Hopefully in the near future I can restore the content on this site as well as build a framework to highlight more vegetarian dining options in Baton Rouge.

Cheers

-paras

About a month ago, I became intrigued and inspired by an idea I had heard much about, but had relatively little knowledge about. There is a workshop conducted by one of the smartest person I will ever come across in life, Nirav Shah. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard so much about it that I may as well have.

The premise is that scientists have routinely stated it takes 21 days to form a habit. The next notion is that in life, we complain too much. So, for 21 days, I was going to attempt to live complaint free.

Prior to this, I complained about everything. My academic workload, the service at various restaurants I eat at, the weather among countless other things. To create change, we much realize our faults and moreso, realize why our faults are actually faults. Why do we complain? Over the last 21 days I’ve taken notes on many situations that have happened and here is a brief analysis and thought process on complaining – and how we can change our thought process from negative to positive (but there’s a step in between!). When “don’t complain” is going off in your head over and over again, all you notice is other people complaining and the energy being wasted doing so.

The first story comes from a buddy of mine. I will omit names. At the start of the semester, a professor assigned us a 7 page, single spaced paper in 12 pt font. So my buddy gets on Facebook chat and starts chatting me. The entire chat is him, complaining to me about the paper. I think many of you see where this is going. I didn’t respond beyond the occasional “ok” while he was ranting. Then, I took his chat, opened up Microsoft Word, cut and pasted his chat into Word. The end result was about half a page of text. That same effort spent on complaining could have yielded half a page of writing to his paper! Instead of doing, he was complaining. When we complain, we don’t do.

During this 21 days, I heard people complain about everything from the weather, the difficulty of a recent test, hunger, a lack of sleep they got. The theme along all of these is that either they could have been solved (studying more for the test, eating before class, sleeping earlier) or they simply can’t be solved (the weather). In either case, there’s no need to complain about the things you can solve or you can’t solve. We need to be more proactive!

A phenomenal point I drew from Nirav’s presentation is the notion that complaining leads to stress which leads to poor health. The poor health ultimately leads back to more complaining! Similarly, through my own experience attempting to live complaint free, I learned often times complaining is sort of a backwards process. Follow me here while I guide you through this theory…

It’s hot outside. So we get angry/upset because the weather is not favorable. Then, we develop this sense of negativity. Lastly, we verbally say how hot it is outside. We go from anger–>upset–>negativity–>complaining. Living a complaint free life can and should be viewed as an exercise in not getting angry or upset.

Before venturing off into your own experiment of living 21 complaint free days (and hopefully thereafter a lifetime of them), realize that the exercise is more than just living sans complaints. It’s an exercise in draining negativity and ration whether it’s worth complaining and wasting time in doing so. It’s an exercise in realizing what “pushes your buttons”, not getting upset when those buttons are pushed, and dealing with them in a manner that is positive. I’d say nearly everything I get upset or angry over isn’t worth it in the grand scope of things.

Making the transition from living a complaint free life to finding the silver lining in situations (the thought process from negative to neutral to positive) is one that may take longer than 21 days. I’ve come to learn that it’s relatively easy to switch all of the negative thoughts into neutral ones (just simply not complaining by way of not speaking). But to take something as simple and uncomfortable about the weather being hot outside and turning into a positive thought (having the foresight to realize in the winter time you’ll be missing the summer sun) is a transition that can take anywhere from one day to a lifetime. But the positive thought process is where I’m trying to go. Complain less, live more.

*Note, I didn’t actually live 21 days complaint free. Prior to complaining, I caught myself nearly every time and surely a couple times a complaint slipped out when I wasn’t being cognizant. However, I did a pretty damn good job and will be continuing this for as long as I can. My friends have noticed a significant improvement and so have I.*

I hope this was slightly enlightening and maybe you’ll even be inspired enough to go about this on your own. Cheers!

-paras

*As I stated on a previous picture, poor restaurants do not get high resolution images. Not the case here, I just left my camera at home. Read below for some “naan sense on naan stop.”*

In life, there are good food and good people. So few eateries have both good food and good people but Naan Stop has both. I stumbled over there around 8pm one of my first nights in Austin on my most recent trip, and I’m glad I did. The traditional Indian spots for me have become very packed (a sign of good business) during dinner hours. Establishments like Clay Pit, Bombay Bistro, and G’raj Mahal easily can take 30-40 minutes to get a table and food.

