Mount Gay Rum Dinner at 18 Steak

L'Auberge continues its emergence onto the culinary scene of Baton Rouge in a big way.  A little over a month ago I attended Saint Arnold Beer Dinner at the Stadium Bar and Grill, and just a week ago I got to check out a Mount Gay Rum Dinner at 18 Steak.  I've been to wine, beer, bourbon, and even tequila dinners before, but never rum!

Mount Gay Rum out of Barbados creates some stellar spirits.  This is one of those rum distilleries to look out for if you want a truly exceptional rum and not cheap crap like Bacardi or Captain.  There, I said it.  Rum can actually be quite tasty as a sipping beverage, something I found out at Tales of the Cocktail a couple years ago at a seminar titled "Six rums you'll never drink again in your life."  Those were some damn good rums.

Mount Gay has some damn good rums as well, as fortunately for me, they brought several of them along to the dinner.  Michele and I joined a table with a few members of the L'Auberge staff including Sally who helped out with some of these pictures, and Aimee Abernathy from Louisiana Cookin' Magazine.  For our first course, Chef Troy Deano presented a Flying Fish Ceviche with meyer lemon, sambal, and franklin cane sugar.  The ceviche might have been the best thing I tasted all night, and I don't mean that as a slight to everything else.  It had a sweet flavor and amazing texture while not being overly acidic. I could have eaten an entire bowl and been happy.  The Mount Gay Silver accompanied the ceviche in a rum cocktail with mint, sort of like a play on a mojito.  

Hog Head Cheese, Black-eyed Pea Salad, Coconut, Heirloom Carrot Vinaigrette

Course number two served as the salad course.  That's my kind of salad!  The visually stunning plate came highlighted with hog head cheese and black eyed peas.  The combo worked extremely well together, though overall the dish may have been just slightly on the bland side.  I really felt like a little salt could have helped bring all the flavors together.  The fried okra and coconut added a nice crunch to the dish to give it some texture contrast.  We were served a play on a Manhattan with the Mount Gay Eclipse aged rum instead of bourbon.  Stiff would be an understatement, but I still drank it, because that's what I do!

Michele and Jay

Michele and I enjoyed our rum and dinner so far, but we knew that even more deliciousness awaited us at 18 Steak.  Our next plate had Crusted Mahi with a creative long-noodle macaroni and cheese, an heirloom tomato sauce, and a leaf of fried oregano.  The macaroni noodles were intriguing though delicately plated and I could have definitely gone for more!  The panko crusted mahi fulfilled its duty.  The meaty fish still contained plenty of moisture on the inside. I would have liked a little more of the tomato gazpacho to work as a sauce.  Our excellent servers brought out the Mount Gay Black Barrel rum both straight and in a cocktail that played off the negroni.  The course overall worked quite nicely.  The fish and macaroni and tomato had a very comforting feel while still being refined, and it paired with the rum and cocktail very well.

Rum, Rum, and more Rum

Three Lil Pigs

The fourth course featured a lot of swine.  Chef Troy actually brought in a whole locally raised hog from  Chappapeela Farms, butchered it, and crafted the menu based on meat from that one pig.  On the plate we had a drunken pork sausage, a pork tenderloin cooked in beer, and piece of braised pork belly along with a roasted sweet potato.  The sausage had a delightfully rich spice profile that worked well with the Caribbean notes from the Mount Gay Extra Old rum it came paired with.  Once again we got to try the rum straight and in a Dark and Stormy inspired cocktail with ginger beer, mint, and simple syrup.  The pork tenderloin may have been the highlight of the plate.  The tenderness that Chef Deano achieved showed skill and patience.  The Three Lil Pigs proved to be a hit with everyone at the table.  If you love pork, and why wouldn't you, then this dish would have been for you!

Caribbean Nights with the Mount Gay 1703

18 Steak at L'Auberge capped the evening off with a delicious dessert and the rarest of the rums.  For the dessert, L'Auberge's Pastry Chef Arlety Estévez utilized coconut pudding, exotic fruit compote with pineapples and more, and mango sorbet.  The dessert as a whole impressed me.  Each layer of flavors complimented the next.  The mango sorbet wound up being my favorite aspect of it.  With very faint hints of chili, the sorbet stood out as unique, playful, and a great addition to the arrangement of fruity flavors.  As for the rum, there was no need to fix a cocktail with this nectar.  The 1703 rum is complex with flavors of vanilla, caramel, and some fruitiness.  The rums that go into the 1703 have been barrel aged between 15 and 30 years to create a refined rum that is meant to be sipped and enjoyed.  So I did.  Every last drop.  A great cap to a wonderful dinner.  Next time you see a dinner like this at L'Auberge, make your reservations!

