For my birthday this year, I traveled to Baton Rouge, LA for a fun and food filled weekend.
My husband, daughters, and parents joined me to celebrate and explore the city. Our first stop, of course, was dinner!
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| Our family birthday dinner at Stadium was the perfect start to a fun filled weekend! |
We decided to check out the stunning L’Auberge Casino for our welcome meal in the city. Now I know what you’re thinking… a meal at a casino with little kids in tow? However, I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and accommodating the staff at L’Auberge was to my two crazy kiddos. From the valet who talked to them, to the reception desk who gave them complementary pralines, to the fantastic wait staff at Stadium Bar & Grill who checked on them to make sure everyone was happy and made them kid friendly food they loved.
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| Savor tasty Southern specialties and legendary Louisiana sports action at Stadium. |
L’Auberge offers three restaurants: a buffet, fine dining, and a sports bar and grill. Since we had the kids, we choose the bar and grill and boy am I glad we did! The quality and selection of food at Stadium was beyond anything I have ever seen at a regular ol’ sports bar. They offered jazzed up versions of traditional bar food like massive nachos and colossal wings along with Southern specialties like barbecue platters and monster burgers. The best part of the menu though? The Cajun selection blew us all away! We tried the Barbecue Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo {see the recipe here}, and Po-boy Sandwiches. Talk about a mouthwatering meal!
We took a scenic 10 minute drive from downtown Baton Rouge to get to the L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge. It is a stunning building with plentiful parking and gorgeous landscaping and decor. Next time I want to check out their roof top pool!
As I said before the staff was friendly every where we went. Every single staff member of L’Auberge smiled, said hi, and stepped to the side for us to pass or held a door open.
My sleepy babe even got a complimentary praline from the
front desk staff when we were on our way out the door.
First thing’s first- let’s talk food!
After walking around the beautiful open hotel we arrived at Stadium.
We all were hungry after a long day of traveling
but we had no idea the meal that was in store for us!
If you go to Stadium with a group ask for a table by the window.
We had the corner table, which felt private and cozy, with a nice open view and our own TV {this was a plus with the kiddos too}.
The menu was impressive and we were hungry so we ordered
one of everything a tasty selection of appetizers, soups, and entrees.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted it.
I love a good Nawlins Barbecue Shrimp dish!
This version was made with jumbo Gulf shrimp swimming in a bowl of rich, spicy sauce and served with extra crusty bread to soak up every last drop.
The hush puppies were a nice bonus!
This is a classic and a kid favorite: Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
Talk about cheesy deliciousness!
This dip is made with four types of ooey-gooey, melted to perfection cheese.
The all around favorite dish of the night: Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!
It was smokey and hearty and chock full of veggies, rice, andouille sausage, and tender chicken.
You’re in luck! I made the recipe on the blog here.
I also tried the soup of the day which was a delicious
Creole Shrimp and Corn Bisque,
Now this was the time to go big or go home, according to my husband, so he went really big and tried the Stadium Challenge.
Yes, we’re talking Man vs Food style eating here folks.
6lbs of meat and seafood stuffed po-boys {covered in jalapenos I might add} and a basket- no scratch that-bucket of fries had to be devoured in an hour.
Only one person has completed the challenge and he went home with a tailgate apron, his name on the hall of fame wall, and a free meal. Ashton gave it his all but in the end the po-boys won this battle. And that darn bucket of fries.
We were surprised at the presentation of the Stadium Challenge when we received it.
The menu describes it as “an all-star po-boy featuring 6 pounds of fried gator, fried shrimp, shaved ham, shaved turkey, smoked sausage, pulled pork and our signature four cheese blend with lettuce, tomato, jalapeño mayo, pickled jalapeños”. Instead we received three po-boys, which means more bread and toppings than we originally thought. The big ol’ bucket of fries was also a shocker, although I should have expected it. I would have liked to see and take pictures of a 6 lb po-boy but either way, Ashton got full just looking at it and didn’t come close to finishing this monster sized meal! I guess competitive eating is not in his future!
We were surprised at the presentation of the Stadium Challenge when we received it.
The menu describes it as “an all-star po-boy featuring 6 pounds of fried gator, fried shrimp, shaved ham, shaved turkey, smoked sausage, pulled pork and our signature four cheese blend with lettuce, tomato, jalapeño mayo, pickled jalapeños”. Instead we received three po-boys, which means more bread and toppings than we originally thought. The big ol’ bucket of fries was also a shocker, although I should have expected it. I would have liked to see and take pictures of a 6 lb po-boy but either way, Ashton got full just looking at it and didn’t come close to finishing this monster sized meal! I guess competitive eating is not in his future!
Stadium had a menu for the little ones too
and my mini foodies stuck with the classic- grilled cheese sandwiches for the win!
My Dad, a barbecue aficionado, ordered the Smokehouse barbecue combo platter, piled high with St. Louis Ribs and slow cooked Brisket. Everything is smothered in Stadium BBQ sauce and served with coleslaw, baked beans, and jalapeño cornbread. His plate was empty and he was licking his fingers at the end, so I take that as a good sign that he enjoyed it!
My Mom ordered the massive Sausage and Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chop.
The grilled 10-oz chop was tasty but dry although she loved the red beans and rice served with it.
I wanted to try about ten different items but in the end, I narrowed it down to the Gris Gris Burger. This juicy burger is topped with BBQ brisket, macaroni and cheese, cheddar cheese, fried onions, and drizzled in Stadium BBQ sauce. I couldn’t even finish half of this messy but good burger and fries but I loved trying. It was the perfect Southern inspired creation!
Last but not least dessert time. Those sneaky folks at Stadium surprised me with a firecracker birthday brownie which was a festive {and sparkling, haha} end to a fantastic meal!
Not much is better than a warm ginormous chocolate brownie sizzling on a skillet and topped with a baseball size scoop of ice cream. We all shared it and you better believe every single morsel of that brownie was gone.
The only bummer? I wanted to try the Flight of Floats dessert featuring four local sodas topped with ice cream and it is no longer available. Bring it back Stadium, pretty please!
I could not have asked for a better family meal than the dinner we enjoyed at Stadium!
We can’t wait to go back on our next trip to Baton Rouge.
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