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2017 Best of 225: Staff picks


Eating, drinking, shopping: It’s a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it. We like to think that’s what we’re here for. The 225 staff spends our days researching, interviewing and vetting local businesses in search of the meals, drinks, events, clothing trends and locally designed goods we think our readers would want to try.

So for this year’s Best of 225 Awards edition, we offer you a lagniappe. Peppered throughout the cover story, you’ll notice several sidebars labeled “staff pick.” These are our hidden gems, our menu hacks, our pro tips.

225 readers crown the Best of 225 winners each year, but if each of us on staff had to create our own personal list of Baton Rouge’s lesser-known greatest hits, this is what would be on it. You’re welcome.

Editor’s note: Staff picks were chosen by Editor Jennifer Tormo, Managing Editor Benjamin Leger and Staff Writer Kaci Yoder. The selections are our own opinions and independent of the reader-selected Best of 225 Awards.


FOOD & DRINK

Bite-sized dessert

Brew Ha-Ha!’s cake balls. Every time I go to a food event in Baton Rouge, there’s one vendor I make a beeline for: Brew Ha-Ha! The cake balls go fast, so eating dessert before dinner is a personal priority. Owner Gabby Loubiere-Higgins has made the specialty dessert in more than 100 flavors over the years, but each version builds on the same basic formula. A creamy, crunchy exterior of melted chocolate and toppings gives way to moist, dense cake inside. At first, these itty bitty treats seem like a guilt-free dessert. That is, until you can’t stop eating them. brewhahabr.com

– J.T.


2 a.m. burrito

Zippy’s Burritos, Tacos & More. Some of my best, haziest memories during my years at LSU were made at Zippy’s over chips, queso, a frosty glass of its frozen Sweet Lou and an overstuffed burrito. There’s just nowhere else in town you can get a massive burrito made to order with surprisingly fresh ingredients at such an ungodly hour. As far as post-drinking eats are concerned, access to a build-your-own burrito bar until 3 a.m. on weekends is a game-changer. The 40-ounce margaritas help, too. Find Zippy’s on Facebook.

– K.Y.


Place to get creative with pizza

File photo

Lit Pizza. I could legit eat here daily, and it would never get old. With more than 40 toppings available, from gorgonzola and goat cheeses to Cajun Chef hot sauce and City Pork andouille, you can redefine pizza during every visit. There’s even optional gluten-free crust and dairy-free cheese for those with dietary restrictions. But on days when too many choices stress me out, I go for the Pizza of the Month. Previous iterations have highlighted local ingredients such as Jay D’s Louisiana BBQ Sauce and brisket from City Pork or Barbosa’s Barbeque. lit.pizza

– J.T.


Under-the-radar cheap eats

Photo by Collin Richie

La Salvadoreña. I come here for the pupusas: thick, cornmeal patties stuffed with melted cheese and fillings, served with tangy pickled cabbage. But I always end up ordering something else that blows my taste buds away, too. Salvadoran tamales, tostadas, tacos and pupusas are priced at $2.50 each, which makes it easy to try multiple things and still wind up with a bill less than $10. This is one of the first places I show off to friends and family when they visit from out of town. The only problem? After eating here once, they aren’t interested in the rest of my dinner picks, because they want to come back here every night. Find
La Salvadoreña on Facebook.

– J.T.


Innovative new restaurant

Photos by Courtney Holden

Cocha. Kudos first for bucking the downtown trend and opening a restaurant that isn’t on Third Street. The team behind Cocha has settled into a welcoming spot on Sixth and Main streets that gives the chefs access to fresh produce at the farmers market nearby. That means plenty of seasonal ingredients for their worldly dishes, such as spicy-sour steamed buns with kimchi, Peruvian-style scallops with sweet potatoes and hominy, and African peanut stew with wild rice and grilled okra. As the seasons change, here’s hoping more adventures await. cochabr.com

– B.L.


House-made pasta dish

Nino’s carbonara. Imagine a heaping pile of fresh, handmade spaghetti flecked with bits of salty guanciale (that’s cured pork jowl to you) and crowned with an egg yolk in a nest of whipped savory cream. Once you mix the gooey egg yolk and cream into the al dente pasta, those decadent and salty flavors marry into one satisfying and carefully composed Italian dish I’m still dreaming about. ninos-italian.com

– B.L.


Fresh tortillas

Photo by Amy Shutt

Tio Javi’s Fresh Mex Bar and Grill. The tortilla is often taken for granted when you sit down for a Mexican dinner, but not here. There’s just something about being able to watch tortillas come straight off the griddle. I almost always opt for the fajitas when I hit up Tio Javi’s, because that means I get a whole pile of warm, soft, buttery, fresh tortillas to chow down on. If I could sleep on a bed made out of them, I would. tiojavis.com

– K.Y.


