May proved a great time to try something new.
This month, the 225 team scoured Google Maps to find hidden-gem restaurants on the other side of the Capital Region. We adventured to an Asian-inspired night market for a taste of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And we explored the lineup of a rebranded country music festival that has big aspirations.
Here are the stories readers flocked to on 225batonrouge.com this month:
|
|
|
5. This year’s expanded Cajun Country Jam aims to fill the void left by Bayou Country Superfest
The indefinite hiatus of Bayou Country Superfest left a hole in the local country music concert scene—and Cajun Country Jam is hoping to fill those big shoes. This year, the long-running event made a major expansion, shifting to Memorial Day weekend and booking acts like Travis Tritt, Scotty McCreery and Randy Travis in hopes of drawing bigger crowds.
4. We tested the summer’s trendiest travel dessert. Here’s what we found
From the test kitchen of 225 features writer Maggie Heyn Richardson, we bring you a gloriously easy and delicious summer dessert recipe. “Dump desserts,” cake-cobbler hybrids, are a smart way to use up the Louisiana summer fruits in your fridge. Bring them to pool parties or on a summer beach trip, and top with ice cream for a cool treat.
|
|
|
3. A new tasting tour of Ascension Parish’s rapidly growing dining scene
The population of Ascension Parish has grown by more than 50,000 since 2000—and with that growth has also come a boom of quality-of-life amenities. That means more new restaurants, shops and attractions for locals to explore—and for greater Baton Rouge residents to make the drive to. As part of our May cover story on new attractions worth the drive, we traveled to Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Darrow for a taste.
2. First-ever Night Market BTR aims to showcase diverse cultures (and flavors) during AAPI Heritage Month
Long lines wrapped around Electric Depot earlier this month for the brand-new Night Market BTR. After attending Asian-inspired night markets in larger cities like Irvine and Las Vegas, the event’s founders decided Baton Rouge needed its own version. In a celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, more than 20 vendors showcased Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other Asian art, food and entertainment.
1. Cafe Express, serving packed-with-flavor plate lunches, is this year’s Soul Food Pioneer
Sean “Boss Hogg” Huey was blown away to see Cafe Express honored by the Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival as its 2023 Soul Food Pioneer—and this feature on the restaurant was also 225‘s top story of the month. Huey works at the 29-year-old Mid City restaurant alongside founder Marie Sanford, his 83-year-old mom. The annual award spotlights the area’s soul food heritage.