Soupçon: Louisiana Food News for April

We're excited to be reviving an old  Country Roads tradition, Soupçon—a column of briefs noting some of the latest developments in the local food scene. Know some food news we need to be on top of? Let us know at editor@countryroadsmag.com. 

New International Concepts Coming to New Orleans

This spring, several of New Orleans’s most beloved internationally-inspired chefs are bringing new restaurants, and new flavors, to the city. Experience traditional carne en vara, delivered via South American live-fire cooking techniques, at Chef Julio Machado’s new restaurant Origen Bistro in the Bywater—set to open in the coming weeks. Besides its prix fixe menu centered around slow-roasted meat dishes (served with a bottle of wine or pitcher of house-made sangria), the Venezuelan-influenced-by-NOLA menu will also feature breakfast and brunch. Also coming to the Bywater is a new project by Chef Ana Castro (of the nationally-acclaimed Lengua Madre) called Acamaya, which will offer a more casual Mexican mariscos (seafood) experience. The Vilkhu family, known for their fine dining Indian cuisine flagship Saffron, is also expanding its footprint—melding East Asian and French flavors in a new, upscale culinary experience called The Kingsway. Find it soon at the former location of Magasin Vietnamese.

[Read Soupçon: Louisiana Food News for March, here.]

Historic Barq’s Beverage Sign Installed at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum

From the years 1949 to 2000, Baton Rouge’s Barq’s Beverages bottling plant was easily identified by its iconic neon sign. Considered the number-one root beer in the world, the company’s history has origins in Louisiana—its founder Edouard Barq was born in New Orleans, before training his apprentice Jesse Louis Robinson in the art of flavored soft drinks. When Barq officially branded his root beer in 1934 in Mississippi, he granted Robinson exclusive rights to use the secret formula and distribute it in Louisiana under a red brand name (the Mississippi one was blue). The red Baton Rouge sign is the only known remaining example of the brand in neon. It and other historic ephemera from the plant have been acquired and installed at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.

The Dew Drop Inn is back! And with food!

Over fifty years since its closure, the past three spent in renovations, the historic music venue and inn—known for hosting some of the country’s most iconic musical artists and as being a hub of Black New Orleans social life—is finally in operation again as a hotel, music venue, pool club, and restaurant, led by Chef Marilyn Doucette, the founder of the Meals from the Heart Café in the French Market, a health-conscious take on classic Creole recipes. Guests can expect a similar approach to the comfort food historically served onsite at the Dew Drop, such as grits and grillades, and red beans and rice.

Dogs, Goats, and Beer

Lafayette, known for its big-city-disguised-as-a-small town feel, has had an uptick in locally-owned, community-driven businesses over the last several years. A glaring absence, though, has been the quintessential ambience of outdoor beer-drinking bliss—especially since the downtown Wurst Biergarten’s closure last fall. In the past few months, though, the city has gained a new brewery and a full-on beer garden, both in Mid-City.

Adopted Dog Brewing opened at the end of February in a massive space on Dulles Drive, complete with arcade games, a patio, and a classic brewpub menu of pretzels, flatbreads, and burgers. The first local brewery to open in Lafayette in years, Adopted Dog offers twelve beers on tap, including a “337” blueberry blonde lager, a “Sequoia” West Coast IPA, and an unfiltered German wheat called “El Jefe”.

Just down the road near Moncus Park, the Yard Goat opened up its German-style beer garden mid-March, offering over fifty beers on tap, as well as wine and cocktails. Modeled after the New Orleans patio concept, Wrong Iron, the Goat is prime for relaxed, outdoor day drinking in the heart of Lafayette.

The best part? Both spots are dog-friendly!