A Tale of Two Tacos
Mexican cuisine takes different forms for a hungry Baton Rouge
Photos by Lucie Monk
You’re on the hunt for tacos in Baton Rouge, and you reach a fork in the road. (“I don’t need a fork,” you say. “It’s tacos.”) Head down one path to find patio seating and a canopy of string lights, twinkling just off the corner of Jefferson and Old Hammond in the Bocage neighborhood. The patio abuts a babbling pond and your server introduces himself moments after you’ve been seated. He has chips, salsa, and a list of margarita specials. Gamely, gratefully, you introduce yourself back and begin to thumb through the menu.
Opt for the other stretch and you’ll land at a strip mall on College Drive. Traffic blazes and honks behind you. Before you, window decals of the menu preview the cumin-spiced wonders within. It feels like a discovery. Do any of your friends know this is here? Ever the explorer, you coyly slip inside.
Velvet Cactus and Taco ‘n Sabor are just two outlets for Mexican food in the capital city, but they arrive courtesy of divergent food trends: innovation vs. authenticity.
A New Orleans transplant advertised as “Mexican inspired food and funky art joint,” Velvet Cactus avails itself to the happy hour crowd along with dinner guests (lunch will be offered on the weekends starting February 27). Grab a gang of co-workers and shake off the day with ceviche, tequila, and tamales—better send an ambassador at 4:45 pm to save your table, as the city has zeroed in quickly on this hotspot ... and they don’t accept reservations. Located around the corner from Towne Center, the restaurant has been packed with Baton Rougeans taking stock of their latest culinary asset. And if The Rum House’s continued popularity-verging-on-exclusivity is any indication, the mob won’t be thinning out soon.
Lucie Monk Carter
You can’t blame folks sticking around to indulge in the hybrid flavors touted on Velvet Cactus’ menu. Quesadillas, flautas, and bean burritos meet with toasted pine nuts, fried chicken, shaved Manchego, and pineapple habanero relish. Of course, it’s the tacos that wear the restaurant’s multiculturalism most boldly. Exhibited so: the Deep South (crispy chicken strips, diced avocado, applewood smoked bacon, Monterey Jack & cheddar, and an agave Creole mustard), the Vegetarian Estricto (sautéed portobellos with Gouda, pine nuts, salsa, and green onions), and the Gringo (Molida beef, romaine, olives, mixed cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream), among others. The Chef’s Taco gives Chef Jeff “JP” Roots a floury canvas on which to show off and stay loose.
Each menu item earns a loving description, and guests will appreciate the transparency as well as the self-confidence that prompts a recitation of well-tended ingredients.
Velvet Cactus finds even the resident margarita malleable. Variations include the sugar-free “Naked” take; the Velvet Heat, sweetened with an habanero-infused simple syrup; and the Pineapple Cilantro.
You won’t see any salt-rimmed margaritas at Taco ‘n Sabor—or any alcohol for that matter. Open since fall 2013, the restaurant has yet to gain widespread notice, despite its real estate on the often gridlocked stretch of College Drive between Perkins and I-10, where there’s ample time to make note of your surroundings.
Lucie Monk Carter
Inside you’ll find wooden booths, drink coolers and glass bottles of Mexican Coke, bubbling jugs of fruit juices and horchata, and warming trays piled with tender beef and caramelized onions, slow-cooked pork, swimming black beans, and other accoutrements for your burritos, tacos, and gorditas. The restaurant offers breakfast items as well as lunch and dinner. At the side counter, a selection of salsas, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, and lime wedges allow guests to season as they please.
If you can’t get a handle on the main proteins by their proper names and pictures on the menu (Just how spicy is the spicy beef? is not an unreasonable inquiry, and the answer is “pretty” to “very” depending on your tolerance), samples are meted out in small plastic cups over the counter. Ask for a taste or just appear somewhat flummoxed; help will soon arrive.
Taco ‘n Sabor isn’t Baton Rouge’s first authentic Mexican spot, but its central location hints at a city that’s calling for—or at least open to—the real deal at its doorstep, not relegated to the outer limits.
There’s no waiter to refill your drink, and you likely won’t impress a first date here. But take that friend of yours who’s always grumbling that Baton Rouge has nothing but football and fried shrimp. When he gets inside and takes a look around, when he’s fumbling red-faced for a counterpoint … that’s when Taco ‘n Sabor will hand over something delicious.
Details. Details. Details.
The Velvet Cactus 7655 Old Hammond Highway Baton Rouge, La. (225) 227-2563 • thevelvetcactus.com/baton-rouge Taco ‘n Sabor 3151 College Drive Baton Rouge, La. (225) 924-0398
.jpg)