So I headed over to 7th and Red River to try this brand new Indian food trailer. By my count, there’s something like 26 Indian food restaurants in Austin currently, so a new one downtown isn’t super necessary. But this one is that good. It really is necessary.

The owners are a husband and wife dynamic duo. Both in the kitchen, and the kindness that is emitted from this gem. They are certainly some of the nicest people I’ve come across in the food industry.

Food wise, it delivered (well, Naan Stop doesn’t actually deliver to your doorstep, but the food was damn good). I got a kati roll, which is a Parata (a version of Indian bread) with some spices, seasoned and well cooked carrots, and an egg cracked on top. It was delicious. The bread was a little crispy, because that’s how the owner likes to make it – and it made for a nice sturdy mechanism to keep all the contents of the roll from falling out. Well thought out, Naan Stop. The last thing I want is a kati roll on my pants. I’d prefer it in my stomach. The spices mixed well with the fabulously done carrots and it came wrapped up in some aluminum foil. Perfect street food. For service this fast (I waited about 4 minutes on my kati roll), people this nice, and food this good – a gem in downtown Austin that you can chow down for less than 8 bucks is totally worth it. Is it my favorite Indian food I’ve ever had? Certainly not. For about 30 more bucks I can feast at Clay Pit. But at this price point, it’s unbeatable. Do they fill a much needed trailer food Indian need in that area? Certainly! And I’ll be back as it’s now in my Indian food rotation whenever I leave Baton Rouge and make my way to Austin. However, word to the wise. They are currently only open 7pm-3am Wednesday-Saturday. Which means, post 6th street, you can continue your naan sense over there.

One last note, the owner knew who Lil Boosie was. Just for that, he gets major street cred in the street food industry.

So, this place was terrible. First, Cheeburger Cheeburger promoted childhood obesity. Honestly, it is not healthy for a kid under 12 to be plowing down a half pound burger. Notice the section that reads, “Repeat offenders?” What a joke. According to the CDC, 17% of children between ages 2-19 are obese. Cheeburger Cheeburger would clearly like to see that rate get to 50% as it would help their bottom line.

It’s one thing to have this wall for kids recognizing their “accomplishment.” (Nothing about eating that much food at that age is an accomplishment to begin with) But to have a repeat offenders section? Parents are teaching their kids to be proud of slamming a half pound burger multiple times throughout their childhood. This sucks.

Now to the food. Rumor has it that they have a pretty good veggie burger. So naturally, I ordered the veggie burger. I’m not quite over the promotion of childhood obesity at this point — but Matt, our waiter, is about to thoroughly disappoint me. Actually, not disappointing, just embarrassing. They don’t have the veggie burger in stock. Not only did he initially take my order down and have me verbally spew out what I wanted on my burger before he took it to the kitchen – but he didn’t KNOW that there was no veggie burger today. That is a perfect example of piss poor customer service. If you don’t have an item in stock and you are a waiter, that’s fine, tell me before I order. But if I go through the arduous process of thinking, collaborating, and finally ordering what I want, you better be damn sure I get what I want. Needless to say, Matt’s tip corresponded to his poor service.

So what did I eat? Fried jalapeños. For 6 bucks. They sucked. The paper and the basket had more grease than Rick Perry’s hair and it was truly terrible. The jalapeños tasted like they had been in a freezer for a couple of months (it’s quite possible they were) and the dressing they had given me, garden vegetable, was about as good as eating concrete.

Finally, people are going to inquire what my final thoughts of Cheeburger Cheeburger are. I don’t really know how to quantify it. It really, really sucks. Or it really, really, really, sucks. 0/10, for those that like numbers. But hey, some people are into eating out at some awful chains and even enjoy a little concrete dressing every once in a while. I’d recommend this place to no one.

By the way, my picture is not with my camera. It’s with my mobile device. Cheeburger Cheeburger didn’t deserve a high resolution image.

Upon entering, you feel as if you are walking into a furniture store. That’s because you are. The space is shared by the cafe as well as a vintage furniture location. It’s actually really neat. But I wasn’t here to sit on some heirloom. I was here on recommendation to try the only place around here that is going to great lengths to appease the vegetarian diet. And since I’m vegetarian, that’s good for me. The hours aren’t friendly (Monday-Friday from 11-3) and there’s only one person working (Maureen herself). I’d like to see weekend hours personally, even if it’s just for lunch. Also, one person working isn’t all that bad. After all, it’s like the executive chef is personally preparing each meal individually. The downside is the wait.

