Baton Rouge, Louisiana: A Charming City with Great Food

I’m sitting in the town square on a gorgeous May morning in Louisiana, with blue skies and temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius. It’s a huge green space with a permanent stage for outdoor concerts, card tables and water features for kids to enjoy in the heat of summer. I’m thinking back on the place where I ate yesterday, called City Pork Brasserie and Bar, and wishing we had more places like it back home.

City Pork has the nicest staff and chef, and the food was amazing. My friend and I tried a little of everything, including sticky chicken wings, a Reuben, a pork sandwich and a barbecue sandwich. Other options included rabbit, duck and liver. The place was packed – we were far from the only ones enjoying the great food and ambience.

The next day I headed out on Red Stick Adventures' All About Baton Rouge Food Tour, which took me to five unique restaurants in Baton Rouge. Afterward I was extremely full and very happy. The food tour is a must!

What was great about the tour, beyond the incredible food, was the discussion of history and culture. The tour guide offered interesting information about the city as we walked around, and the other participants were fun as well. In fact, I had so much fun with everyone that I ended up going for cocktails afterward with the tour guide and her friend, a wonderful local tattoo artist. What an excellent time.

Off on another tour I went, this time to the Tin Roof Brewing Company to sample their local craft beers. Once again, the staff, bar manager and brewmaster were all as nice as can be, and the beers were phenomenal! It was hard to pick a favourite, but if forced to I would have to go with the amber beer. They even had a brew that tasted like bacon – weird but tasty!

It’s hard to believe that I was going to eat again, but first I did take a little afternoon break and nap back at the hotel. Come evening, I headed to a local gathering spot called Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar, where they have more than 50 types of oysters from all over the country. I could get oysters roasted, grilled or raw. I decided on a selection with different toppings. Never have I enjoyed oysters this much. They were so good that I ordered more and ended up staying much longer than I had planned.

I may have gained a few pounds in Baton Rouge, but it was well worth every extra calorie. The city obviously has much more to offer than just incredible food, and I will definitely be returning to check out ghost tours, swamp tours, shopping and the museums.