Dining out during Lenten season gets tough if you’re following traditional Lenten practices and looking to chow down on anything other than a salad. Fish sandwiches and fried seafood platters can quickly become exhausted options, and many find themselves scrambling for new Lenten favorites.
Some meals can be spruced up with fanciful vegetables and a surplus of cheese, but chances are you’ll crave a juicy hamburger or a plate of tacos at your favorite restaurant before Easter. Thankfully, Baton Rouge restaurants harbor hidden gems that adhere to Lenten rules. Here’s how to indulge at some local staples without breaking the rules of Lent:
Truly Free Bakery & Deli’s veggie patty burger
Truly Free specializes in dishes and baked goods for people with wheat, gluten, dairy and egg restrictions. The deli offers classic hamburgers, a ranch bacon cheeseburger, an avocado burger, a barbecue burger and a mushroom swiss burger that are all available with a veggie patty.
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TJ Ribs’ barbecue shrimp
Second to seafood, barbecue might be Louisiana’s next-favorite cuisine. TJ Ribs dishes out nearly 50 different barbecue courses, but lesser known than the baby-back ribs and smoked brisket platter is the barbecue shrimp plate. The shrimp are seasoned and marinated, but dipping them in the restaurant’s house barbecue sauce will amplify the dish.
18 Steak’s Redfish Courtbouillion
L’Auberge Casino & Hotel’s upscale restaurant is known for thick cuts of steak and pork chops and hefty charcuterie boards, but the menu offers some equally mouthwatering dishes that won’t break your Lenten fast. The Redfish Courtbouillion is topped with a mixture of smoked oysters, shrimp, crab, tomatoes and a heaping of popcorn rice—a hearty alternative to a pork or steak dish.
Mestizo’s Del Mar and Coastal tacos
Mexican cooking is usually focused on pork or beef, but the menu at Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Cuisine boasts several seafood-centric dishes with a nod to Louisiana’s coastal bounty. The Del Mar tacos are piled high with grilled shrimp, fried crawfish and avocado topped with cotija cheese and tomatilla sauce. The Coastal tacos come with grilled salmon or ahi tuna, fresh pico de gallo, avocado, cotija cheese and tomatilla sauce.
Pastime Restaurant’s Bobby’s Favorite Pizza
Don’t skip out on pizza night just because it’s Lent. One of Pastime Restaurant’s traditional stone-deck pizzas eliminates the need to add more veggies for a hearty pie. Named after one of the restaurant’s original owners, Bobby’s Favorite pizza is topped with seasoned Gulf shrimp, red onions and jalapeño peppers.
Louie’s seafood omelette
Most imagine brunch as an indulgent, mimosa-fueled feast, not complete without sausage and gravy and heaps of bacon. But Louie’s Cafe serves a seafood omelette that feels pretty close. The Seafood Louie is stuffed with sauteed crawfish or shrimp (or both, for a surcharge), vegetables and swiss cheese, topped with a spicy cream sauce.
The finds above are slightly more eclectic than the usual Lenten meal, but don’t forget about the many diners and bistros that regularly serve seafood delicacies. Below is a list of places to grab great traditional seafood eats in the Capital City:
Ruffino’s Restaurant, which is celebrating Lent with a number of specials during its Seafood Fest
Drusilla Seafood Restaurant, one of the oldest seafood hubs in Baton Rouge
Parrain’s Seafood Restaurant, a staple in the Perkins Road overpass area
Mike Anderson’s Seafood, a casual atmosphere with more than 30 Lenten options
Juban’s, an upscale eatery serving decadent, Southern seafood courses
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Roberto’s on the River, situated in Sunshine along River Road
Louisiana Lagniappe, which was voted best seafood and best overall restaurant in the 2015 Best of 225
Galatoire’s Bistro, serving classic and classy Gulf seafood dishes