Worth the Drive? Roberto’s River Road Restaurant

River Road (3 miles south of Gardere Ln, or 1/4 mile north of Bayou Paul Ln)
Sunshine, LA 70780
225.642.5999
http://www.robertosrestaurant.net

by: Chad

So you might be asking, with all the restaurants in the Baton Rouge area, why would one venture out on these deadly Louisiana highways way out to the far reaches of the parish to find dinner?  After you navigate your way to St. Gabriel, you carefully watch the street signs to direct you to the river road, and once there, you arrive in the tiny town of Sunshine, home of Roberto’s River Road Restaurant.  Upon parking my car in the gravel parking lot and looking over at the building, I silently asked myself again if this was a good idea.

The 150+ year old building the restaurant resides in what was once a general store, and still has that type of look to it.  I remember thinking, “I’ve heard this place has great food, but is it going to be as old fashioned as its décor?”  That thought would quickly disappear once the food came into play.

Looking at Roberto’s from the outside then walking in and finding the type of dishes served inside was kind of like opening the door to a truck stop bathroom and finding the Magic Kingdom.  As simple as the place itself is, the food is the polar opposite.  It is a very unassuming restaurant that is in no way full of itself.  The staff at Roberto’s priorities definitely lie within the kitchen.  Don’t get me wrong, this was no dive and the ambiance was fine, but the food was so unexpectedly refined that I was pretty amazed.

We started out with the eggplant crab cakes.  These are an interesting twist on the traditional crab cakes, combining the slight bitterness of the eggplant with the sweetness of crab.  They were served on a beurre blanc sauce and topped with a very tasty dill hollandaise.

I had the soup next, and my wife had a salad.  The soup was a cream of brie with crab, and was excellent.  A rich, creamy textured soup with sweet pieces of jumbo lump crabmeat swimming around.  It didn’t suffer from the oiliness or chalkiness that I have sometimes found with other cream based soups.  My wife described the salad as quite good, with fresh greens and a very tasty honey mustard dressing that had a nice sweetness to it.

For the entrée, my wife was interested in the pork tenderloin, however it was not available.  Her second choice was the beef tenderloin filet.  I too chose the filet, but in the special offered that night.  My entrée was one of the most exciting, flavorful, and well prepared dishes I have eaten anywhere, not just in the Baton Rouge area.

The special was a grilled beef filet, set atop a Habanero grit cake, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and a light blue cheese demi glace.  The main element of the dish, the filet, was cooked perfectly, just as ordered, medium-rare.  The grit cake was crispy on the outside with the creamy grits inside, and had a nice bit of kick from the Habanero.  The jumbo lump crab was a pleasant surprise in that the portion was quite generous.  There was actually so much crab that it couldn’t all be contained atop the filet.  The crab had a nice sweetness to it, which balanced well with the heat of the crab cake, and the tanginess of the blue cheese demi glace.

The combination of flavors and textures were amazing.  This dish was elegant and well prepared – an excellent example of combining classic ingredients in a modern way.

For desserts, we tried the two daily specials.  Both had to be ordered to go and taken home to eat later, but were definitely worth ordering.  My wife had the blueberry bread pudding.  Rather than it being a plain bread pudding served with the addition of blueberries, it was made from blueberry flavored bread, so that flavor was present throughout.  It was very well done and lived up to the expectations that most would have of bread pudding in this area.  The chocolate cake was not quite as exotic, but was good, featuring candied pecans as its own little signature touch.

So is Roberto’s worth the drive?  Absolutely.  Take a break from the traffic nightmares of Sherwood Forest, Bluebonnet, and Siegen, and take a road trip to the country which will send your taste buds to another world.

(Note:  Urbanspoon reports it to be located in Plaquemine for some reason, but that is not correct, it is on the east bank of the river in Sunshine, LA.)

Roberto's

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Roberto’s Grilled Steak Special

 

 

Louisiana Lagniappe – The Best Restaurant in Baton Rouge?

