White Star Market

Something tells me tonight will be the only time I walk into White Star Market and taste a bit of everything they have to offer. While I'm glad for the whirlwind of variety as I circulated Baton Rouge's new food hall, once the full-sized portions are being served, I'll happily, sensibly linger at one booth or another.

Wings, taco, pizza, Southern classics—the spread doesn't sound immediately riveting, but each tenant I visited tonight put an impressive amount of care and flair into their dishes as they plated up samples for the milling crowd of friends, family, and media. At Dat'z Italian, wood-fired pizza is shuffled in and out of the oven right before my eyes. At Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar, the rocks are fat and flavorful. Gov't Taco makes good on Food Network Star runner-up Jay Ducote's years-long flirtation with the restaurant industry by piling into each tortilla some of the most thoughtfully curated tacos I've ever tasted. Had you told me yesterday I would be wolfing down a cane-glazed carrot taco and declaring it one of the night's top thrills, I'd have laughed in your face. "But it had pumpkin seeds!" you tell me. "And chimichurri! Remember how you feel about chimichurri..." And because I always listen to myself, when I am telling my other self about tacos, I would have won the argument.

At Chow Yum Phat, Chef Vu Le (partnering with Jordan Ramirez, formerly of Iverstine Butcher and Magpie) produced easily the best wings I've ever had in Baton Rouge. Only a minor mountain of napkins was needed to get my hands clean. Creole (with crawfish poutine, gumbo, a Cajun Cubano, and shrimp and grits, among others) is well covered at Chef Micah Martello's Fete au Fete; while Chef Michael Mangham, who once helmed Baton Rouge's popular Silver Spoon restaurant, is back with Southern Plate. From the cool zing of shrimp remoulade to the decadence of bread pudding with Grand Marnier sauce—I dedicated the very last of my appetite to this feast.

Libations are aplenty—cold-pressed juice at the Big Squeezy (who got into the spirit of things with mocktails, including a Pina Colada twist) and coffee and tea from Rêve Coffee Roasters are delightfully creative options, while anyone looking for a stronger potion should head to the market's bar, Mouton, for well-priced beer and wine as well as cocktails, which weren't officially offered, but I did happen to sample the Coffee and Cigarettes, featuring Rêve's outstanding cold brew and a touch of mezcal. If that doesn't make you feel like an English major, I don't know what will.

Learn more about White Star Market, which officially opens its doors on Thursday, May 17, at whitestarmarket.com.

This article originally appeared in our June 2018 issue. Subscribe to our print magazine today.