King Bar & Bistro, the snazzy, modern restaurant on the first floor of Hotel Indigo downtown, is in the midst of a total rebranding complete with new seasonal and locally sourced dishes prepared with herbs from a recently added rooftop herb garden.
The winter menu features dishes like a black-eyed pea hummus plate with house-baked pita chips and pickled vegetables, baked crab cakes fortified with yellow bell peppers and celery, and soft French bread topped with a smooth mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, diced vegetables and spicy crawfish.
Some items, such as the pickled vegetables, are current specials. Margaret Chappuis, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, says executive chef Brandon Caine regularly whips up additions that aren’t specified on the menu based on what he finds fresh at the farmers market.
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The bistro sources most of its produce and dairy products from Main Street Market and the Saturday Red Stick Farmers Market downtown—amenities Caine says are exceptionally convenient.
Chappuis says the inspiration for the changes stemmed from the desire to make the restaurant more green, sustainable and local—much in line with the hotel itself, which offers guests bicycles to rent. King Bar & Bistro partners with local companies for produce, meats and dairy products, including Benoit’s Meat Market, Kleinpeter Dairy, Bonnecaze Farms and River Road Coffees. The menu indicates which dishes include locally sourced ingredients.
The garden, situated on a second-floor terrace of the hotel, is a product of the Hotel Indigo brand’s push for locality at each of its 100-plus locations. Chappuis says the hotel’s goal is to create a guest residence that’s “not just another hotel.”
The garden currently houses herbs such as mint, sage, rosemary and basil, but Caine says he’s planning to add tomatoes, cucumbers and more once the weather starts to warm up. As the garden grows in size and prosperity, the restaurant will use increasingly more homegrown ingredients.
“It’s not only great for the restaurant itself, but we’re happy to be providing our guests with fresher food from local partners,” Chappuis says. “We want to stay local and show that we’re really part of the neighborhood.”
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Chappuis says she hopes to eventually grow enough produce to donate to the Baton Rouge Food Bank and other charitable organizations.
King Bar & Bistro will update the menu in late April or early May when summer produce is readily available, Caine says.
Hotel Indigo is at 200 Convention St. The bistro is open 6:30-10:30 a.m. for breakfast and 4:30-10 p.m. for dinner.