If it’s true that good things come to those that wait, this is quite the wait for food so prepare accordingly. For a pretty simple menu of sandwiches, soups, and salads, I waited around 25 minutes from the time I entered to the time I got my food. Not ok. I ordered “The French” which was a sandwich with pepper jelly, arugula (an Italian salad), goat cheese, with apples, strawberries, or peaches. Apples were on today’s menu. All of the fruits are locally bought so there is certainly an element to freshness on that end. The only thing that was not either locally bought or made by Maureen herself was the pepper jelly – sadly, it was bottled. On a lighter note, it was pretty good. Contrary to initial thoughts, the flavors DIDN’T clash and the light drizzle of the dressing on the arugula was phenomenal.It was actually a well thought, creative idea for a sandwich! A refreshing change for me considering the typical meals I usually eat around here. The only thing that was a little subpar was the bread. It wasn’t as soft as I expected or like, but that is more personal preference.  For what it’s worth, I also had the soup. It’s so hot outside so I won’t really discuss my feelings on the soup. MJ’s is also semi pricey. I dropped 12.50 for a cup of soup, a small sandwich, and a coke. A couple dollars more than I’d expect to pay – but, for supporting vegetarianism it’s not all that bad of a price point. The atmosphere is brilliant with an array of local art on display (and for purchase) as well as the aforementioned vintage furniture.

Ultimately, it’s fantastic. Surely this is the best “healthy” restaurant in Baton Rouge. Slightly pricey? Yes. Worth it? Yes. Long wait? Yes. Fresh? Yes. I approve and will be back for some vegetarian goodness soon.

Click for more pictures from today’s visit!

Ok, random notes. http://www.225batonrouge.com/news/2011/jun/09/du-jour-maureen-joyce-mjs-caf/

In 225′s review of MJ’s Cafe, there is a glaring error. “Seafood is featured, too, since many vegetarians make exception for fish and shellfish.”

That’s not true, actually. 225 needs a lesson on food. No vegetarian actually makes exceptions for seafood. If a human does not eat animals that are killed, yet eats seafood, he/she is a pescatarian. A pescatarian is different than a vegetarian.

www.mjs-cafe.com
627 Jefferson Highway

Regardless, the following post is a quick evaluation of 225′s version of what they claim to be the best. I didn’t create my own categories or anything (I’m just evaluating 225 magazine), but I will have a quality guide to vegetarian eating in BR pretty soon. Maybe. Maybe not. Who cares. Read below. In parenthesis is 225′s version. Immediately following is mine.

Best Boiled Crawfish (Tony’s Seafood Market and Deli) – I said I’m a vegetarian. Not pescatarian. The right answer – I DON’T KNOW.

Best Brunch (The Chimes) – Legendary restaurants with ridiculously prime locations do not equal good food. Unless you like eating overly thick pancakes, bottled syrup, and some orange juice out of a bottle, The Chimes is pretty average. Atmosphere, sure, it’s cool. But The Chimes is not. The right answer? Bistro Byronz. That’s fresh syrup, everything made from scratch, and an actually cool atmosphere.  Eating here is so much more fresh and rewarding than The Chimes. The chef here knows what he’s doing. Go to brunch here and you’ll change your mind. The best thing on the menu? Pain Perdu. Two orange slices, underneath two pieces of french toast that are not beat down in powdered sugar, and a syrup that’s almost jam-like in texture and compliments the food really nicely. Nice try Advocate, but you’re wrong. Bistro Byronz is the best brunch in town.

Best Burgers (Five Guys) – When I read this today in the 225 I stopped and immediately lost respect for 225. Does BR have the culinary scene of my hometown, Austin? Surely not. Does BR have potential and a population to suffice that potential – sure. HOW CAN THE BEST BURGERS IN A TOWN OF 800,000 PEOPLE PRODUCE A CHAIN THAT A LEFTY (PHIL MICKELSON) OWNS, BE THE BEST BURGERS IN TOWN? I’m not qualified to speak on this, but 225 is wrong. Simply wrong. I don’t know what the best burgers are in town, but if I were a carnivore I would NOT be happy that the best burgers in town were at a place that churns out nearly a thousand a day. 225, wrong again.

