With nearly 1,000 restaurants in Baton Rouge, the city is in no short supply of places to find a great meal—or talented chefs who create them in the kitchen.
But 225 magazine has always secretly wondered: Where do chefs and restaurant owners eat when they’re not running the kitchen?
For its December cover story, the magazine asked eight local culinary professionals from different backgrounds to tell them about the dishes they can’t get enough of, from soul-warming soups to nostalgia-inspiring hot dogs. They shared their favorite hole-in-the-wall hidden gems and Capital City classics.
Chef Jesse Romero, who competed in season 6 of MasterChef, tells 225 his favorite appetizer in Baton Rouge is Galatoire’s Bistro’s liver and onions.
“The best thing about that is the sauce,” he says. “They cook it down with some bacon and gravy over it.”
Stephanie Phares, Zeeland Street Market co-founder, finds her guilty culinary pleasure just
down Perkins Road from her neighborhood restaurant.
“One of my favorite dishes in Baton Rouge has always been the Rama Duck at Rama, right down the street,” she says. “It’s got this great sort of jalapeño soy sauce and comes with rice and a bunch of vegetables. I have a routine of ordering the steamed dumplings, the lemon grass soup and the duck. I eat way too much when I order from Rama.”
When Beausoleil floor manager and Baton Rouge Epicurean Society Vice President Dori Murvin has guests from out of town, she brings them to Nino’s Italian on Bluebonnet Boulevard.
“It’s super farm-to-table, and [Elton Hyndman] is really creative in what he does,” Murvin says. “Their charcuterie board is excellent. I just like his style—it really is kind of an Italian countryside style. I usually just go along for the ride with whatever they are offering.”
Read the full “Eat Like a Pro” cover story, in which 225 also sits down with Tsunami executive chef Tracy Nguyen, Magpie Café co-owner Lina Jacobs, Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Restaurant chef/owner Jim Urdiales and Red Stick Spice Company chef/owner Anne Milneck,
Send your comments to editor@225batonrouge.com.
