Would You Like Duck Fat Fries with That Banana Foster Shake, Sir?

Move over Big Mac, there’s a new burger in town.

“Twist on a classic” cuisine always catches my eye, and Fat Cow has perfected it to a delicious T.

Unlike Ronald’s burger, doused in secret sauce (also known as thousand island dressing), Fat Cow burgers are dressed with delectably fresh and, perhaps, bizarre ingredients.

The not-so-typical burger joint incorporates toppings like apple slices, red onion marmalade, olive salad, truffle oil and sour cream to transcend the average burger experience.

And Fat Cow does not leave out the cheese aficionado: smoked cheddar, Gruyere, pepper jack, mozzarella, swiss, bleu, provolone, brie and parmesan. That’s nine cheesy options for your burger. Nine.

Sinking your teeth into the beef patty is like biting into ice cream.

Even if your grandma forgets her dentures, she’ll still be able to chomp into the tender, seasoned beef. I could eat a bare-naked burger and taste the flavors all day. 

These aren’t 99 cents thick, steamed hamburgers.

You’re probably saying by now, “What about a burger’s partner in crime? Where are the potatoes?” 

Fat Cow has those too. The chubby burger dive offers plain hand-cut french fries. Additionally, they provide fries fried in duck fat and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, bacon cheese fries with your cheese preference, and onion straws.

You’re on a diet? Fat Cow thought you might be. Salads with the same toppings as burgers are offered. You can add chicken breast, salmon or a burger patty.

It’d be an atrocity  to visit Fat Cow, enjoy a finger-licking burger and leave without drinking a shake. Vanilla, chocolate, praline and banana foster are just a few options of shake flavors. 

The banana foster shake reminds me of walking into a Christmas decorations store. The creamy, cinnamon concoction is superb consistency.

The only downfall is the price you fork out to eat. The burgers and salads are about $8, while sides and shakes are about $4. Keep in mind, you’re getting what you pay for.

If you’re like me, you crave a fine burger every now and again. If and, inevitably, when that craving hits your stomach like a punch from Mike Tyson, punch it back and ditch the wimpy patty.

Check out Fat Cow. You and your stomach will thank me later.

Don’t take my word for it? Check out Fat Cow’s menu at www.fatcowburgers.com

Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Baton Rouge Any More.

The homely little room is illuminated just enough to see your dinner companion. Wine bottles, empty and full, hang all around. Red and white checkered table clothes shroud tabletops. Cliche music from Italian movies floats overhead.

For a moment, you forget you’re in Baton Rouge. Instead, you’re tucked away in an eatery on a brick-laid side street in Italy.

Pinetta’s European Restaurant is exactly what the name states. It’s a quaint getaway to Europe located in our capital city.

As soon as I walk into Pinetta’s a wave of aroma and atmosphere overcome me. My stomach growls, and I immediately get hungrier.

Pinetta’s is a far-cry from any chain restaurant. When you sit down at the candle-lit table be prepared to stay for a while (not that you’ll want to leave any time soon). The service is a tad slow, but the food will leave you in a euphoria filled stupor.

Oh, the food.

Scaloppini, veal parmigiana, musaka potatoes, French onion soup, bratwurst, sauerkraut, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, panzerotti and my favorite, chicken parmigian -- just a few of the delectable items from the menu of Italian, German, Turkish and Armenian cuisine.


Prices at Pinetta's are fairly affordable and range from $8 to $13 per dish.

If you’re a bit confused or indecisive about what to eat, it’s a safe bet to order any of the dishes that come with Pinetta’s red sauce. It is, by far, the best red sauce I’ve ever enjoyed. It has a sweet taste with a tinge of spiceyness. 

The dining experience that Pinetta’s provides is unlike anything you’ll ever receive at a chain restaurant or fast food joint. The dishes are served at the table in miniature black skillets, still bubbling from the stove’s heat. 

If you’re looking for a friendly environment for a night out with friends or family or a romantic dinner by candlelight, Pinetta’s will meet your expectations and more.

From Small Town Cooking to Big City Dining

Chicken and sausage gumbo, crawfish boiled and étoufféed, slow-cooked pork and beef roast, golden baked chicken, fresh boudin and cracklings, rice and gravy, meatball stew and any kind of cobbler under the sun.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Mine does every time I reminisce about the dishes that were my bread and butter growing up in a cajun family from Mamou, La.

Whether it was delectable gumbo brewing in a towering silver pot on a cold day or boudin and cracklings from T-Boy’s Slaughterhouse for breakfast, it was safe to say my family was always eating or at least thinking about the next meal.

Now the cajun food lover is living in the big city - Baton Rouge to be exact. The standard for delicious food was set at an almost unattainable level when the move from the small city surrounded by crawfish fields to the hustling, bustling college town occurred.

Although the food in Baton Rouge is world’s apart from Mamou’s, there is still plenty of good eating to be done. That’s my mission.

I want to discover and eat at all of Baton Rouge’s diamond-in-the-rough restaurants. Indulging in the cream of the crop cuisine that the red stick city has to offer is at the top of my agenda.

I’m Ferris McDaniel, and I am on a crusade to keep my stomach satisfied and fullfill one of my family’s mottos, “We don’t eat to live, we live to eat.” As my ancestors said, laissez les bon temps roulez.