Greenore Single Grain: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Once again taking a look at Irish Whiskey here on Whisk(e)y Wednesday, today's feature is Greenore Single Grain.  This eight year old from the Cooley Distillery is made of corn, which isn't all that typical of Irish whiskey.  The nose is faint with a bit of honey and sweet maize.  The taste is just as mild with hardly any discernible flavors.  The whiskey is light and clean to a fault.  It is like a slice of white bread dissolving in my mouth and leaving no flavor behind, leaving me wanting some butter or fruit preserves to go with it.  The finish provides the same thing... nothing.  It just disappears.  It is easy drinking, slightly astringent, but has no complexity or even enough flavors to balance.  Even for an Irish, this whiskey is soft.  If you are buying whiskey for somebody who doesn't like the taste of whiskey, this could work.  Otherwise, there are plenty more Irish whiskeys to spend your money on.

Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey

Average Score 54.0

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Jay Ducote, Eric Ducote, and Jeremy Spikes. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone

Get your hands on some Tin Roof Watermelon Wheat!

This week's radio show aired from an afternoon at the Carousel Bar inside Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  Joined by Carly Plotkin from the hotel, we drank multiple New Orleans inspired cocktails and ate some amazing bar food.  Along for the ride were Chuck P from the Me and My Big Mouth Podcast and Andrew Rose from Theo's Pizza Kitchen.  Check out the episode and imagine how good the bites and boozes were!

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The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

Join Me at E's Kitchen in Lafayette Tonight!

Paul Ayo of E's Kitchen

Tonight, Monday, June 24, 2013, I'll be at E's Kitchen in Lafayette, Louisiana helping Paul Ayo pour and discuss some different Louisiana craft beers.  Some good folks from Shilling will be there to share the Louisiana beers in their portfolio including beers from Parish and Bayou Teche in the Lafayette area.

We'll be doing the beer tasting from 6-8 PM.  You can find more information on the E's Kitchen Facebook Events Page.  Come on by, check out E's Kitchen, say hi to me, and taste some beers!

Also, Paul Ayo, the owner of E's Kitchen, joined me on the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket a few months ago.  You can listen to that episode using the player below!

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Michael Collins Irish Whiskey: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Following up on last week's Paddy Old Irish Whiskey, this week we take a look at Michael Collins Irish Whiskey.  Another whiskey that fits the Irish mold, this blended whiskey certainly offers more flavor and a little more overall complexity.  Michael Collins gives off syrupy sweet aroma with notes of honeysuckle and some nostril tingling booze.  On the tongue it retains its sweetness with caramel and vanilla matched by some oaky bitterness on the back end.  There's a little spice and some subtle floral tones.  It finishes smooth in typical Irish fashion.  By no means is Michael Collins complex compared to a good bourbon or Scotch, but the balance is nice and has some different flavors that it is working with.  It won't knock any socks off, but the whiskey is light and drinkable with a subtle sweetness that is nice.

Michael Collins Irish Whiskey

Average Score 65.0

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Jay Ducote, Eric Ducote, and Jeremy Spikes. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Stories with Jay and Erin

Joe and Jack Walker from Slap Ya Mama with Snoop Dogg

This week my intern Erin joined me on the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket.  We had a chat with Mike Willis from Rudolph Foods about cracklin and pork rinds, and then I proceeded to tell stories about the our front stoop "UN Convention" in NYC and me desecrating a National Monument on the West Coast!  Meanwhile, my sponsor Slap Ya Mama recently get a nice celebrity picture with Snoop Dogg!  Looking good, fellas!

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The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

A Craft Beer Tour of the Northshore

Old 504 Vanilla Coffee Porter from Chafunkta at The Chimes Covington

I've been to a handful of places on Lake Pontchartrain's Northshore, but overall I'm fairly inexperienced when it comes to the entire area other than driving through on I-12.  I've competed in the Hammond Blues and BBQ Festival twice, filmed at the local breweries and eaten at the Abita Brew Pub, and I have visited The Barley Oak a handful of times, but the rest has remained sadly foreign to me.  

