There is a new equation in the Fitzmorris household born of COVID. It is: Saturday+beautiful weather = road trip. Hurricane Zeta has wreaked havoc with this now-reliable equation. On the day of the hurricane when it was determined that there would be no show, I decided to buck this entire equation and head west. It was Wednesday, it was raining, and I thought if we headed west to a place I have been dying to try it would be a great idea and a great trip. We made it as far as Robert, when the rain that was steady would soon make it an uncomfortable trip fior Tom. I turned around and we hunkered down for what turned out to be a real hurricane for us.
Thursday proved a better day weather-wise, and the transmitter issues at the station still prevented a show, so we ventured west again to Baton Rouge, wasting a perfectly good road trip on Torchy’s Tacos.
Mary Leigh and I discovered Torchy’s Tacos in early 2019 in Austin, Texas, when we heard about it in the legendary line at Franklin Barbecue. Standing in a line for three hours forges friendships between suckers, and we got the lowdown on this local phenom. We went before we left Austin, and a few days later in Houston. Neither the Austin location nor the Houston one were near college campuses, which may account for the great experience at the former and the disappointment at the latter.
Torchy’s Tacos ia a new arrival in Baton Rouge. Originally slated for a March or April opening, the lockdown delayed it. Torchy’s is located just outside the campus on Nicholson in the new shopping center with the Matherne’s Grocery store. It’s a pretty large space with an even larger outdoor space. This is not a “real” restaurant so it has picnic tables like the fast food joint that it is. On this beautiful post-hurricane day, we sat outside.
Nothing was as I remembered it. We got the guac and also some choriqueso, plus three tacos: a Green Chile Pork, Baja Shrimp, and the Brushfire, which is Jamaican Jerk Chicken. So much of everything is expectations. The first experience was burdened by high expectations, but Torchy’s delivered in spades. Everything is made fresh from great ingredients artfully prepared from a menu created by former white-tablecloth guys. It was great.
The chips are what impressed me the most in the other two visits. They were light but not too light, hefty enough for guac, but mostly I liked the toast on them. Crispy and flaky, with the right amount of salt, these were the best tortilla chips I have ever encountered. On this day they were a bit stale, and maybe the biggest disappointment of the visit.
The guacamole is simple at Torchy’s, in the style that I am seeing a lot these days. Very little to it except ripe avocados and some spices. This has a cotija cheese crumble on it. What’s not to love about creamy avocado?
The choriqueso was definitely not how I remember it from the first two visits. Much thicker and far less interesting, this was a definite disappointment. It was fine but my memory of it was that it was far far better.
The above two things are pretty much the sole reason I go to a Mexican restaurant. Rarely do I delve into tacos, which are everywhere. But I do like these, (uninteresting and too-thick tortillas aside,) and I remember being impressed with them in the first discovery of Torchy’s. The Baja Shrimp were not too big, fried with a nice crust, and the chipotle sauce and chopped vegetables made for a great flavor combo. Here was cabbage slaw, pickled onions and jalapenos, cotija cheese and cilantro colliding for a mouthful of flavor and crunch. The Brushfire, my favorite, was tender jerk chicken pieces with mango and grilled jalapeno, cilantro and their signature Diablo sauce. Another explosion of textures and flavors. And such is the mojo of Torchy’s. The Green Chile Pork had a little less going on, with cotija cheese and tomatillo sauce, onion and lime. The descriptions of these tacos hint at the level of skill here. It’s not just a taco joint, which is why we traveled so far to try them in our “neighborhood.” We’ll go back eventually, but it’s recommended if you’re already there and are looking for some superior Mexican food of the quick variety.
On the way out of town we slowed down in the infamous Baton Rouge traffic. My eyes fell on a sign signifying an old-fashioned Italian restaurant. (The map of Italy outline.) I glanced up when I could see the name and it turned out to be Gino’s, a place we’ve talked about on the show. The consensus was “excellent.” I passed it annoyed that we had eaten so much at Torchy’s, because Gino's would have been a much better destination. And we ran into Phil’s Oyster Bar, a Baton Rouge institution that Peter Sclafani, Jr. mentioned on our show months ago. Around since 1920, Phil’s has recently moved to Perkins Road. We stumbled on it going to the tile place next door. Inside it is a convincing redo of the 1920’s place. The menu looks great, offering the kind of food you'd expect in these parts. The place was full of engaging and food-knowledgeable waitstaff. We can’t wait to go back here and eat our way around that menu.
Next hurricane, perhaps?