By: Mark

http://www.louisianalagniapperestaurant.com/

In my opinion, Louisiana Lagniappe is the best seafood restaurant in town! Pretty bold claim, huh? Well how about this one: Louisiana Lagniappe just might be the best restaurant in Baton Rouge! A pretty big statement that I believe holds true. LL is located at the intersection of Perkins and Bluebonnet. With the traffic generated by Perkins Rowe and construction, it is easy to miss this restaurant. But if you find it you will be in for a wonderful dining experience.

I arrived at 6:30 on a Monday night and had to wait for a table! The restaurant was packed. No worries as my family and I grabbed drinks at the full bar. LL does not take reservations so come early or be prepared to wait if you don’t. The dining area is pretty plain and sits a large number of people. The only problem this caused was an excessive amount of noise. LL is not a quiet restaurant, but the food makes up for having to speak louder to your dinner guests.

Our waiter started the meal by bringing us fresh baked French bread. The bread was soft and warm on the inside with a chewy crust. We then proceeded to soups where we were treated to the roasted red pepper soup and crab and corn soup. Both soups were extraordinary with perfect balances of cream and spices. Both were also brimming with chunks of lump crabmeat and tender shrimp. Despite being cups, the portions were large enough to satisfy you.

The next course featured appetizers and salads. The crab cakes were delicious as two large cakes stuffed with lump crabmeat were presented with a spicy remoulade sauce. The other appetizer consisted of grilled shrimp wrapped in thick slices of bacon and then drizzled with a pomegranate, pineapple, and habanero glaze. The five jumbo shrimp were cooked perfectly and the bacon had a great smoky flavor. The glaze had a bright, fruity front that was then followed by a warm burn from the habanero. One diner decided on the portabella mushroom salad with goat cheese, sunflower seeds, and a house made vinaigrette. The grilled mushroom warmed the goat cheese and really made this salad stand out. The only blemish was the house sensation salad, which appeared to have been made in advance thus causing the acidity of the dressing to wilt the greens.

Appetizers, salads, and soups are great, but entrees are the stars of the show; and the stars of LL shown bright. Two diners ordered the Ponchartrain; a large filet of pan seared black drum topped with a large, fried softshell crab and drizzled with a hollandaise sauce and candied pecans. The fish was cooked perfectly as was the crab. The hollandaise and candied nuts elevated the dish to a level of decadence. Another diner ordered the crabmeat au gratin which was served piping hot in a dish filled with a spicy, rich cream sauce loaded with jumbo lump crab and topped with melted cheese. The final entrée may have been the best of the night as a piece of pan seared black drum was topped with six jumbo sea scallops. The fish was cooked well and the scallops were sensational with a nice crust on top and a moist center. The dish was then drizzled with a lemon butter beurre blanc. The presentation of the entrees was well done and the amount of sauce was perfect as it accented the dish and did not over power it. Twice baked potatoes accompanied each dish; an afterthought in most restaurants but the ones in LL were creamy, buttery, and loaded with cheese and blended toppings.

The service at LL was near perfect. Drink glasses rarely went unfilled for very long, plates were cleared quickly, and the best part was the courses were paced perfectly. This shows a great chemistry between the front and back of the house. The hostess was pleasant and attentive as was the bartender. A surprise was the majority of the wait staff were fairly young and showed great pride in their jobs; a rarity in a college town.

This review was pretty long but LL deserves it. The restaurant’s flawless execution of its food and attentive wait staff make it one of the tops in the city. Though a bit pricey (entrees range $21-$32) it is worth every penny and should be a regular visit for any diner in Baton Rouge.

Pros:
– Excellent Service
– Delicious Food
– Large Portions for Your Money

Cons:
– No Reservations; Arrive Early or be Prepared to Wait
– Wilted Salad was a Disappointment
– Very Loud Dining Area