The Rum House
Eating on "Island Time" in Baton Rouge
Everyone dreams of leaving the stress of the modern world behind, fleeing to an island paradise, wearing flip flops and imbibing boat drinks while watching the sun sink into the ocean. Thankfully for the people of Baton Rouge, the newly opened Rum House offers guests a break from the everyday hustle and bustle of city life.
Lifelong best friends and Baton Rouge natives Michael Buchert and Kelly Ponder shared the dream of watching the tides roll in and leaving their cares behind since attending Catholic High together. "I have always been passionate about rum," Buchert said, "and island cuisine was a style of food I had a passion for. I love the sweetness combined with tangy and spicy flavors." The idea for Rum House was actually Buchert's business plan for a college class. "The concept sat on the shelf for a decade," he said. "In my spare time, I would add to it." Eventually the pair married New Orleanians, moved to the Crescent City, and decided to make the dream of owning a restaurant a reality. About five years ago, they opened The Rum House on Magazine Street. After refining their concept with the help of Canadian reality show Restaurant 101, their business venture flourished. Eventually Buchert set his sights on bringing a piece of the Caribbean back to his hometown.
Upon entry, customers are immediately transported to Island Time Zone. A fifty-two-foot-long indoor bar shaped like a schooner stays docked against the sidewall. Patrons sit on fishing boat chairs and order rum punches while waiting for a table. Reggae pipes through the speakers, setting a relaxed mood. The smell of jerk sauce, spices, and seafood wafts through the air, and a gigantic mural of Jamaica's spirit guide—Bob Marley painted by New Orleans artist John Bukaty—keeps vigil over the outside bar where couples sway on rope swings built for two. The creative seating arrangement was the result of a long-ago promise: "When I went to Mexico in my twenties and went to a bar with a swing. I told my friends, 'If I ever own a bar. It will have swing chairs,'” said Buchert, laughing. “So I had to make good on my promise."
The whimsical decor takes a backseat to the bright, flavorful fare created by classically trained Chef-Owner Terri Savoie, who has managed to curate a collection of dishes that combine the best aspects of Caribbean cuisine with the occasional element of South Louisiana cooking.
Fresh appetizers provide a sublime opening act. The fried calamari is lightly breaded, tender, and served with a plucky cilantro-lime-coconut sauce; and the avocado mango dip offers an inventive take on guacamole. Of course, no island menu is complete without a nod to the noble conch. Savoie marinates the large sea snails in lime juice to tenderize the meat and then combines them with sweet potatoes to make a light fritter served with a side of spicy, red remoulade sauce.
The cornerstone of the Rum House menu is the taco. Fifteen distinctly eclectic tacos encased in corn tortillas offer beautifully balanced bites of perfection. Their most popular taco is the calypso beef taco, which features marinated flank steak, guacamole, and lime cream. “I am a big fan," Buchert said. "I have never met anyone who didn't like it." Another house favorite is the crispy fish taco topped with jalapeño coleslaw. "We use a different type of batter for frying," he said. "It is a Jamaican beer batter. So it really has a crunch." More exotic options include a cornmeal fried oyster taco topped with caper relish and spicy remoulade, an understated seared scallop taco with onion marmalade and fried leeks, and a bold red curried lamb taco with mint yogurt chutney and sliced plantains. Tacos are available à la carte or in combo platters. The Mr. Biggs Plate allows indecisive diners to pick four tacos and a side item, with a fried meat pie thrown in for the modest price of $13.95.
"Most people don't ever get past the tacos," Buchert joked, "but all of our bread is made in-house." Sandwiches are served on fresh rolls or roti skin—a type of crispy flatbread resembling a burrito. "Our Cuban sandwich is on point and makes for a great lunch," he said. Larger appetites can be satisfied with Rum House's Bigg Plates of barbequed pork ribs and jerk-roasted chicken.
But what would The Rum House be without a gratuitous homage to its namesake, that ole devil rum—the dark sweet child of the Caribbean? Buchert and Kelly joked that they have spent many hours away from their wives in order to select the best of the best for their clientele. Rum flights contain three ¾-ounce pours range from $8 for the Good Cheap Sh*t to $150 for the Rare Bird which includes splurges in the form of historical offerings.
Buchert has also compiled a menu of boat drinks, punches, and mojitos. Island favorites are also available like a St. Croix-style rum punch made with four different kinds of rum, and the classic Painkiller, which combines Pusser's rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut. His original concoctions are also on the menu. "I have always been the drink guy," he said. "If we went on vacation I made the drinks." Many creations bear the names of his employees, like Erin's key lime-coconut rum punch, which is a piece of pie in a glass and includes Cruzan vanilla and light rum, cream of coconut, and lime juice with a graham cracker-lined rim.
The Rum House is an oasis in the sprawl of Baton Rouge. It is a destination where the food and drinks go down easy and worries are left at the door. Buchert said he’s been pleased with the way the restaurant has been received by his hometown. “It has been crazy,” he said. “We have been packed every night. I don’t know how people even know that we opened.”
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The Rum House 2112 Perkins Road Baton Rouge, La. rumhousenola.com