Baton Rouge

Harahan

The fact that the parking lot is surfaced with oyster shells should tell you something. It's the first of many impressions that this is an old-style, close-to-the-water combination seafood market and cafe. It's like the joints and the people you see after driving a hundred miles into the Louisiana wetlands, except that it's in Harahan, which is only slightly remote from the city. All the freshness and sense of place that this implies are indeed borne out in the cooking.

Esplanade Ridge

In New Orleans we have no shortage of Mediterranean restaurants, but in recent years a decline in overall quality has afflicted the category. At the same time, the opening of Shaya by Alon Shaya and John Besh demonstrated the possibilities in the food of the Middle East. Meanwhile, there was this food truck serving Middle Eastern food, almost all of it vegetarian. It found a permanent spot last year, and began extending their menu to include seafood, chicken and lamb--although the vegetarian aspect offers plenty of meatless choices.