - We met friends for dinner at this relatively new restaurant, but we felt like we knew it already. La Mestiza is the sister restaurant of Mestizo's, a Louisiana-Mexican restaurant in Baton Rouge where we've eaten for years. Mestizo's was born out of Carlo's (now closed) - the original Louisiana-Mex restaurant in Baton Rouge, and perhaps anywhere.

The Meal - True to whatever Mex style, we were greeted with chips and salsa. The chips were thin and fresh and the salsa, according to Kallie, was "better than at the other restaurant." I know I liked it. She's a salsa connoisseur and keeps track of these things.

We had a party of five, so we got to order some different items -mostly enchiladas, which are the house specialty in my book. I was happy to see the Cancun combo on the menu. I can clean my plate no matter what the circumstances of this threesome - a shrimp and crab enchilada, a crawfish and spinach enchilada and a crispy crawfish taco ($13). Knowing she'd eaten a lot of chips, Kallie got a crawfish chimichanga al a carte. I ate most of it for lunch today. Yum!

The others in our party got shrimp and crab enchiladas and cheese enchiladas (with chili con carne). I didn't hear any complaints.

Drinks - We arrived in time for Happy Hour and were able to get margaritas for $5, which didn't seem like much of a bargain to me for a 10 oz. drink. Apparently they used to serve 16 ouncers, but weren't making enough money so they downsized. The drinks were delicious. Sangria also got a high mark.

Ambience - La Mestiza is smaller than its brother. The dark wood furnishings were unimpressive, but adequate. It seemed like more space than necessary was occupied by the bar, but maybe that's Prairieville talking. I could see the bar TV from the dining room, which was handy. The restaurant was not crowded at all at 6:00 p.m. on a Thursday night.

Service - Service was friendly and efficient, but with no special touches. Now if she'd offered those 16-oz. margaritas at the Happy Hour price. . .

The Check - With tax and tip (and three margaritas total) our bill for three came to $66.

The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - five (the leftover chimichanga was almost as good as the enchiladas)

Drinks - four (five possible with lower margarita prices)

Ambience - four (leaning toward three)

Service - four (solid but unspectacular)

Price/Value - four (prices area little high on the Baton Rouge Mexican restaurant scale - but for the money you get unusual and exceptional food)


Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite - This was our first trip to La Mestiza, but we've been fans of the very similar Mestizo's for years.

Very Good

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking


Navigation Tip - The Prairieville restaurant isn't easy to find from Airline Highway. It's in the Oak Grove Village shopping center. Hebert's Gun Shop in the same strip mall is most prominent from the highway.

If you're in Baton Rouge rather than Prairieville (more likely if you're traveling on I-10) try Mestizo's at the Acadian Thruway exit. (2323 S. Acadian Thruway).

La Mestiza Mexican Bistro

17424 Airline Hwy Suite 10

Prairieville, LA 70769

225.313.4191 phone

225.313.4192 fax

Hours:

Lunch
Mon - Sat 11:00 am til 2:30 pm

Dinner
Mon - Thurs 4:30 pm til 9:30 pm
Fri - Sat 4:30 til 10:30 pm

Closed Sundays

La Mestiza Mexican Bistro

Mestizo Lousiana Mexican Restaurant