Seasonal salads

MJ’s Cafe. One of the city’s most adorable destinations for vegetarian and vegan fare, MJ’s rotates in fresh fruits, veggies, toppings and dressings in its daily off-menu salad specials with every new crop. In the past year, I’ve seen the restaurant experiment with edible flowers, grilled squash and pickled radish. I often have to force myself to eat some roughage, but at MJ’s it feels like a treat. Props to the MJ’s crew for keeping salads enticing all year round. Find MJ’s Cafe on Facebook.

– K.Y.


PEOPLE & ENTERTAINMENT

Event to meet a musician

Photo Courtesy Baton Rouge Blues Festival

Baton Rouge Blues Festival. What do artists do before they take the stage? If it’s the Blues Fest, they hang out with fans. During Backstage at the Blues Fest, attendees can head to the Old State Capitol for facetime with performers between sets. At this spring’s backstage event, headliners Kim Wilson and Marc Broussard were among those interviewed by local journalists and music aficionados before a small crowd. It’s just another awesome component of my personal favorite annual event in Baton Rouge. batonrougebluesfestival.org

– J.T.


Bar for people watching

File photo by Miriam Buckner

Radio Bar. Whenever I’ve got out-of-town guests, we eventually end up here. It’s the place where all the cool kids hang, where all the creatives meet to talk shop, where some of us like to sit in booths and people watch (or avoid exes) and where others like to hold court with a group at the dartboard or around the pingpong table. Bonus: Its craft-cocktail game is still one of the best in town. Find Radio Bar on Facebook.

– B.L.


SHOPPING & SERVICES

Place for a guy to find something one-of-a-kind

Time Warp Boutique. Truth be told, there aren’t a lot of local stores for men to shop in Baton Rouge, and most options cater to the polo shirts and khaki shorts crowd. Time Warp helps the rest of us stand out even if we just want something that leans away from the norm without being too loud. Short-sleeve tropical-patterned shirts perfect for a music festival or a trip to the beach? They’ve got it. Vintage ties to freshen up your collection? They’ve got that, too. And if nothing else, that find will make a quirky conversation starter. timewarpboutique.com

– B.L.


Shop for cooking inspo

Photo by Miriam Buckner

Red Stick Spice Co. My dream pantry would be stocked floor-to-ceiling with Red Stick Spice oils, extracts, teas and spices. At the top of my wishlist right now: the brand’s cilantro-lime extra-virgin olive oil, cinnamon-pear balsamic vinegar and citrus-matcha tea. The Jefferson Highway shop also offers several cooking classes each month, where students learn how to make sauerkraut, fermented pickles, jams and jellies, biscuits, scones and more. redstickspice.com

– J.T.


Antiquing adventure

Staff photo

The Pink Elephant. This is the kind of place that sucks you in. Before you know it, two hours have passed, and you’re wondering how to transport that midcentury piece of furniture you’ve been eyeing. The Pink Elephant offers room after room of vintage furniture, glassware, collectibles and all kinds of kitschy antiques your heart didn’t know it desired. It adds to a growing scene of antique shops in Mid City, and we’re totally fine with that. Find The Pink Elephant on Facebook.

– B.L.


Place to get your spiritual healing supplies

Photo by Miriam Buckner

Noelie Harmon. In addition to all its Ruth Bader Ginsburg mugs and maker goods,
Noelie Harmon stocks a wide range of crystals, pendulums, candles, spellbooks, tarot decks and more for your mystical meddlings. I love buying my crystals from women-owned businesses, where I know my quartz has been soaking up tons of positive feminine energy, so I dig Noelie Harmon’s vibes. noelieharmon.com

– K.Y.


Place to sip, snack and shop

The Market at Circa 1857. Since coming under new ownership last year, this antique shop is increasingly becoming a cool place to just hang. From the launch of its new annual Champarty event to its ramped-up involvement in Hot Art, Cool Nights and White Light Night, The Market is a great place to see a band, have a drink and buy some art. But even on a regular weekday, you can still grab a sandwich from its Yvette Marie’s Café and hunt for one-of-a-kind treasures. My all-time favorite finds spotted at the store: a hot pink peacock chair, a mint green tabletop burner, and cowhide rugs and antique doors galore. Take my money, Circa. Take it. Find the Market at Circa 1857 on Facebook.

– J.T.


See the 2017 Best Of 225 Food and Drink winners.

See the 2017 Best Of 225 People and Entertainment winners.

See the 2017 Best Of 225 Shopping and Services winners.


This article was originally published in the July 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.