The big take away from this week was definitely Restaurant IPO in Baton Rouge. A Southern Tapas bar, this is hands down the most unique menu I've ever seen.
My dinner consisted of Bon Temp Shrimp (think Bang Bang shrimp at Bonefish), the most delectable duck poppers I've ever eaten, & Pequeno tacos. As an avid duck hunter, I found myself taking pictures of the entire menu to send to my buddies back home in West TN. I would say that easily 95% of the menu consisted of duck. So in a way...this was research.
Now, my mom and sister came to NC to visit me a few weeks ago and I took them to Mateo bar de Tapas, naturally my mom kept thinking I was taking her to a topless bar. Bold move, my friends.
Tapas means small plates (as you can see from the pictures). Know of a great tapas bar? Grab a group of friends and check it out. These plates are meant to be shared (which explains why it can be hard to get a table sometimes) over a glass of sangria or a bottle of local craft brews. You may even find yourself ordering everything off the menu!
Trying out a tapas bar solo means you can still order 4-5 plates to try but can turn into a pretty pricey meal for just one person. Many of these unique establishments offer an entree menu to choose from...check out this burger that Restaurant IPO offers. I must admit, I seriously considered it (it does come with a bottle of wine).
The next day I was conducting some interviews on campus at LSU. After a week of crappy weather, it was a beautiful day in Baton Rouge. Clear skies and 70 degrees. WOW!
After working a half day, I packed up and headed to Acme Oyster House. Did you know that there was more than one? THERE'S SEVEN! The last time I ate at Acme was back in 2010 when I was in NOLA for a marketing conference...and that's easily the only thing I remember about the trip.
I secured a seat at the bar so I could watch the dozens and dozens of oysters being shucked in record time. I order the New Orleans Medley...a sampling of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and grilled smoked sausage.
I passed on a drink, drove to BTR, returned the rental car and started making moves back to RDU for the wekend. This was the week of the second big snow storm (not the one that hit ATL, but the one that hit the northeast). The journey home consisted of a 2 hour delay at the Baton Rouge Regional Airport (lucky me), a flight on a prop plane to CLT, standing on the tarmac in short sleeves waiting for the gate crew to let us into the terminal, SPRINTING across 4 terminals (haven't run like that since my cross country days back in high school), getting to my connection as they were closing the door, almost requesting medical assistance (I was weezing for 3 days...I need to work out more), landing at RDU at 11:30...didn't get my luggaged until close to 1:00...finally got home around 2:00.
JEEZ! I spent the remainder of Valentines weekend watching House of Cards and then hopping another flight first thing Sunday morning for another 3 week trip.
So go out there. Explore new places. Try new things. I'm no longer strictly a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Neither should you.
Now Playing: "Oh, Katrina" by Voice of the Wetlands
Now, my mom and sister came to NC to visit me a few weeks ago and I took them to Mateo bar de Tapas, naturally my mom kept thinking I was taking her to a topless bar. Bold move, my friends.Tapas means small plates (as you can see from the pictures). Know of a great tapas bar? Grab a group of friends and check it out. These plates are meant to be shared (which explains why it can be hard to get a table sometimes) over a glass of sangria or a bottle of local craft brews. You may even find yourself ordering everything off the menu!
Trying out a tapas bar solo means you can still order 4-5 plates to try but can turn into a pretty pricey meal for just one person. Many of these unique establishments offer an entree menu to choose from...check out this burger that Restaurant IPO offers. I must admit, I seriously considered it (it does come with a bottle of wine).
The next day I was conducting some interviews on campus at LSU. After a week of crappy weather, it was a beautiful day in Baton Rouge. Clear skies and 70 degrees. WOW!
After working a half day, I packed up and headed to Acme Oyster House. Did you know that there was more than one? THERE'S SEVEN! The last time I ate at Acme was back in 2010 when I was in NOLA for a marketing conference...and that's easily the only thing I remember about the trip.
I passed on a drink, drove to BTR, returned the rental car and started making moves back to RDU for the wekend. This was the week of the second big snow storm (not the one that hit ATL, but the one that hit the northeast). The journey home consisted of a 2 hour delay at the Baton Rouge Regional Airport (lucky me), a flight on a prop plane to CLT, standing on the tarmac in short sleeves waiting for the gate crew to let us into the terminal, SPRINTING across 4 terminals (haven't run like that since my cross country days back in high school), getting to my connection as they were closing the door, almost requesting medical assistance (I was weezing for 3 days...I need to work out more), landing at RDU at 11:30...didn't get my luggaged until close to 1:00...finally got home around 2:00.
JEEZ! I spent the remainder of Valentines weekend watching House of Cards and then hopping another flight first thing Sunday morning for another 3 week trip.
So go out there. Explore new places. Try new things. I'm no longer strictly a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Neither should you.
Now Playing: "Oh, Katrina" by Voice of the Wetlands
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