Best Cajun/Creole (Louisiana Lagniappe) – Not qualified to speak on this, yet again.

Best deli (Maxwell’s Market) – 225 didn’t totally miss on this one, Maxwell’s is pretty good. For a veg, there is an ample selection of breads, veggies, and cheeses to chose from here – so contrary to most places in BR, there is plenty for a vegetarian to eat here. I can’t say I thoroughly enjoy this selection, but it’s not all that bad. Overall, I’d say Maxwell’s is a fair fit for “best deli.” (Even though Anthony’s Deli isn’t all that much of a deli, it’s by far the best veggie sandwich in BR).

Best Exotic Pizza (Fleur De Lis)- The good thing about Fluer De Lis is that they are so old school they don’t take credit cards. The bad thing is, they don’t take credit cards. Fees eat up their profits so it’s cash only. It’s also cheap. And in a pretty cool part of town. Oh, but back to the pizza. Excotic? Maybe for the carnivore. But their veggie pizza is a pretty basic assortment of what’s good on a veggie pizza – banana peppers, bell peppers, jalapeños, some random cheeses, etc. I wouldn’t say it’s super exotic, but it is the best pizza in BR. Sorry, Johnny’s fans. 225 got it right

Best food truck (Taco de Paco) – Ha. Has 225 ever eaten out of a food truck? Basically, 225 says that a store bought pretty awful tortilla, awful/decent ingredients, and STORE BOUGHT SALSA makes the best food truck. Guys, this is Louisiana, no one has yet made good Mexican food. Taco de Paco is certainly not the answer, either. I could sit here and argue the merits and economics of food trucks in a town of little to no foot traffic, but that’s for another day. These guys don’t do it right here. OK! Next point of discussion, what is the best food truck in BR? Easy. Go YaYa’s Crepes. Kevin Black is the chef here and he knows how to cook vegetarian goodness. Spinach caprese? It’s money. All of the desert crepes (nutella and bananas!) – and some fresh fruit with sugar. They’re money. If I wanted store bought tortillas and salsa, I’d go to the grocery store. If I wanted the straight up best food truck with an actually creative idea, I’d go to Go YaYa’s Crepes.

Best frozen treats (Cold Stone) - WOW. SHUT UP. 225 you suck. This is a chain ice cream store with a gazillion locations. This might be the most useless publication ever. Try Latte E Miele gelato. I’m not even going to elaborate. I’ve been to Italy countless times and this is as close as it gets to the real thing. Just go eat here. It’s fresh, it’s good, it’s got AWESOME atmosphere (and good water, too. just trust me on this). It’s also frozen, which means it’s better than Cold Crap.

Best Gourmet Restaurant (Juban’s) - Can’t argue on high quality restaurants because the preeminent dishes here are typically meat. People tell me Juban’s is good. It must be. I vote Juban’s.

Best Healthy Restaurant (Whole Foods)- I’m from Austin. Whole Foods HQ is on 6th and Lamar in Austin. It’s definitely the best healthy grocery. It’s not the best healthy restaurant. It can’t be – there’s 800,000 people in this town. Surely someone has a healthier place to eat. Oh, right, there is. Cafe du Jour. Healthy soups, salads, etc. I personally prefer their sandwich with feta cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes, bell peppers, oil/vinegar, on some freshly baked pressed bread. They have KILLER soups, too. But it’s 105 degrees out right now. So..I won’t elaborate. Yet again, 225 is wrong. Cafe du Jour

Best Hummus (Albasha) – surprisingly, 225 got this one right. It’s good. I was satisfied.

Best Red Sauce (Monjuni’s) – Hm. Interesting. I can’t believe this is a category. I refuse to discuss this. I’m not a tool.

Best king cakes (Ambrosia) – I need to watch my figure. I don’t eat king cake

Best late nighing (Louie’s) – This is the place for you if you like grease. I do not. It’s not even good food. The BR late night scene sucks. I just go to bed hungry, it’s not worth eating here.

Best shrimp po-boy (Acme Oyster House) – Um. I’m not pescatarian.

