Latte e Miele Gelato
17650 Highland Rd. Ste. A
Baton Rouge, LA 70810
Open Seven Days A Week 10am-10pm
(225) 751-4555
info@latteemielegelato.com



Not unlike the rest of America, Baton Rouge can sometimes appear to be nothing more than vast stretches of strip-mall chain mediocrity- soullessly effective in delivering sustenance to the masses, but lacking in quality, sophistication, and craft.
Luckily, every once in a while, you can stumble upon a jewel. So it was, when a sold out movie and three subsequently disappointed kids led to an impromptu search for that universal salve of children the world round- ice cream. EBR! had heard whispers of Latte e Miele and its transcendental gelatos, and set out down Highland Road on a cloudy Saturday to invoke the healing powers of gelato.


Just past the Country Club of Louisiana and before I-10, Latte e Miele (milk and honey, in Italian) lies nestled in (gasp!) a strip mall, albeit one of the snazzier versions that populate the CCLA area to serve its ritzy clientele. Occupying a bright, cheery interior, Latte e Miele just looks like a happy place, clean and colorful, dominated by a double case only half full with delectable offerings. The gelatos are are available two flavors to a small cup, ($4) or three flavors to a large cup or waffle cone ($6). Some of the flavors that shined this day were the Bacio Kiss, a chocolate hazelnut truffle-flavored gelato. It has a luxurious mouth feel, smooth and rich- reminiscent of Nutella, or more accurately, an ice cream version of a Ferrero Rocher. Divine! Also sublime was the black cherry yogurt, smooth and tangy white yogurt with fresh black cherry bits and sauce- a real home run. It was joined in receiving high marks by the Stracciatella(Chocolate Chip) gelato. Latte E Miele also offers several fruit based items, from the creamy strawberry sorbetto to an Italian Ice-like lemon sorbetto, bright and refreshing.


In addition to its gelato cups, Latte E Miele features a formidable selection of sundaes ($10) highlighted by its namesake dessert, the Latte E Miele Sundae- described as a simple cream gelato complimented with a topping of seasonal fresh fruit, and drizzled with Louisiana Orange Blossom Honey... Molto Bene!
For chocolate fans, there's also something for you.. the award-winning Colosseo a traditional Perugian chocolate sundae. Or try the Spaghetti... cream gelato extracted to look like noodles, covered in strawberry sauce to mimic the tomato sauce, even topped with coconut shavings impersonating parmesan cheese. Kids are sure to love this one.

Latte E Miele is also a coffeehouse, offering Italian espressos, capuccinos,teas, and specialty coffee drinks like the Affogato($5), which combines two scoops of their mouth-watering gelato topped with a shot of Bistrot espresso and fresh homemade whipped cream.

Gelato is a wonderful treat, more intensely flavored and lower in fat than most commercial ice creams. Latte E Miele delivers its deliciousness with an eye toward quality and an artisanal touch.

Latte E Miele- the newest member of Eat Baton Rouge!'s Best of Baton Rouge. Bellissimo!



 

We're joining forces with the local food blog Cuisine Rouge, already the most prolific food site in the city. Their mission is to seek out and review the best meals in Baton Rouge, including some great food at places that often get overlooked. These guys are serious foodies, which means they won't be reviewing your neighborhood chain restaurant. But if you want to know where to get great Pho, the best seafood the city has to offer or just some of the best deals in town, this is the site for you. So check it out.

Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant
9431 Delcourt Ave
Baton Rouge, LA 70815-4127
(225) 924-3550

You've seen them ... ubiquitous, it seems, on nearly every street corner in south Baton Rouge: the strip mall Chinese restaurant. Sadly, this is what has come to define the cuisine of China to many -- the picture menus, the ordering by combo number, the same ingredients, precooked, trucked in from the port of Houston from some faceless, soulless warehouse in some godforsaken place like Bay City or Pasadena.

This obscenity ignores the thousands of years of the culinary culture of China -- the regional dishes, the small courses of bliss, the traditional delicacies.

I have heard rumblings that at least one place in the metro Baton Rouge still delivers these goods, and so, tucked away a block off Airline Highway in a nondescript building, I found Dim Sum. Dim Sum means "a bit of heart" in Chinese, and that proved to be an apt description of what I found here ... authentic food, prepared without pretense, simple and satisfying.

I arrive a little late for lunch this day and am concerned to find few cars in the parking lot. Save one table, I appear to have the spacious dining room to myself. Upon entering, I am presented with two menus -- one a list of dim sum courses complete with an accompanying flip book of pictures for hapless gaijin myself, and the other a menu of the McChinese offerings we've all come to know. Since I've eaten enough sweet-and-sour pork and sesame chicken to last me a lifetime, I boldly go the Dim Sum route. Dim Sum refers to a series of small courses served with tea -- in this case ranging from around $3-$5 a piece, with four or so making a tidy lunch.

Perhaps sensing my uncertainty, I am guided by a most helpful employee by the name of Amy who, for the next hour, serves as my culinary tour guide. She also explains why I have the place to myself today: their big crowds come on the weekends, when large Asian families show up for a taste of the traditional, traveling from neighboring states in some cases to get a bite of some things you just can't get in most Chinese restaurants around here. Under Amy's steady hand, I make my choices: Cha Siu Bao ($2.50 for 3) a sort of bready dumpling filled with minced Chinese barbecued pork; the Siu Mai ($2.90 for 4) rice flour dumplings stuffed with pork; and the Ha Gow ($3.25 for 4) pleated, translucent shrimp dumplings that seem born to be married with the soy sauce and homemade chili oil that stand on every table.

Since Dim Sum is made to be served with tea, I opt for a hot pot of Oolong, one of the many varieties Dim Sum offers.

The Cha Siu Bao look like they might be heavy or floury, but what I find is a light texture, slightly sweet, and filled with delicious minced pork bits in a Chinese barbecue sauce. On to the Siu Mai, these are moist, flavorful bits of pork stuffing in dumplings that took particularly well to the aforementioned chili oil. The Ha Gow are fantastic -- snappy shrimp inside a translucent dumpling that releases juicy, delicious broth with every bite.

On the spot I resolve to return, as I have only scratched the surface. If you consider these as appetizers, there are also main courses, including stir fries of rice noodles, vegetable stir fries, wontons, and an array of chef's specials ranging from the traditional clay pot dishes (which are sure to be my next meal here), to daily specials, fresh curries and even steamed whole fish.

If you are looking to break out of combo meal Chinese, make the trip to Dim Sum and experiment a little -- you'll get a little taste of Hong Kong one small plate at a time.