bin 77 bistro and wine

some friends suggested that we try the place last night. fantastic! i lived in new orleans for 11 years , and i've been looking for a restaurant in baton rouge that has the creativity of the old stella. found.

the table split a variety of appetizers,smallplates, a main course and desserts; all delicious. what makes it so special is the chef's unique approach to preparation, textures, presentation and sauces. lamb empanadas, beet salad, seafood dip, tuna carpaccio, prime rib, apple crustade . . . delicious. we will be back.

the wait was not a problem. i recommend the bar across the courtyard in the same restaurant. the bartenders have some truly interesting drinks that our party thoroughly enjoyed.

i hope the place sticks in baton rouge. it is not your standard large plate of southern food. . . thankfully.

shows some promise but has a little farther to go in order to live up to the prices.

had a light dinner at the bar attended by katie and clay.

wines by the glass on the featured menu were $15 and $16 so we opted for a selby chard at a mere $13. good glass of wine and the pour is generous, especially when you have been to blend.

beer selection is fairly pedestrian but they do have a few locals. i grabbed a canebreak as i was extremely thirsty and was a bit disappointed that it was just over room temp. hardly refreshing. a pellegrino pint took care of the rest of my thirst. then ordered a dark and stormy which was a nice two liquor sipper.

food wise we did the foie gras torchon at $16. a beet "salad" and the popular shrimp and crab au gratinsmallplate, really a dip.

the torchon had a lot going on in it and was deemed a winner. hard to decipher some of it but it all worked

beet salad was really a lot of beets with a fried goat cheese sphere. a little jalapeño and a smidgen of green garnish. needs more balance and goat cheese, jalapeño and much more greens. would not order again unless this change made.

shrimp and crab dish came with amino loaf and was rich and tasty. predictable but very good which is why it is the most popular.

will return and try some big plates and update the reviews as we go. our tab was $110 with tip and it is a good date place. courtyard dining was on to with some music setting up. come fall we will venture outside.

delicious! upon entering, our party of 4 had to wait about 40 minutes to be seated. we were at a lose as to wear we should wait being that that the resturant is sosmalland all the seats at the bar were taken. after standing at the bar we were seated at a table that was way tosmallfor a restaurant that specializes insmallplates. but once we placed our orders, it wasn't long before our 5 dishes were presented to us. the burger with greek style frites, steak and gruyere flatbread, three 3 cheese and charcuterie platter, the shrimp and grits, and new orleans crab cake were all syupendulous delectable! my favorite was the shrimp and grits that was smothered in a flavorful gravy that had my taste buds singing with praise. all were amazing and flavorful.

something different. i and my family went here for restaurant week. going in i knew what to expect and was excited to try something out of the ordinary, but two in our party were not and they were not totally happy. but i feel that's their fault for not doing any research ahead of time. i loved all my food! i had one of the drinks i think it was called fatal attraction, a nice sized drink that really snuck up on me; the duck confiti beignets, although don't think beignets think hushpuppies, were a nice twist on something familiar and delish; the butter poached scallops were soo good, very buttery and satisfying; and i finished with the chocolate mousse. the other people in the party had the braised beef which i had a bite of and it was very good, another had the scallops as well, and one went off the restaurant week fixed menu and got the smoked salmon flatbread - now she did not like this because she did not know that smoked meant not cooked, but another in the party traded w/ her and that person loved it. this restaurant is a bit different from other places in br because it has a more upscale vibe and its food is a bit more complex. the portions are notsmallbut they are not exactly hardy. if i had not had three course i would probably have been left hungry. also the prices are a bit much. i loved the food and for a special occasion kinda place or somewhere to go after work for a drink and asmallbite i'd go back. but this won't be a regular place for lunch or dinner.

bin 77 is asmallwine bar tucked into perkins rowe. it would be described as intimate by some people and by cramped as others. it was a bit too tight for comfort- hard to even pull a chair out from a table. the food made up for the difficult seating easily though. me and my dining companion each picked different items for the largest variety of courses possible. for our first course, we went with the creole devils on horseback and the smoked duck confit beignets. the second course was roasted beef tenderloin and stuffed mississippi quail. lastly, we went with brulee cheesecake and chocolate mousse cake. the beignets are