This past week I had the opportunity to change that.  I rode around with Vanessa Gomes, the reasonably new Craft Brands Manager at Champagne Beverage, to several popular craft beer retailers on the Northshore.  I had the pleasure of meeting some of the people that are making the craft beer scene flourish in an area that probably gets less attention than they deserve for adding culture to Louisiana.  Our first stop landed us at The Chimes in Covington fairly early in the morning.  Being a Baton Rouge guy, I am certainly familiar with The Chimes by LSU's campus and the one on Coursey, but the Covington location promised to out-shine both of them.  The property that the restaurant sits on is gorgeous.  Along the river in Covington, they still have old courthouse that was built in the 1800s on site as you drive up.  We sat down with Shane Waller, the bar manager and now beer buyer of sorts for all locations, to chat about the restaurant and their beer program.  I began with an Old 504 Vanilla Coffee Porter from Mandeville's Chafunkta Brewing Company since I can't get it in Baton Rouge.  We had a great chat about the business and the push to move towards more American craft beer instead of the previous domestics and imports model of "Around the World" get-your-name-on-the-wall fame.  I support that movement despite my name being on the wall twice at the LSU Chimes.  Shane showed me the keg room and the massive kitchen as well.  They definitely do some volume!

Adam Acquistapace and Jay Ducote

Vanessa and I's next stop came at Acquistapace's Covington Supermarket.  There we met with Adam Acquistapace who manages the the alcohol department and pays especially close attention to his craft beer selection.  Adam and I actually knew each other from undergrad at LSU, though I couldn't recall exactly how we met over a decade ago.  Much like Calandro's here in Baton Rouge, Acquistapace's has become one of the the Covington area's go-to bottle shops.  Paying careful attention to shelf life, storage temperatures, and stocking the right beers individually and in packages, this store definitely has an impressive spread of superb craft brews!

Chicken Fried Steak at Columbia Street Tap Room and Grill

Lunch time came along and that brought us to the Columbia Street Tap Room and Grill, also known around the area just as the "Tap Room."  This Covington hot-spot owes a lot of its success to Jonathan James, the beverage manager and entertainment director.  He joined myself, Vanessa, and Alex from Champagne who had previously met us at Chimes as well.  Before long we added Josh Erickson and a couple of his colleagues from the Chafunkta Brewing Company.  Before we left, Matt and Kyle from LA Craft joined the party as well.  I had a deliciuos chicken fried steak for lunch with an awesome white gravy, mashed potatoes, and sauteed veggies.  I also had several beers from the local selection such as the Chafunkta Voo Ka Ray IPA seen below, another pint of the the Old 504, and a bottle of the Parish Farmhouse IPA.  Life doesn't get much better!

Chafunkta's Voo Ka Ray IPA as seen at the "Tap Room"

Jay and Vanessa enjoying a Gueuze

Our last destination on the voyage took us to Hammond where we visited The Red White & Brew bottle shop.  Owner Todd Delaune greeted us with a smile.  Vanessa and I perused the selection of wines and his expanding craft beer stock.  Todd's store is one where you can take a bottle or twelve to go, or you can stay and drink on site.  The space has a very comfortable charm as you can sit around the bar in the middle of the retail floor.  Todd joined us in drinking a bottle of Gueuze Tilquin, a sour beer that is just sensational.  I'm usually not a huge fan (I appreciate, just don't love) of sours like lambics, but a gueuze doesn't have fruit added like a lambic, which clearly is what I don't enjoy, because this beer was top notch.  The Red White & Brew also just put in a 6 tap beer system so they can feature some local beers that they can't get in bottles.  Hello Chafunkta and Parish in Hammond!  I'll be back to this place for sure!

My small sampling of the Northshore made me want to go back for more.  Obviously Barley Oak and the soon to open Old Rail Brewpub are must-visits as well for the craft-beer loving traveler or local.  Everywhere I went made me want to come again and explore someplace new.  Perhaps next time I'll find a way to stay for dinner and some more evening drinks!  Thanks Vanessa, Champagne Beverage, and everyone I met or met up with along the way!

