We tell people all the time that Baton Rouge’s culinary scene is massively changing. But nothing quite proves it like scanning through our most-read food stories of the year. Wow, a lot has happened.
Dare we say … Baton Rouge is a foodie destination? We’d definitely make an argument for it, between all the classic Cajun and Creole restaurants and the trendy 2016, 2017 and 2018 openings. Nearly 40 new restaurants, bars and foodie shops launched in Baton Rouge this year alone. Plus, we’ve seen a resurgence of food trucks, an uptick in trendy dishes like poke, ramen, smoothie bowls, rolled ice cream, bubble tea and vegan food, and there are several breweries in the works.
These are the stories you read and shared the most from Jan. 1, 2018, to today—and they exemplify why we’re always proud to take our friends to dinner here.
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Best of 225 Awards 2018
You do you, Baton Rouge. That’s kind of our 225 team motto when we prepare the Best of 225 Awards nomination and voting processes each year. We’re always excited to see who our readers nominate for the annual ballot, as well as who they crown the winners. This year’s awards featured more than 50 winners in categories like Best New Restaurant, Best Pizza and Best Place for Pet Services. Watch this space—it’s almost time to pick the 2019 winners. Nominations open Jan. 15 at 225batonrouge.com.
225 Things to Do
One of our biggest projects this year was updating our list of 225 Things to Do. The article was originally published in 2008, and 10 years later, it felt like time to freshen it up. We scoped out outdoor activities, events, places to shop and, of course, food experiences to compile into one big year-round guide of things to do in our city. The coolest thing? Realizing there is so much to do here these days, we don’t even have room for it all on the list. Guess we shouldn’t wait another 10 years to update the next one.
All the new restaurants that opened in 2018
Our First Look series, which tours new restaurants in Baton Rouge before they open, is the bread and butter of 225 Dine (and don’t even pretend like you’re not all about that pun.). They are the features we are most excited to produce—and consistently the ones you are most excited to read. We thought 2017 was a record year for new restaurant openings—until we went to put together our 2018 roundup. Y’all. There are so many new places, we don’t even know what to do with ourselves for dinner anymore. You were especially loving Soji, Freezing Cow, White Star Market, City Slice, Light House Coffee, Cecilia, Rocca and Provisions on Perkins—which came in as our eight most-read new restaurant features this year.
A look at the new eateries popping up around LSU’s campus
If you haven’t been by the outer edges of LSU’s campus much this year, you’re in for a surprise: The area looks pretty much nothing like it did a year ago. A huge development boom is happening around Burbank and Lee drives, the Nicholson Gateway Development and LSU’s North Gates. City Slice Pints & Pies, Frutta Bowls, Matherne’s Market, Rouses Market and Starbucks all opened in the area this year. And there’s a ton more in the works, including the first Baton Rouge locations of Atomic Burger, Dat Dog and Finbomb Sushi Burritos and Poke Bowls.
Food trucks are back, with businesses like Basel’s Market Food Truck and Geaux Cuban leading the way
For months back in 2017, we talked about writing a story examining the sudden disappearance of Baton Rouge’s food truck scene. We even had a working title: “Where have all the food trucks gone?” And then, just like that, the downtown streets were full once again with the sound of humming food trucks and the chatter of workers waiting in line for lunch. They were back in Tigerland, too, serving grilled cheeses to drunk college kids. They were even setting up shop in corporate office parks, dishing out tacos to hungry employees. As for 225‘s long-planned food truck story? We changed the narrative, of course.
Where to find keto-friendly dishes in Baton Rouge
Last year, it felt like we couldn’t have a team lunch without someone ruining the meal because they were on the dreaded Whole30 diet. This year, the new trend was keto, the low-carb, high-fat diet everyone and their mom seem to swear by. Half of our 225 cubicle mates gave up glorious things like pasta and bread in hopes of getting that Halle Berry glow. When we put together our roundup of local keto-friendly dishes, we have to admit it was pretty cool to see how many local businesses had hopped on board to provide compliant meals. We’re especially partial to Lit Pizza’s cauliflower crust—when it doesn’t sell out, that is.
