I thought it fitting to start my Baton Rouge reviewing with my favorite fast food joint in town.   Raising Cane’s has 4 menu combos, all iterations of the one item they serve: chicken fingers.

Cane's

Raising Cane’s (or “Cane’s” in local lingo) first opened on the North side of LSU (and ~1 mile from my high school) in 1996.  My first bite of Cane’s happened around 2002, when my best friend walked me over after cheerleading practice.  From then on, I was hooked.  My “usual” is a 3-finger combo with an extra sauce and lemonade, shown here:

3-Finger Combo

Though in years past all of my meals at Cane’s were excellent, I’ll be honest and say that in my opinion, with expansion has come a decrease in quality.  Their chicken fingers and fries are good, but not great, and I could swear that the Texas Toast that comes with every meal used to have a garlicky flavor that is no longer present.  However, the fingers, fries, and bread aren’t what keep me going back to Cane’s.  It’s the sauce. 

Cane’s sauce is the stuff of legend.  Employees have to sign confidentiality agreements promising to never reveal its contents.  A web search provides numerous sites speculating on the ingredients.  Non-Louisianians, think Zaxby’s Zax Sauce…but better.  I like to dip everything in my combo box in the sauce, though I’ve known some to adulturate their experience with ketchup.  Canes’ fresh-squeezed lemonade (which I believe is now offered year-round) is my favorite way to top off a meal.

Though I wish Raising Cane’s would look more at ensuring consistent quality and keeping their prices low (they seem to have increased every time I’m home), this is still my favorite way to begin and end a trip to Baton Rouge.

www.raisingcanes.com