TGIT @ Rock-n-Sake

     Growing up, I was hardly a fan of sushi. But something magical happened four or five years ago, and ever since then, I have been addicted. Sushi typically offers a light on your stomach meal that seemingly always has you craving your next stop for sushi. My most recent stop took me to a town favorite, located on Perkins Road by the overpass—Rock-n-Sake. Baton Rouge isn’t short on sushi places, but you will find Rock-n-Sake near the top of just about everyone’s list. I remember the first time I came to Baton Rouge and asked for sushi, the place I was pointed to? You guessed it—Rock-n-Sake.
     The restaurant provides a great atmosphere for both Lunch and Dinner. Walking in, you will find yourself split between the bar to your right, and the restaurant on your left. I always find it hard to pass up on the bar, even when I know I am just coming to dinner. A very fun atmosphere for everyone involved. In the restaurant, they have four different seating locations. You can sit in the main dining area, you can sit in the bar area, there is an upstairs (which is a fun, different experience that I recommend if you have never sat up there before), and you can sit at the sushi bar to watch their chefs hand roll your sushi according to your order.

Snow Crab Salad

Salmon Zest Roll

Last night I went in specifically to try their Volcano Roll, which I have never had before. Each month Rock-n-Sake has a different “Roll of the Month” which they offer for five dollars on Tuesdays. This is a great deal, and a great way to try rolls which you might stray away from if you previously considered them too pricey. They call the night “TGIT” and it is a really, really good deal for anyone with a craving for sushi. I started my meal off with a Snow Crab salad for an appetizer which was absolutely lights out. The salad is delivered in a deep “U” shaped bowl with a sphere of creamy, delicious snow crab topped with three slices of avocado and an asparagus. I could have been happy eating that and half a roll for dinner, but I powered forward. We ordered two rolls: the Volcano roll, and last months special—the Salmon Zest roll.
     The Salmon Zest roll comprised of fresh salmon and snow crab rolled together in a soybean roll topped with more salmon and grated lemon zest on top. The roll was absolutely delicious, although I found myself pushing a little of the zest off so I could taste more of the salmon and snow crab.

Volcano Roll

     Next was the Volcano roll, which blew my mind. It was crabstick and cucumber; wrapped in avocado; topped with spicy baked salmon and snow crab, eel sauce, spicy mayo, smelt roe, and green onions. The roll was so good that I am about to go get it again as I am writing this review! Overall I was very satisfied with my meal last night, proving once again why Rock-n-Sake is one of, if not the favorite sushi restaurant of the masses in Baton Rouge. I would strongly recommend visiting these guys soon, everything on the menu is fantastic.

For a full look at their menu, Click Here!
Rock-n-Sake
3043 Perkins Rd, Suite A
(225)615-7940

Happy Eating, Baton Rouge!

Eat 225

Marina's Mondays

Beef Enchilada

Do you ever crave Mexican food? Last night, I had the biggest itch for some mexican cuisine, and I knew exactly where to get my fix. As well known Louisiana is for its incredible food, the Mexican cuisine seems to be lacking from city to city (and you can ask anyone from Texas and they will be sure to back that up). Last night, I decided to drop in to Marina’s off of College next to The Station. The place is decorated like a fresh Cinco de Mayo celebration just ended, but you can tell you are in for some delicious home cooking. We were just in time for 2-for-1 (ends at 7), so I had time to really look deeply through the menu before I made my decision. Fresh chips and salsa were brought to our table with our first round of margaritas, and boy was I blown away. As margaritas were 2-for-1 until 7, I decided that I was going to start with my first one on the rocks and the second one would be a frozen one.  The first one was absolutely delicious. Many places try to overpower it either with strength in the alcohol or too much margarita mix, but my man at Marina’s knows what he is doing. You could tell how strong the margarita was, but it never overpowered you, and was quite refreshing after a long day.

Chimichanga Plate

     Their menu (which unfortunately is not on the internet) had a wide range of excellently priced dishes that made my decision really hard to choose. Seafood enchiladas, tamales, flautas, tacos, fajitas, the list went on and on. I decided to try one beef enchilada and one chicken chimichanga dinner plate. On the dinner plate it came with rice and refried beans. The rice, typically very dry at other places around the area, was well seasoned and cooked perfectly (a huge plus in my eyes, dry rice is a killer of any good Mexican dish). The refried beans were great as well, but the chimichanga! What an incredibly delightful surprise that was! For anyone who doesn’t know what a chimichanga is, a chimichanga is essentially a deep fried burrito covered in a ranchero sauce and cheese. Now, I have only had a chimichanga once before in my life and wasn’t a huge fan; but for some reason, it was calling my name this time and I pulled the trigger on it. The ranchero sauce on top wasn’t overcompensating for some mediocre cooked meal, but complemented the fried burrito just the way it is intended to. The chicken was moist and flawlessly cooked with a great tenderness. Every forkful pulled away was the right amount of chicken, burrito, and sauce—a very hard task to pull off. I was supremely impressed with the meal, and it all came to under $20 for everything I ate (which, was too much for a typical eater). The restaurant offers a great family atmosphere, but I also could see myself there on a date, or for a Cinco de Mayo style celebration. It definitely lends itself to numerous occasions, but one thing is common: the food is stellar.

