Visiting Baton Rouge for a couple days...... (school, restaurant)

[tjhewitt]

If you are at Shaw center downtown, go to Tsunami to eat. Great sushi and you can't beat the view. We just moved here and it is one of our favorite places, for both reasons!

[Rosinante]

I'd avoid Sammy's, Ralph & Kacoo's and Mike Anderson's from the recommendations given. These restaurants started going down hill a decade ago and are now resting one their laurels; On The Half-Shell is great at its original Prairieville location, but downright poor at Bluebonnet.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by Rosinante

I'd avoid Sammy's, Ralph & Kacoo's and Mike Anderson's from the recommendations given. These restaurants started going down hill a decade ago and are now resting one their laurels; On The Half-Shell is great at its original Prairieville location, but downright poor at Bluebonnet.

Mike's definitely has the big head. Sammy's, with all due respect, is still pretty goosd, although WHEN you get there is vital. As in, after 5:30, the crowds get to the point that you're sitting outside just to get a place to sit. And Mike's is the same way with the crowds......

[Rosinante]

^ Some folks just like to hold on to the old places. My wife and I used to go to Sammy's about twice a week, but we were served some bad food two visits in a row just in the past few months. We ain't going back (BTW we live right down the street from it. Despite the differences in menus, George's just a block away from Sammy's serves better food.).

Close friends rave about the new Acme Oyster House, but we haven't been there yet. Assuming the OP will probably be staying closer to down town, Sammy's is a bit far compared to Acme, and the online reviews have been positive. Some say Acme has the best seafood gumbo in the city; my vote for this still goes to Dempsey's.

My wife and I have two favorites right now: Roberto's on the River Road in St. Gabriel. It's about a 3-minute ride from the Bluebonnet - Nicholson intersection, and generally unknown to many from the city. The new Fish City Grill @ Perkins Rowe has, twice in a row now, dazzled us with superb dishes at a reasonable price.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by Rosinante

^ Some folks just like to hold on to the old places. My wife and I used to go to Sammy's about twice a week, but we were served some bad food two visits in a row just in the past few months. We ain't going back (BTW we live right down the street from it. Despite the differences in menus, George's just a block away from Sammy's serves better food.).

Close friends rave about the new Acme Oyster House, but we haven't been there yet. Assuming the OP will probably be staying closer to down town, Sammy's is a bit far compared to Acme, and the online reviews have been positive. Some say Acme has the best seafood gumbo in the city; my vote for this still goes to Dempsey's.

My wife and I have two favorites right now: Roberto's on the River Road in St. Gabriel. It's about a 3-minute ride from the Bluebonnet - Nicholson intersection, and generally unknown to many from the city. The new Fish City Grill @ Perkins Rowe has, twice in a row now, dazzled us with superb dishes at a reasonable price.

Yeah, Fish City is pretty good; I just thought I'd show the OP some restaurants that were purely local. But if we want to throw in chains, I'm a big fan of Zea's Rotissere (Corporate before Jefferson - AWESOME smoked meats) and Bonefish Grill (same general area)

Funny thing is I'm also a few miles away from Sammy's too, and it's amazing how strong the word of mouth is about the place - when the wife and I are thinking of where to go, Sammy's is NOT on the radar unless it's before 5:30. I don't have a problem with George's per se, and it IS a local favorite.

[darylwi]

I definitely prefer George's over Sammy's. I haven't been a fan over their food either, but I know it's a pretty big local favorite and I have eaten there on several occassions when I'm with a group.

I like Acme in NOLA. Haven't tried the one here yet, but it looked pretty busy when I passed by it yesterday around 12:30pm. I've heard mixed reviews so far.

And all of the restaurants in Towne Center have been good although Champps seems to have gotten a little worse to me, mainly service but some food dishes as well. Still can't beat the atmosphere on big game nights though.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by darylwi

And all of the restaurants in Towne Center have been good although Champps seems to have gotten a little worse to me, mainly service but some food dishes as well. Still can't beat the atmosphere on big game nights though.

Funny you say that about Champps, because I've noticed the quality has slipped there in the last year or so. Another place that is not as good as it once was is Izzo's (a Mexican restaurant where you can build your own burrito, chimichanga, and so forth) - at least the one at Bluebonnet and Jeffeson - the service is half-arsed and they didn't keep the place very clean.

[darylwi]

Originally Posted by BRMan

Funny you say that about Champps, because I've noticed the quality has slipped there in the last year or so. Another place that is not as good as it once was is Izzo's (a Mexican restaurant where you can build your own burrito, chimichanga, and so forth) - at least the one at Bluebonnet and Jeffeson - the service is half-arsed and they didn't keep the place very clean.

The one on Corporate by Citi Place has been great to me. It's been a few months since I've stopped by, but the service has been excellent, let alone the food.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by darylwi

The one on Corporate by Citi Place has been great to me. It's been a few months since I've stopped by, but the service has been excellent, let alone the food.

I think they had a change of management at Jefferson/Bluebonnet, because they used to be good (service and cleanliness-wise).

[Rosinante]

Has anyone heard anything about Camellia Grill coming to B.R.? There was an announcement saying that they were due to open over the past summer but it looks like they've gotten cold feet. It wouldn't be difficult to replicate the food, but somehow I just can't imagine the ambiance facing Perkins Road could come close to Carrolton at St. Charles.