On my Mardi Gras trip, I decided to look for something a little different to try in NOLA. There are of course many places I haven’t visited, but Juan’s Flying Burrito was an intriguing (and cheap) option. We stopped by the “Creole Taqueria’s” location on Magazine St. in the Garden District for lunch.

Juan's Flying Burrito: Creole Taqueria

We were seated promptly and had a while (too long, unfortunately) to look around before our server stopped by. The interior is “interesting” (Vortex-like, for ATLiens) with a ton of eclectic art-for-sale lining the walls, much of it featuring skulls or bleeding hearts. Food and drink specials are written on chalkboards around the room, and like any legit New Orleans eatery, they sport a full bar.

Spencer and I deliberated over the menu for about 5 minutes, and then waited another 15 before our waitress came to take our orders. When she returned 10 minutes later asking Spencer, “Oh, your drink hasn’t come out?” we gave each other blank stares because…isn’t that HER job (especially because she had brought my drink 5 minutes earlier)? Sketchy service aside, our food [me: Flying Enchiladas (steak, chicken, and shrimp grilled together, then stuffed inside our cheese enchiladas served with all three sauces, topped with sour cream and guacamole) Spencer: Super Nachos Grande (ground beef and chicken, with black and pinto beans, melted cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos)] was good:
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I’m about 99% sure I found the exact doughnuts that make Homer Simpson drool. Sublime Doughnuts is located in the shopping center on the corner of Hemphill and 10th St. I’ve been checking it out for a while, but I’m not gonna lie, I mostly haven’t been because the exterior looks kinda sketch:

Sublime Donuts

I’m starting to think I have a legitimate fear of strip mall eateries. However, I’ve heard so many good things about it that I finally decided to stop by.
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As part of my new self-imposed grad student budget constraints, I’m trying to find some good cheap eats around Atlanta (suggestions welcome!). Mario and I had both heard good things about Mama Niki’s Pizza, located in the Howell Mill Kroger Plaza, so we decided to stop in on Saturday afternoon.

A banner outside boasted of being voted “Atlanta’s Best Pizza”, though the source of that vote wasn’t mentioned on the banner. Inside, Mama Niki’s looks like your typical diner. A whiteboard with specials advertises $1 pitchers on Tuesdays–obviously a college hangout. But, on to the pizza. Mario and I both got a slice of pepperoni:

Pepperoni Pizza

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I finally got a chance to try longtime Baton Rouge favorite Fleur de Lis Pizza just before leaving for Atlanta. Fleur de Lis is a cocktail lounge/pizzeria that has been around Baton Rouge for a long time–which is quite apparent by the state of the building and its decor (or lack therof).

Fleur de Lis

The place could probably be certified as a “dive”–cash only, basically a barroom inside, but a thriving business nonetheless. But something has to keep them on top of Baton Rouge’s best pizza list, so I wanted to find out what it was.
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Spencer and I visited Dempsey’s Po’boys, a place a little outside of my usual Baton Rouge stomping grounds (Coursey/Sherwood) on the recommendation of another BR blogger. This blogger named Dempseys’ French Dip and Gumbo one of Baton Rouge’s best dishes, but I’m not sure that I agree.

Dempsey’s is a locally owned place specializing in po’boys with other typical South Louisiana fare making appearances on the menu. On our visit, the place was packed with a lunchtime crowd and we had about a 10 minute wait for a table. Service was a little slow, but I didn’t see many staff and most tables had parties of 5 or more, so with that volume, a little slowness is forgivable. Spencer and I both ordered the “soup and half”, a cup of soup/gumbo and a half po’boy for $10. I tried the soup of the day, cream of corn and crab, and Spencer had seafood gumbo:

Cream of Corn and Crab

Seafood Gumbo

First bites and more after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

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

Last night we visited local hotspot Taqueria del Sol to try some trendy Mexican. The restaurant uses lunch counter-style ordering, meaning you wait in line at the counter, place your order, and then find a table. The wait to order was long.  Very long.  But the restaurant offers single or pitcher margaritas to make your time a little more bearable.  The prices are quite reasonable, my meal of 2 roasted chicken enchiladas with beef red chili sauce and a Memphis taco was around $8, while Mario’s fried chicken tacos ran us around $6.

Roasted Chicken Enchiladas and Memphis Taco

Fried Chicken Taco

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Burgers again, but this time a little less gourmet. Five Guys Burgers and Fries is known up and down the East Coast for their cheap eats and–what else–burgers and fries.  We picked some up one night we didn’t feel like cooking:

Little Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries

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