Marina's Mexican Cuisine
4608 Bennington Ave  Baton Rouge, LA 70808
(225) 925-5005

Happy Eating, Baton Rouge!

Eat 225

Christina's Downtown

Pre-Meal Cornbread

Roast Beef and French Fries

Nothing quite says downtown lunch like Christina's. A local hot spot that all the business men and women of downtown love to eat, Christina's serves the area a great priced, home-made breakfast and lunch. Located on what seems like its own island, Christina's faxes out its list of daily specials to its contact list each morning, along with writing them on the boards posted inside the restaurant. Dine-in or take-out, this establishment is an absolute treat. Today, a few of my buddies and I decided to make the stop, and boy did we get our money's worth. As we waited on our meals, our waitress delivered complimentary corn bread rectangles that could not have been a more perfect appetizer for the four of us. It was honestly some of the best corn bread I have had in a long time. Chicken Parmesan served on top of Angel Hair Pasta, Beef Tips served on top of rice, and Fried pork chops were the choices for my three friends. Each of those came with either 2 or 3 sides (depending on the order) for just under $12 each. As you will find out if you continue checking in with me on my adventures through the restaurant world of Baton Rouge, I am a huge fan of homemade roast beef. I decided to have a cup of the chicken and sausage gumbo, and the roast beef po-boy served with french fries. The gumbo was delicious. Being in the south, if you serve gumbo, it better be good, and Christina's gumbo surely did not disappoint. The roast beef po-boy, however, was incredible. Words could not describe my excitement when the waitress dropped the debris-style roast beef in front of me. Every bite I took seemed to taste just a little bit better than the last, and I was sad to see the last bite go. I would easily rank Christina's roast beef as one of the best roast beef po-boys in Baton Rouge, if not the best. Normally, when I stop at Christina's, I look for some of their fried chicken (which I also happen to think is some of the best fried chicken in Baton Rouge, but you will have to find that out for yourself! Just call ahead and make sure they are serving it that day.) I know not everyone in Baton Rouge can get to downtown so easily, but if you find yourself in the area, I would suggest considering Christina's as your lunch stop for the day. Everything on the menu is a delicious meal just the way your mother would cook it, and you can get it for a great price too. From everything I have heard, their breakfast might even be better than their lunch, and that says a whole lot! I surely need to go give their breakfast a shot, and I can not wait to do it!

Christina's Restaurant--> Menu
320 St. Charles Street, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802
(225)336-9512

Happy Eating, Baton Rouge!

Eat 225

Brunch with Frankie Marcello's

     Wow, what an incredible way to start this Eat 225 adventure! My first stop in the quest to find the best eats in Baton Rouge took me to an old friend of the Baton Rouge food industry, but a new restaurant: Frankie Marcello’s. With the grand opening in March of this year, Frankie’s has made a quick name for itself serving Italian, Creole, and Seafood varieties.

2 Honey Butter Biscuits

Today, I decided to stop in for something a little bit different: Brunch.  Frankie’s serves brunch on Saturday’s and Sunday’s from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Walking in around 11 a.m. to a warm smile and energetic greeting from the hostess, my eyes were immediately drawn to the old-fashioned feel of the restaurant.  We were promptly seated in one of their booths, and I could immediately tell we were in for some delicious home cooking.  The service was extremely helpful and quick-paced, aiding with our selection on the menu and telling us about all of Frankie's other specialties throughout each week. I never once had an issue with our server. While deciding what I wanted to order, I was stuck between two of the choices. The Shrimp and Tasso grits (topped with a fried egg, mushrooms, and sriracha sauce) seemed to be too good to pass up, but my stomach was craving something a little bit different: Steak Benedict marchand du vin. With an order of delicious, homemade honey-butter biscuits on the side, this brunch was almost too much to ask for. In fact, my only complaint of the entire meal was that I had too much food! The breakfast potatoes and the grits were really good, but the winner of the morning was the main part of the dish. Two filet steak medallions were cooked to a perfect medium rare and served on top of two english muffin halves. Stacked on top of those were two brilliant poached eggs, with a marchand sauce that brought it all together. At $13.95 for the Steak Marchand, $1.50 for the biscuits, this will be a dish that I can truly come back to every Sunday.

Steak Marchand du vin

Frankie’s has other specials throughout the week that I cannot wait to try, either. On Tuesday and Saturday nights, they have their Steak night. A great deal on an 8oz. filet mignon or a 12oz ribeye served with garlic potatoes, a house salad, and garlic bread. Tuesday is what they call “Bello Vino Notte.” A night that will surely save the wallet: half-priced bottles of wine.

I was very impressed with everything that Frankie’s had to offer for Brunch, and I surely cannot wait to try some of their other specials and their regular menu.  

For a full look at their menu, click Frankie's Menu

Frankie Marcello’s

7520 Perkins Road, Ste 100

Baton Rouge, LA, 70808

(225)767-7979

Happy Eating, Baton Rouge!

Eat 225

Eat 225-- Where to Eat: Baton Rouge

Welcome to Eat 225, a new blog for the food fanatics of the Baton Rouge area. Whether you are new to the area, a seasoned local, or somewhere in between, this website should help people of all ages find good eats ranging of all varieties in the Baton Rouge area. Follow us on twitter to find out when our first post launches, and when all the following ensue.

Happy Eating, BR! And see you soon.

Eat 225