Blush Hour
At Provisions on Perkins, staples are whipped, smoked, and brushed in hot pink.
Sitting in one of the tufted-leather booths in the ghost of Galatoire’s on Perkins, I found my plate empty, my belly full, and an almost-guilty desire for just one more bite.
Provisions on Perkins, one of the newest restaurants to join the Red Stick’s burgeoning culinary scene, opened their doors in early September, and they’ve hit the ground running. Describing the spirit of the place, manager Case Milligan explained: “Provisions [are] your daily needs and wants, and the staples for really just having a good time.”
Eager to get my fill, I elected to spend an evening with Baton Rouge’s newest kid on the block. Within minutes of my arrival, I was indulging in its iconic odes to “simplicity,” sipping a crisp Watermelon Crawl cocktail by a flickering candle, reveling in bits of summer, winter, and everything in between.
The menu’s interpretations of “daily necessities” range from house-smoked salmon deviled eggs to kimchi fries. I settled on a classic: warm tortilla chips with spinach and artichoke dip. I was soon greeted with a heap of well-seasoned vegetables in bubbling cheese, an appetizer that could please the most disagreeable diner.
At the end of it all, the true showstopper of the night was indisputably the Crock Lasagna, with its melt-in-your-mouth short rib ragu, creamy béchamel sauce, and straight-from-the-farm roasted veggies. The final touch was the slightly burnt corners, as if it had just been swiftly retrieved from an Italian Nonna’s oven.
In line with Provisions’ “a little of this and a little of that” approach, the menu pitches something for every variety of taste. As I piled weighty bites of lasagna on a fork, across the table my guest was tearing into the Hickory Bacon Cheeseburger, an American classic on a toasted brioche bun. Menu items are categorized first by a simple term—“Burger” or “Comfort” or “Classic Steak”—before revealing the specific attractions. (“Low ‘n Slow” is the broad sell for short ribs, root-beer glazed with red onion bark and goat cheese thyme grits.)
Although an impeccably-crafted menu and artisan twists on classics are major components in this swanky fine-dining age, an experience is about much more than just what arrives on a plate. Design, ambiance, service, and even entertainment can all play crucial roles in determining whether a restaurant is here to stay or has missed the mark entirely.
The magic of Provisions lies in the premise that upon entering, you really can have it all: fine dining devoid of pretension, chef specialties with homespun allure, fast-paced quality service with down-to-earth conversation, and vignettes thoughtfully constructed with every preference in mind.
[Read this: Table Talk: Sharing the wealth of favorite recent dining experiences]
Walking from room to room, it is apparent that Provisions’ design is anything but bland. With a tagline of “Sips, Staples, Social,” every room of Provisions provides its own stand-out component to complete the trio.
The graffiti-art cocktail lounge, leading into an enclosed patio, resembles a 1920s sophisticated speakeasy that, in another day and age, one might have needed a password to enter. Local ingredients add a southern element to classic cocktails, such as the Honey Old Fashioned blended with Louisiana honey simple syrup, and the Louisiana Mule, showcasing Bayou Satsuma rum. The charm is in the details with cocktails bearing signature garnishes ranging from a grilled orange wedge to pineapple foam.
Next, the main dining room’s casual, family-style atmosphere is accented by a display of Campbell’s tomato soup cans (approximately 4,000!) lining the wall. The pop-art structure tugs on the strings of contentment and familiarity, transporting guests to homey moments in time.
Donned the “Butterfly Room,” the final space whimsically nods to the restaurant’s iconic predecessor. The Provisions team, led by owner Paul McGoey, kept the original artwork of Galatoire’s hanging in place, and with the heavy stroke of a hot-pink-dipped paint brush, filled the entire space with their own signature mark. It was “a new start for us while still paying homage to Galatoire’s,” said Milligan. “We wanted to include those guests into our fold.” The couches, leather benches, and bistro tables call for a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap, but a guest could spend hours in awe.
While Provisions left a sweet taste in my mouth, they are certainly not the only contender in Baton Rouge’s growing trend toward interesting spaces underscored by comforting food. Featuring wood-fired artisan pizzas with specialty ingredients, Rocca has introduced delicacies tasting as though they came hot off of Italy’s cobblestone streets. White Star Market has consumers covered for every stage of the day: customers can grab a warm Cookie Cappuccino at Rêve Coffee Lab for a morning boost, a coveted “Cajun Cubano” from Fête au Fête for a lunch break, and wind down at Mouton craft cocktail bar for a made-it-through-the-week glass of wine. Soji: Modern Asian brings a creative spin on Asian flavors in its funky space with neon accents. And then there’s BRQ, which boasts next-level southern barbecue and local seafood by a well-seasoned Michelin-recognized chef.
[Read our Managing Editor Lucie's reviews of: Soji Modern Asian, Rocca Pizzeria, BRQ, and White Star Market.]
This uptick in hip dining spots brings with it a noticeable shift back to basics and an emphasis on farm-to-table dining and health-centric, chef-inspired cuisine. Grandpa might have been onto something with the “quality over quantity,” mantra, as residents increasingly seem more interested in experiences worth sharing.
These modern restaurants are looking beyond exhaustive ingredients lists to the restaurant’s full interiors. While the focus may be on the plate before a guest or the company at the table, artsy touches and unusual vignettes do not go unappreciated. Diners want to arrive at a destination, take part in an experience, and leave with a carry-out box of memories lasting much longer than the next-day’s leftovers.
Provisions on Perkins
3535 Perkins Road, Suite 400
Baton Rouge, La.
(225) 753-4864