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Beignets epitomize creating
gastronomic glory while respecting simplicity. The decadent deep-fried
dough is the state donut of Louisiana. Yes, we have a state donut! World
renowned for their influence in the New Orleans' French Quarter at Café
du Monde, beignets are undoubtedly just as deeply entrenched in
Louisiana cuisine as gumbo and red gravy. A beignet, in case you don't
know, is a fluffy pastry made of fried dough and typically sprinkled
with confectioners (powdered) sugar.
Beignets have been served for decades at Baton Rouge's own institution,
Coffee Call. The College Drive hot spot built its own character, charm,
and clientele in a location that gave way to the expanses of Super
Wal-Mart earlier this decade. Part of the construction and redesign of
the entire shopping center involved a brand new location for Coffee Call
on the other side of the parking lot. Unfortunately for most of Coffee
Call's loyal patrons including the graduate students, artists, and
authors of the Capital City, the new edifice failed to transfer the
culture that had been established a mere couple hundred yards away. Says
Baton Rouge author D.B. Grady, "Five stars for the memories. Two stars
for its current, soulless, reanimated corpse."
 Despite the
unfortunate relocation, Coffee Call's business still seems to be going
strong on the back of hot chocolate, café au lait, and, of course,
beignets. The restaurant has a small outdoor dining area with some
bistro tables and several options for indoor seating with large wooden
tables, a high top with bar stools, and more bistro set ups. A quick
jaunt through their ordering line gives access to the self service
beverage staples of hot chocolate and café au lait (coffee with hot milk
added, a signature blend to go along with the French-influenced
beignets). Prior to my Coffee Call visit I received a tip from a good
friend, Jeremy Spikes, to try mixing the two together. He claimed that
the hot chocolate typically poured too sweet for his palate and that the
café au lait needed a little sweetener, so combining the two created a
spot-on final product. I gave it a try to judge for myself. As I
figured, Jeremy did not steer me wrong. The warm beverage sipped creamy
and smooth with an enticing combination of coffee and chocolate.
As for the beignets, Coffee Call has long been the only place to go in
Baton Rouge. Their beignets come in the traditional pillow shape or in
the form of beignet fingers. For a fairly reasonable price Coffee Call
will pile up plenty of whichever kind you order on a plate and coat with
a thick layer of white powdered sugar. The portions on their fingers are
rather enormous, so unless it is the only meal you'll eat that day, one
person should never order a large by themselves. Like any fried food,
beignets are best served immediately after departing their submersion in
the hot oil. Unfortunately my small order of fingers had spent several
minutes under a heat lamp. Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying the
sugar-coated dough sticks with my hot chocolate and café au lait
concoction!
I left Coffee Call wanting more. It has long been the place in Baton
Rouge for beignets, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for a little
competition. On April 24 of this year Rue Beignet opened its doors on
East Petroleum Drive across Highland Road from Ruffino's and next door
to Maxwell's Market. I met owner Evan Duhy and her mother Carolyn at Rue
Beignet for a sample of the latest beignets to heat up Baton Rouge. Evan
got the idea to open a beignet shop in the Red Stick after dining with
her mom at Café du Monde in New Orleans. It was there, sitting at that
iconic café, overlooking Decatur, that Evan received a moment of total
consciousness… so she's got that going for her, which is nice. She had
dined at Café du Monde plenty of times while living in New Orleans, but
it had never hit home like it did this time. "I thought I was just
finding instant gratification by indulging in the delicious warm pillows
of dough covered in powdered sugar," Evan told me. "Little did I know
beignets would shape my entire life and future."
Evan has tried to recreate the feel of New Orleans in her strip-mall
beignet store. Rue Beignet is inviting and welcoming. Eric and I were
immediately greeted when we walked in the door; something that can't be
overlooked in these days of impersonal rushes through life's chaos. I
had a mug of café au lait while my beignets were cut and fried fresh to
order. Like most beignets, Rue Beignet uses a large vat of cottonseed
oil to fry their dough to a crispy outside with a delicately chewy
interior. I began with the classic powdered sugar beignets. One bite and
I might have fallen in love. This beignet, straight out of the fryer to
a plate and then to my mouth, may have been one of the best donuts, let
alone beignets, I've ever enjoyed. The beignet itself contained the
ideal combination of doughy texture inside a salty and crispy shell and
sweet confectioner's sugar… pure deliciousness.
For 'un petit lagniappe' (a little something extra), Rue Beignet offered
up some of their own beignet fingers with a twist. While they gladly
offer the fingers with the traditional powdered sugar, Evan thought
taking the New Orleans staple and "kicking it up a notch" with different
toppings might present something unique to her customers. As I munched
on classic beignets three other plates were set in front of me. The
plates held beignet fingers topped with honey, cinnamon sugar, and
chocolate, respectively. At first I had some mixed emotions about the
idea. Confectioner's sugar nearly defines a beignet, and I couldn't
believe they were changing it up. However, after one bite of the honey
beignet, I quickly changed my mind. That beignet simply tasted too good
for me to disapprove. The honey finger's flavor reminded me of an
amazing version of a sopapilla while the cinnamon finger brought up
equally fond thoughts of Latin inspired desserts. With that solitary
taste Evan sold me on the toppings, and on Rue Beignet as a whole. I'll
continue to be a customer, that's for sure!
Coffee Call and Rue Beignet show that Baton Rouge has some great options
for beignets. Next time you're looking to change things up for
breakfast, grab an afternoon snack, or finish a great meal with a little
fried dough dessert, check them out. Your taste buds will be glad you
did!
For more information please call:
Coffee Call: (225) 925-9493
Rue Beignet: (225) 448-3942
Jay D. Ducote is the author of the blog Bite and Booze, which
chronicles his culinary and indulgent cultural experiences around Baton
Rouge, South Louisiana, and the world. It can be found at
www.biteandbooze.com . You can
also reach him by email at
jay@biteandbooze.com , like the Bite and Booze fan page on Facebook,
and follow him on Twitter @biteandbooze.
Thanks to Eric Ducote of
www.BRBeerScene.com for taking all the pictures for this
article.
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