King cakes turn savory
When it comes to Mardi Gras, it’s not our first rodeo. Local restaurants and businesses are in the same boat—and to keep things interesting, they have to push the envelope a little bit. Every year, we watch for inventive new takes on the king cake. In 2018, we noticed an upswing in savory varieties, incorporating ingredients like boudin, maple bacon and crawfish etouffee. Seriously, what will they think of next? There are only 69 days until Fat Tuesday, so we won’t have to wait that long to find out.
All the ice-based desserts you can find in Baton Rouge
Here we are, Christmas week … and it’s not cold out. And while our guide to iced desserts was published in late August, we have to admit: We could go for a cool treat right about now. So we kind of understand why this story has stayed relevant to readers, who kept visiting the story throughout the fall. With so many trendy ice-baced desserts coming onto the scene the past couple years, 225 Dine broke everything down for you: Like, what’s the difference between a snow cone and snoball? How about water ice and Hawaiian shaved ice? And have you tried a coffee granita yet? Because yum.
A local app is changing the crawfish game
Is it too early to start counting down to crawfish boil season? Well, whenever we are ready for that, we know who to turn to now for help. The Crawfish App—a locally created app detailing prices and reviews for seafood vendors across the South—grew to 65,000 users at the start of this past season. And the team even scored a major partnership with Zatarain’s.
EDITORS’ PICKS
The stories published in the 225 Dine newsletter seem to get the most attention online, but we’re proud of several features we published in our print magazine this year, too. And believe it or not, sometimes we write about topics other than food. These were some of our staff’s favorites.
Local artists share a cherished work they’ve added to their personal collection
“I love behind-the-scenes stories about local artists and their creative processes. Writer Brandi Simmons is familiar with Baton Rouge’s top artists through her day job at the LSU Museum of Art. But what she pitched here was a chance for these artists to talk about the artists they love. They each picked an item in their personal collection and shared how it inspires them. Something about their words and the photos of them holding those prized possessions touched me in a way I hadn’t expected. It seemed incredibly personal, even for artists who are so used to exposing and sharing themselves through their own art.”
—Managing editor Benjamin Leger
Swamp baby: Taking a flashlight tour of the Bluebonnet Swamp
“The assignment was to document what it’s like to tour a Louisiana swamp after sunset. What resulted was a beautifully written essay about appreciating what we have here in Louisiana. Writer Kaci Yoder covered BREC’s Bluebonnet Swamp flashlight tours just a few weeks before she was set to move out of state. The piece morphed into a nostalgic farewell to her hometown. As a non-native of Louisiana, it hit home with me on a personal level: reminding me how much I have left to explore in my adopted home state but also how much I took for granted in my native Florida.”
—Editor Jennifer Tormo
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Meet MaKenzie Godso and her enviable collections of designer and vintage clothing
“There’s no one like MaKenzie Godso. From her unapologetic attitude to her bold and printed clothes, she’s a local fashion icon. Getting to thumb through her closet and run my fingers over some of her most prized designer shoes is one of my favorite interview memories. Plus, her stories from her high school days make me laugh to this day. After my conversation with her, I left feeling empowered, creative—and inspired to wear whatever makes me feel confident.”
—Staff writer Cynthea Corfah
Young people lead the charge at FYSC’s Youth Empowerment Headquarters
“Certain stories hold a special place when it’s about a project you’ve watched slowly come to fruition. I interviewed Family and Youth Service Center’s executive director Roxson Welch back in 2014 when they were painting a mural on the building that would eventually become the Youth Empowerment Headquarters. Welch told me about her dreams for the facility and how it would help at-risk local youth tap into their creative sides. When writer Kaci Yoder went to cover its grand opening, she came back with a wonderful and sweet story about the kids who helped Welch realize this dream—who were already making use of it and showcasing their talents and potential.”
—Managing editor Benjamin Leger
Rainbow brite: Start a colored glassware collection by treasure hunting local vintage shops
“It sounds cheesy, but doing a story on vintage glassware was honestly a dream come true for me. To find these pieces, I got to take a mini tour of local antique shops. Then, the night before the shoot, I cleared off my living room shelves and arranged the glasses by color. It was partially to take inventory, but also because I wanted to imagine what it would be like to have my own collection. Photographer Raegan Labat knocked the shoot out of the park. She brought a prism to reflect the light—just look through the gallery to see how gorgeous the images turned out. The only negative was the heartbreak of having to return all the glassware to the stores that let us borrow them.”
—Editor Jennifer Tormo