Paddy Old Irish Whiskey: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Paddy Old Irish Whiskey

Sometimes an Irish Whiskey can be a little too stereotypically Irish.  Known for their smoothness and refined qualities, Irish Whiskey typically is far from harsh or offensive.  However, to be great, they still need some flavors from the barrels or grains.  Paddy Old Irish Whiskey fell short on the flavor.  The nose is very neutral with hints of grain and hay.  On the palate the whiskey is slightly buttery and perhaps just a tad floral, but ultimately bland and boring.  It is inoffensive to a fault.  There just isn't much there but some notes of grass and malt.  It finishes smoothly because there are no aggressive flavors or notes to interfere.  Perhaps it could be looked at as a good baseline Irish Whiskey because of how right down the middle it is.  There's nothing wrong with it, there's just not much right either.  It would work well for mixed drinks, cocktails, or Irish Coffee.  But more than anything, it is probably just worth having on the shelf for the label.

Paddy Old Irish Whiskey

Average Score 52.0

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Jay Ducote, Eric Ducote, and Jeremy Spikes. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Garden Fest

This Saturday is Garden Fest at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at the Burden Center on Essen at I-10.  This plot of land is an escape from the city right in the middle of it all.  LSU does a lot of horticulture and ag-based research there, and it can be really fun to take hayride through the grounds.  What's even more fun is eating omelets from the Louisiana Egg Commission, good food from LCI students, and then drinking Louisiana rum early in the morning.  I'll be there to judge a Louisiana rum cocktail contest at 11 AM.  Come join me for all the good times!  And, as a special treat, I had Lisa Manda from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry as well as Jeff Kuehny from the LSU AgCenter on my radio show this past week to talk about all the Garden Fest events.  Listen to it below.  There's also a special interview with the Watershed Distillery in Columbus, OH!

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The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

Last Call Food Brawl airs from New Orleans, and I'm one of the judges!

I announced on Facebook a week ago that Monday, June 10th, would be a huge day in TV land.  I made a post last Friday about The Freshman Class that will be airing tonight on The Cooking Channel.  In addition, earlier this year a show called Last Call Food Brawl filmed in New Orleans.  I had the pleasure of serving as a judge for the burger battle of late-night food glory.  Tonight it airs at 9 PM Central Time on a channel called Destination America that is part of the Discovery family.  For those in Baton Rouge, it is on Cox channel 1102 in HD.  I know it is on U-Verse as well, and I'm sure on Direct TV.  Just looks for DEST or DAM on your channel guides!

The show bills itself as the perfect recipe for a night cap: one part hungry bar-goers, two parts finger-lickin’ food, a dash of the country’s best chefs, with a Golden Fry Basket to garnish. It all adds up to a mouth-watering plateful of Destination America’s newest competition series, LAST CALL FOOD BRAWL, hosted by Adam Gertler, a runner-up for Next Food Network Star and all-around food enthusiast.

Each episode visits a different American city to challenge four chefs, hailing from 24-hour diners to 4-star establishments, in a cook-off to determine who will be crowned the king of late night bites. The food brawls attract a raucous audience hungry for munchies that are salty and sweet, like deep fried bacon chili cheeseburger rolls and peanut butter s'more french toast balls.

LAST CALL FOOD BRAWL heads to some of the biggest party cities in the U.S. to indulge in each town’s local flavor, including New Orleans, Austin, Memphis, Nashville and Atlanta. Each week, only one chef will win the coveted Golden Fry Basket and the title of King of Late Night!

The Food Truck Set in New Orleans

So look for it tonight on Destination America and see me in action judging burgers!  It ought to be a lot of fun!

The Freshman Class on Cooking Channel filmed at LCI in Baton Rouge!

