Having changed governments 10 times since the French first hoisted the "tricolor" in 1721, you can bet Baton Rouge has been in the middle of things more than once, and as the state capital of Louisiana and midpoint between the Cajun country of Lafayette and the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans, the town whose name translates as "red stick" is stuck in the middle and savoring every last bite.
Location and relaxation play a starring role in this laid-back, walkable destination on the banks of the Mississippi.
"New Orleans is the strongest drawing card for the state, and we’re right on I-10, so people coming from Texas come right by us as we’re only an hour from New Orleans," says Lynn Boutin, general manager and owner of local standout Boutin’s Restaurant, "and the hotel accommodations are fabulous in Baton rouge—we have more than 10,000 rooms."
Although hotel choices are plentiful, the city’s standing as the Louisiana capital brings with it all of the cultural trappings and off-site options befitting any respectable seat of state government.
Many of the venues, such as the architecturally award-winning Shaw Center for the Arts, offer dynamic views of the Mississippi River that serve as great spaces for social gatherings. Besides what many describe as an "acoustically perfect" setting for live theater, the complex also houses the LSU Museum of Art, the Manship Theatre, the Brunner Gallery and a contemporary art gallery.
Also riverside and rentable, the Louisiana Art and Science Museum boasts an Ancient Egypt Gallery with a Ptolemaic-era mummy, along with a fine arts collection and The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, with a 60-foot domed theater that it bills as one of the most sophisticated multimedia presentation venues in the nation.
But as a crossroads of culture, Baton Rouge is perhaps most noted for its rich blend of music and cuisine, with zydeco, blues and Cajun music whetting the appetite for tastes that combine French, African-American, Creole and Spanish traditions. And when it comes to Cajun, you’re stepping straight into Boutin’s kitchen.
"We serve the food that Cajuns love to eat when they go out," he says, mentioning boudin sausage and various smoked meats as items that complement the restaurant’s seafood-centric menu. "From catfish to alligator, we serve an array of seafood items—seafood platters, gumbos, bisques, etouffee and au gratins—and we’ll also throw in live Cajun music here, which is kind of like our niche."
Boutin’s place is what locals describe as a fais do-do, where families gather to dance a jitterbug or two-step waltz to ever-energetic Cajun music, and although buy-outs aren’t on the menu, the 400-seat restaurant can set aside 100 seats in its banquet hall (which divides in half) for a private event complete with video presentation equipment.
"We probably do about 1,009 buses a year," Boutin offers.
Affordable, friendly, vibrant yet laid-back, and with a cultural blend that offers surprises on every plate and around every corner, you can bet that even the most stressed-out attendee might find an adopted home in Baton Rouge in these chaotic times.
"A lot more people are looking for something to suck the poison out of the body, I guess," Boutin says in his regional patois, perhaps summing up "The Rouge" and its joie de vivre in the most fitting Cajun fashion.
