A growing trend among Thanksgiving home cooks is supplementing the annual Turkey Day meal with a few dishes from local restaurants and caterers. Passing off the preparation of labor-intensive dishes is a great way to save time. From restaurants and independent supermarkets, to bakeries and caterers, Greater Baton Rouge is chock-full of spots where you can order tasty, homemade side dishes or desserts. Here are a few to try.
Gourmet Girls
If you’re feeling splurgy, pick up detailed hors d’oeuvres, sides and desserts from this high-end Bocage caterer known for gilded creations. Here, spinach Madeleine is reimagined as spinach Katia and studded with crabmeat.
Ronnie’s Boudin and Cracklin’ House
Find classic take-and-bake sides like carrot souffle, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, broccoli rice casserole and others, along with pans of savory boudin and rice dressing.
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Tony’s Seafood
Baton Rouge’s behemoth seafood market is a great place to pick up those extras that make your gathering feel authentically Louisiana. Platters of fresh shrimp cocktail are a sumptuous way to get things started. And for families that require gumbo, choose from Tony’s seafood, chicken and sausage, or shrimp, okra and sausage selections.
BRQ
Thanksgiving has become a big deal at BRQ, which not only does a huge catering business for the holiday, but also stays open on Thanksgiving Day. Along with smoked turkeys, order sweet potato casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, homemade cranberry sauce, brioche rolls, pecan pie and even pomegranate margaritas.
Elsie’s Plate and Pie
One of Baton Rouge’s most popular restaurants features a call ahead Thanksgiving pie menu guaranteed to inspire compliments to the host. Place an order for pies in 10 different flavors, including pumpkin streusel, chocolate pecan and Eye of the Tiger, a lemon icebox pie with a fluffy blueberry topping.
Rocca
The Mid City wood-fired pizzeria’s holiday menu includes a complete meal with sides like spaghetti squash Sardi, green beans amandine, cranberry salad, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, herbed focaccia and more.
Counterspace
Go next level with handmade pies, quiches and baked goods from the recently relocated Counterspace. Options include salted chocolate chip cookies, take-and-bake cinnamon rolls, spiced pumpkin pie, apple pie, vegan apple pie and others. The cheery spot even sells homemade pie shells (regular and vegan) for you to fill with your favorite homemade concoctions.
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Rouses
This Louisiana-born supermarket can supplement your meal with a variety of sides, including regional dishes like oysters Bienville dressing, shrimp and mirliton dressing, dirty rice, corn pudding and mac and cheese.
Bergeron’s Boudin and Cajun Meats
The Port Allen Cajun meat market is a great place to go for authentic south Louisiana Thanksgiving sides, including chicken and sausage gumbo, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole and twice baked potato casserole. Grab fresh boudin and frozen smoked sausage for later while you’re there.
Ambrosia Bakery
Thanksgiving is a holiday for pies, and Ambrosia is featuring six for Turkey Day: Mississippi Mud, Key Lime, cherry, sweet potato, pumpkin and pecan. If cakes are more your speed, opt for detailed creations, like sheet cakes with festive turkeys on top, or mugs of pumpkin spiced latte in pastry form. (Yep, that’s a real cake!)