From January through April, a camera crew from the Cooking Channel followed four freshman at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge during  their first semester of culinary school.  The show will premiere this upcoming Monday, June 10th, at 9:30 PM CT.  I'm excited about watching the show, and if you keep watching throughout the season, you might see me a few times too!  The camera crew filmed me chatting with one of the students at Highland Coffees, recording the Bite and Booze Radio Show with a couple of the students, emceeing the Louisiana Feast of Fields, and eating beignets!  Hopefully I'll make the final cut at least once.  Set your DVRs now for:

The Freshman Class
Series Premiere on Cooking Channel
Monday, June 10th
10:30PM ET | 7:30PM PT

Episode 1 titled "Meet the Freshmen" will introduce us to these real first semester culinary students:

The new class of incoming students arrives at Louisiana Culinary Institute, where they're drilled in the school's strict policies. They immediately prepare for a make-or-break-it test on sanitary practices.  Meanwhile, Tiffany's husband shocks her with his extreme reaction to her starting school, as Jared wonders whether he should reveal his disabilities from PTSD, and Ben frets about disappointing his family. Jasmine also reveals a surprising secret about her full time job.

About The Freshman Class:

The Freshman Class follows four aspiring chefs from day one of classes at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge through their final exams at the end of their first semester as they embark on the journey to earn a culinary degree. These students are chasing their dreams all the while taking a big risk - culinary school is expensive, difficult, and offers no guarantees. Follow the journey and get an insider's look into the trials and triumphs of being a culinary student. Produced by Punched In The Head Productions for Cooking Channel.

Louisiana Craft Brewer Week is OFFICIAL!

This just passed through the Louisiana Legislature!  Congrats to all the Louisiana craft brewers, the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, and craft beer fans out there.  If you want to see a video produced by myself and TommysTV for Louisiana Travel about the Louisiana craft beer scene, go here: http://youtu.be/iaRgNDMbBW0

September 23-29 can't get here soon enough!


ENROLLED
Regular Session, 2013

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 106
BY REPRESENTATIVE ARMES AND SENATOR GUILLORY

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To designate the week of September 23 through 29, 2013, as Louisiana Craft Brewer Week
in recognition of the many contributions by Louisiana craft brewers to the state.

WHEREAS, there are now six craft breweries in the state of Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, these breweries employ over one hundred thirty-three employees,
earning wages in excess of five million dollars; and

WHEREAS, Louisiana craft breweries havebeen awarded more than twelve medals
for their superior products; and

WHEREAS, these breweries support responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages
and promote programs, education, and legislation aimed at preventing over consumption;
and

WHEREAS, Louisiana craft breweriessupport programs, education, and legislation
aimed at preventing and eradicating underage consumption; and

WHEREAS, these small business owners have supported the state of Louisiana's
independent three-tier system of regulation adopted by the state legislature; and

WHEREAS, these breweries have led the way in preserving Louisiana's unique
environment by brewing their products in an ecologically sound manner; and

WHEREAS, Louisiana craft breweries have been instrumental in raising not only
awareness, but also money in response to recent natural disasters; and

WHEREAS, these breweries make every effort to support Louisiana agriculture by
using the finest Louisiana-grown products; and

WHEREAS, these breweries support the enjoyment and export of Louisiana culture
by brewing beer specifically designed to compliment and therefore highlight our
extraordinary Louisiana cuisine.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
designate the week of September 23 through 29, 2013, as Louisiana Craft Brewer Week in
recognition of the aforementioned contributions by Louisiana craft brewers to the state

Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Deep in the heart of Texas the Garrison Brothers are distilling whiskey.  My brother Eric got to visit the distillery and he brought back a bottle of their Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey.  I'm definitely glad he did.  The nose gives of scents of dark caramel, dark fruit, and perhaps some maple syrup.  It is sweet and a bit nutty.  On the tongue the typical vanilla and caramel flavors come out along with the oak.  The whiskey is noticeably young with only a little charred flavor and profound sweetness.  It isn't very mellow, yet still is reasonably smooth on the back end.  The whiskey presents sweet corn and oak without much complexity, which comes with being a young bourbon, but the balance is there.  I'd definitely suggest to anyone to give this bourbon a shot if they can find it.  Or when in Texas, seek it out!

Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon 

Average Score 71.5

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Eric Ducote, Brenton Day, and Charles Pierce. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Bite and Booze Radio Show: LCI Students

This week's Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket features Frank Rancatore, an LCI Student that will in the new show, The Freshman Class, which airs on the Cooking Channel Monday June 10th at 9:30 PM, Cecilia Ramos, LCI student and Race to Cannes winner, and Erin Kenna, my Bite and Booze intern.  If you're interested in culinary school or want to hear more about the TV show, make sure to give it a listen!

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The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.