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Baton Rouge

Even if you had no idea that Baton Rouge is a chain restaurant from Quebec, you’d know it upon walking through the door. It’s the type of restaurant that’s commonly plunked into strip malls with a limited menu focus and lots of TVs — but tonight we aren’t looking for innovation, we just stopped in to see if the ribs are any good.

I’ll admit the ribs are tasty at Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed by anything else we sampled. Our meal mostly consisted of standard, middle-of-the-road fare with an emphasis on large portions.

Arriving on a quiet Thursday night, we’re early for our non-essential reservation. Regrettably, this means we’re whisked into the lounge to a booth by the bar. So much for seeing the restaurant.

Looking around us, we’re thankful that the décor doesn’t go overboard with the Louisiana-theme. The space features brick walls, cherry woods and faux tin ceilings. The sound of lukewarm New Orleans jazz can be heard in the background, but somehow we don’t get the lively spirit of Louisiana from it all. Not an auspicious beginning.

As we dig into the menu, we’re warmly greeted by our friendly server. Along with our drink order, we get the recommended Louisiana spinach dip ($10).

The plate is heaped with tortilla chips, a huge bowl of dip and sides of salsa and sour cream (both of which go untouched). The warm dip combines spinach, artichoke hearts and a blend of cheeses. I’m not sure what makes it a Louisiana dip, but it’s definitely creamy and cheesy, and quite possibly a gazillion calories. After a few bites, I stop. This dish could feed at least four people. Maybe we should have had the calamari.

For his main, my husband decides on the barbecue trio ($35). We figure it’s the perfect dish as it covers the holy trinity of barbecue on the menu — ribs, chicken and shrimp. As we place our order our server says “That’s a lot of food!”

Duly noted. The platter is loaded with five massive black tiger shrimp, a chicken breast, a rack of ribs and a side of garlic mashed potatoes. As previously mentioned, the ribs are good. Slathered with Baton Rouge’s signature sweet and smoky sauce, they’ve been slow-cooked to perfection with tender results.

The chicken is less engaging. It’s an average-sized breast basted with the same sauce. Same goes for the shrimp. The only thing the shrimp has going for it is its gargantuan size. I’m split on whether this is a good or bad thing — it’s just a whole lot more of the exact same flavours. At least it’s filling.

For my main, I veer off the barbecue track for a bite of Baton Rouge’s prime rib sandwich ($16). Stacked with eight ounces of sliced prime rib with grilled red onions and Monterey Jack cheese, the sandwich comes on a soft baguette with a cup of jus. The best I can say is that it’s a decent sandwich. I don’t think the beef is notable in any way, but I do like the salty jus. Served with a pile of shoestring fries, it is mildly satisfactory.

We are way too full from the massive portions to even consider dessert, but we have a look at the menu anyway. There’s chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis, a walnut brownie and carrot cake, plus one dessert called the Baton Rouge mystique chocolate cake ($7) — a layer cake featuring espresso mousse, praline cream, caramel and roasted sugar almonds. Oh my.

Our server lets us know for next time that the desserts are made in-house. It’s nice to know, but I likely won’t return.

There’s nothing despicable about Baton Rouge. The service is friendly and professional, the décor is comfortable and the ribs are good. If you’re looking for a new spot to try ribs and ribs alone, this may be a good option, but I’m not really recommending it. My overall rating for Baton Rouge is a meh-plus.