Best south Asian Cuisine (Thai Kitchen) – I’m Indian. My parents were born in Mumbai. 225, you are honestly PATHETIC. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MAP? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MAP? THAILAND IS NOT IN SOUTH ASIA YOU IDIOT. I go to Bay Leaf for south Asian Cuisine. It’s Indian food. It’s expensive and not as good as my mom’s cooking but it does when I want Indian food. How authentic is it? Well, the buffet is toughly regulated and after a couple of plates if the owner sees you downing a lot of food, he’ll tell you you’re not allowed to eat anymore. He’s stingy. He’s Indian. You get the full authentic Indian experience here. The food is medicore, and they can’t cook the Punjabi dishes if their lives depended on it (too much salt, not enough paneer, and way too oily). But, it’s expensive. Which allows you to experience Indian culture at it’s finest. They even have typical Bollywood music playing over the p.a. system.

Best Sushi (Ichiban) – I don’t eat sushi because it has fish. But the best avocado roll in town belongs to Tsunami. It’s just a fresh avocado and some quality sticky rice. Not really qualified to discuss this topic, either.

Best Sweet Guilty Pleasure (Ambrosia) - I know opinions can’t be wrong. But 225′s opinions are. How is a cupcake place not up in this list? Sweet Wishes – If I wanted a dry, small cupcake with unoriginal flavors – I’d go here. So, basically, I wouldn’t go here. Cupcakes N’ Cream – meh. Same as above. If I wanted the best cupcakes outside of Sprinkles, Sugar Momma’s, Sticky Fingers, etc. – I take Cupcake Couture. They are moist (baking in Louisiana humidity really dries out a cupcake fast!) and actually have an array of flavors to chose from. 225 missed AGAIN with this pick. Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes. When I want a small snack and my sweet tooth needs attention, I go to cupcakes. That’s a sweet guilty pleasure. Cupcake Couture

Best New Restaurant (Five Guys) – WOW. 225, again. Really? Frankie’s Dawgs opened up and you pick Five Guys. The price point can’t even be discussed here because it’s the exact same. BR needs a gourmet dawg place, and Frankie’s filled that void. Are they fantastic? No. But are they good? Yes. By the way, you’re wondering what I eat here – VEGETARIAN PARADISE. They have smart dogs, but most importantly, have a plethora of vegetarian toppings. Here’s what to get if you stop by – Frankies Sauce, BBQ sauce, banana peppers, and jalapeños. They tend to make the dogs pretty sloppy, but if you limit your toppings you can get a pretty desirable dog.

Overall, the BR culinary scene isn’t as bad as most think. Most just stick around LSU area (especially if you attend, like me) and never venture out. Which brings me back on my initial thought…anyone notice that the Izzo’s Illegal Burrito menu is IDENTICAL (sans burrito names) to Freebird’s Burrito’s? Whole wheat, cayenne, spinach, and flour. And three sizes. And all the same toppings. This is the difference in culinary magic. Izzo’s sucks. Freebirds does not.

I don’t care about my grammar, you get my point. 225 needs a world geography lesson.

Best  beignets in Baton Rouge? Coffee Call, hands down. Eddie, one of the chefs here, knows how to fry. Great guy, great food, great place to be.

From the moment you step into this hot spot at night filled with perhaps the most eclectic variety of people in Baton Rouge and you check your phone, you notice one thing, the lack of wi-fi. How does a place that serves coffee and open until 2am survive sans wi-fi? Who cares! The atmosphere is phenomenal, down to earth, and simple. In today’s always moving world it’s nice to relax and not be tempted by the internet. Conversation is flowing just as fast as Eddie and others are whipping out beignets.

Simply food, beignets found here are a little fluffier and more full than those found at world famous Cafe Du Monde. For comparison sakes, it’s more filling and definitely just as – if not more – tasty. For a vegetarian? 100% vegetarian friendly. Lunch time has sandwiches and salads – and at night the coffee and beignets are churning left and right. Meat free zone!

Now, time for a huge evaluation. A self developed price point/quality ratio. Basically, this ratio is an easy way to tell whether the food is worth the money spent. Sure, food at any place can be phenomenal but if it’s 200 bucks, it may not be feasible. Additionally, food can be pretty good at a cheaper price point, which is going to give it a leg up. Price point and quality is essential in having a successful restaurant, but more importantly, very important in getting people back in the door. Coffee Call is phenomenal food  for a low price point.

Atmosphere great, food exceptional, and price point is exceptional.

Most Wednesdays I am in Baton Rouge, I head over to Rotolo’s for $5 calzones. Simply delicious.

Life is all about good food and good people. Ruggles Grill has both! 903 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX. Check it out next time you’re in the city. Great stuff!