The Miss USA pageant is rolling on through the Red Stick this weekend, and the 2015 contestants are getting a taste of some of Baton Rouge’s finest cuisine while in town.
As 225 Dine reports, the contestants have thus far made stops at Ruffino’s, Mestizo, City Pork Brasserie & Bar and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. They have also enjoyed seafood provided by the Louisiana Seafood Board at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens. And they’ll likely get to try many more local restaurants before the pageant on Sunday, which will take place at the River Center beginning at 7 p.m.
225 Dine recently asked a few of the contestants about their culinary experiences in the Capital City. Here’s what Miss South Carolina Sarah Weishuhn, Miss North Carolina Julia Dalton and Miss New Jersey Vanessa Oriolo had to say about the city’s food.
Oriolo is a self-described “food critic.” Like her fellow contestants, she has been surprised by the consistent quality of the food in the area.
“I haven’t tasted anything I haven’t loved,” she says. “We look forward to every single meal that we have. We weren’t aware of the pride that Louisiana people take in their food and how much they love eating.”
Weishuhn says they have gotten to taste a little bit of everything, from boudin balls to bread pudding. But her favorite dish so far has been oysters.
“I must have had a half a pound by myself,” she says.
Read the full story. And make sure you get your fill of local culinary news each week by signing up for the free 225 Dine e-newsletter.
