Juban’s Baton Rouge
Juban’s: 3739 Perkins Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
The Restaurant:
Juban’s started back in 1983 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They offer a contemporary take on Creole cuisine. The restaurant itself is made up of several different rooms each with it’s own purpose. The bar is fun with a great atmosphere. Trees and vines bring the outdoor feel inside which is enhanced by the open skylight ceiling. A few of the rooms are dedicated to every day diners, but a few are set aside for large parties and private corporate events/celebrations. One of the rooms also serves as the wine cellar, where you are surrounded by literally thousands of wine bottles. I would highly recommend reservations as this place can get very busy.
The Appetizers:
Juban’s has a great selection of items on the menu. If you happen to be on a price conscious budget, then each of the menus offers a Prix Fixe option. The Prix Fixe gives you a selection of items specially priced for lunch each day, and for dinner you get a few choices for the Four-Course meal. I went with a large group from work which allowed us to try a whole bunch of different menu items. So here is the run down.
Juban’s Gumbo was up first. The make it with smoked chicken, roasted duck, and andouille sausage with a small helping of white rice on top. Figuring that I was in the heart of Creole country, I was expecting this to be a very spicy gumbo. I was however pleasantly surprised. There is just enough heat in it to let you know what you are eating, but it is not over powering like some gumbo can be. Also the change up in meats in it really helped give a different flavor which just really melted in my mouth and made me very happy.
The Gulf crab cakes were the next item to come out. Louisiana lump crab is mixed with corn tomato maque choux and served with a citrus buerre blanc. Let’s just say that they do not skimp on the crab in them and you will really enjoy the mix of flavors. The sauces just gives it the right amount of flavoring enhancing goodness.
My boss has never eaten frog’s legs before. So what do you do, you go ahead an order them for the table. Frog Legs Vacherie are flash-fried frog legs served with lemon butter hot sauce, pickled celery salad, and crumbled blue cheese. These were nice and big frog legs as well, not just every day variety. I can honestly say that my boss has a new menu item when she is out for dinner. I preferred them without the hot sauce, but hey you might like the extra kick to you eating pleasure.
A few more appetizers adorned the table, like freshly made bread, a sausage that we were told was not a sausage, and Tuna Carpaccio.
One of my colleagues that lives in Baton Rouge also said we had to have the Hallelujah Crab. Now this is not actually an appetizer, it is one of seafood items on the menu. It’s a cripsy flash-fried soft-shelled crab stuffed with a melange of Louisiana crawfish tails, shrimp, and crabmeat. Juban’s then tops this with Creolaise sauce (kind of like a Bearnaise sauce), served with Chef’s vegetables and a starch. The cool thing about this dish is the way they serve it. The crab is propped so the legs are all in the air ready to greet you. (see the 2nd picture below)
Main Courses:
Even with all of that amazing food, we still had not eaten our main dishes. One of the members of the part ordered the Pork Chop. This thing is a huge 14 oz center cut rib chop from Niman Ranch. They cooked it with their own variety of seasoning which adds a lot of flavor. A few people ordered the Redfish Adrian which is a Pan-sauteed fillet of Redfish with limp crabmeat, mushrooms, scallions, Creole meunière, and accompanied by grilled asparagus.
Others decided to be more focused on steaks. I for one had the Juban’s Filet, a tender 8 oz cut of beef tenderloin that was broiled perfectly. It was accompanied by grilled vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. I loved the flavor of it and even though I like my steaks medium well to well done, this was extremely juicy and melted in my mouth. Some others tried the Steak Frites, an 8 oz premium Black Angus hanger steak with chimichurri and smoked paprika-Manchego fries.
All of the food had amazing flavors that really lit up your taste buds. I don’t think there is anything on the menu that you could go wrong with. Some of the dishes don’t come with sides, but you can order A La Carte and choose from a wide variety.
Pricing: $$-$$$ for lunch and brunch depending on what you order and drinks, $$$-$$$$ dinner depending on what you order like appetizers and if you have drinks
