Jasmine’s on the Bayou

In the absence of anything interesting happening in my kitchen I thought I would share what is happening in the kitchen of others. I went out to lunch with family the other day to a little spot that was rumored to make some good sandwiches.

Jasmine’s on the Bayou is located at 6010 Jones Creek in a little strip plaza. It’s easy enough to find but you have to wonder about the name as there isn’t a bayou anywhere in sight. We pulled up and a chalkboard on the sidewalk gave the special of the day as speckled trout with a crabmeat stuffing topped with a tasso cream sauce. Yeah, I am definitely not in Texas anymore.

The place is small; I am guessing it could seat thirty at the most. The décor was nothing special but the music was good and the staff was friendly. I opted not to get the special just so I could try a smattering of other things on the menu. I did not go exotic and tried a cup of gumbo, a side of red beans and rice and a serving of boudin balls with a side of rocket sauce. All were very good and from what I could tell everything else ordered by our table was equally satisfactory.

I was half way through my lunch when I noticed how radically my diet has changed in the short time I have been here. I have historically been a big protein eater with a few veggies thrown in to ease my conscious. I am pretty neutral on carbs..take ‘em or leave ‘em, I really don’t give them much thought. But then I look down at my lunch and realize that what I am eating is rice served three ways. Fried in the boudin balls, served with a seasoned sausage broth in the gumbo and smothered with beans in my last dish. Change is good I guess.

Anyhow…I highly recommend Jasmine’s on the Bayou as a great lunch spot. Good food, reasonable prices and definitely a local joint. Closed on Sundays.

Busted flat in Baton Rouge…

My username of “dmsintexas” is now pretty pointless. We have relocated to Baton Rouge, La and are planting new roots. We are staying with family while we house hunt and I am having the fun yet frustrating experience of cooking out of someone else’s kitchen.

For now I am enjoying the novelty of learning new supermarkets. It’s funny how hard it is to find the tortillas in this town.

I’ve been eating quite a bit of Catfish Atchafalaya, a catfish fillet smothered in a seafood gravy served on a bed of rice. The shrimp po-boys have also been excellent. The local Albertson’s has been running a sale on basa fillets. My understanding is that this is an imported saltwater catfish. They have been grilling up great and I can see myself eating quite a few of these in the near future.

No serious barbequing or sausage making for a few months while my equipment is in storage. For now I plan on enjoying sampling the local favorites.