In a pickle

LSU alums Barrett Meeks and James Whitley have unleashed a food truck tiger onto Baton Rouge’s streets. The Bengalier (thebengalier.com), taking its name from the old LSU Football program and painted purple and gold, is slinging piping-hot signature sandwiches all over town.

The friends are no strangers to the Baton Rouge restaurant scene. They worked in the industry for years as everything from servers to line cooks to executive chefs, hoping to someday open their own full-service restaurant. As Meeks puts it, “It’s a lot of money up front to open a restaurant. A truck is way more feasible for us for now.”

The Bengalier’s menu reads like that of a restaurant’s, with appetizers, entrees and desserts. Meeks has worked in kitchens from The Chimes to Galatoire’s Bistro, and his food truck’s diverse menu reflects much of that behind-the-scenes experience.

The menu focuses mainly on sandwiches for now, but cold-weather seasonal specials like a tomato-basil bisque with fried eggplant crisps and white bean cassoulet are already making their way onto the menu.

Also new is high-end cocktail bar Olive or Twist (oliveortwist.com) in the Perkins Palms development off Perkins Road near Kenilworth Parkway, offering handcrafted libations and small plates.

Baton Rouge’s first Dairy Queen (dairyqueen.com) in years is now dipping cones and flipping burgers on Sherwood Forest Boulevard at Southfork Avenue.

Still mourning the end of Hostess? Order a Twinkie Bundt from new bakery My Sugar Belle (mysugarbelle.com), which is offering sweets like cookies and bundt cakes in a variety of fresh and creative flavors from Apple Jelly and Southern Butter Pound to classic Bananas Foster and indulgent Chocolate Rum from its bakery on Plank Road near Evangeline Street.