Taste of Hallelujah

Family-owned Juban’s puts a Louisiana spin on classic French flavors

For a quarter century, Juban’s (3739 Perkins Road, 225.346.8422; jubans.com) has been taking the Creole-influenced flavors of the Big Easy and giving them a Baton Rouge flair. Along the way, it’s developed a large local and regional following, as well as one of the most original dishes you’re bound to stumble across anywhere — the Hallelujah Crab. This flash-fried soft-shell crab is served stuffed with crawfish, shrimp, and crabmeat and topped with a creolaise sauce. The dish gets its name because the crab’s claws are thrown skyward, ready to embrace a soon-to-be-satisfied diner.

Miriam Juban, one of the restaurant’s three co-owners, says the Hallelujah Crab is a symbol of Juban’s fun and embracing atmosphere. But the dish almost ended up with a less appetizing name. “We were going to call it Touchdown Crab at first because it has its arms in the air,” she recalls. “A neighbor came over and tasted it and said the name was wrong. He said, ‘That thing’s saying hallelujah.’”

The restaurant has been a family affair since its founding in 1983. Juban says they started up because they felt there was a hole in the local dining scene. “No one was copying the New Orleans food,” she explains. One of the great validations of what Juban’s has accomplished, she adds, is that it has become a favorite of savvy diners from New Orleans who have moved to Baton Rouge.

Chef Terry McDonner says the key to what makes Juban’s successful and different is taking French cuisine and incorporating foods and techniques particular to Louisiana. “We’ve always done the béarnaise sauces, the bordelaise, the hollandaise. We just keep tuning it and tuning it to be sure we’re ahead of the next restaurant,” McDonner says.

To go with its heralded crab dish, Juban’s offers a number of authentic Louisiana dishes. Miriam Juban is most proud of the smoked chicken, duck, and andouille sausage gumbo, as well as several seafood dishes. McDonner lists the lamb among his favorites, adding that he relishes the idea of taking common foods and giving them an upscale twist.

Juban’s has grown considerably, starting as a 5,000-square-foot bistro and more than doubling its space to 13,000 square feet over the years. The restaurant has also benefited from its location close to Interstate 10 in a town that has seen tremendous growth.

“We have the well-heeled travelers here quite often,” Juban says. “They may have eaten in Tokyo yesterday, Baton Rouge today, and Mobile tomorrow.[Baton Rouge] is part of the Energy Corridor and it brings in some very savvy travelers.”

Juban says the key is to keep all visitors coming back. “We always want to pay attention to our diners and try to make them our friends.”

Getting There: Continental offers daily nonstop service to Baton Rouge from its hub in Houston.

1

Beauregard Gallery & Bistro. 715 Europe St., 225.383.1932. Grilled tuna and shrimp remoulade are among the favorites at this great out-of-the-way lunch spot in downtown Baton Rouge.

2

Mestizo. 2323 Acadian Thruway, 225.387.2699. Mestizo’s menu is an intriguing collision of Mexican cuisine and Louisiana flavor, with selections like crawfish burritos and crab enchiladas.

3

DiGiulio Brothers. 2903 Perkins Road, 225.383.4203. This small, comfortable Italian spot has all the bases covered when it comes to the food Mama would make.

4

Hawks Nest Restaurant. 3015 Westfork Drive, 225.291.4422. This is the place in Baton Rouge to get a delicious hamburger and fries.

5

Maison Lacour. 11025 N. Harrell’s Ferry Road, 225.275.3755. Nothing says Louisiana like French food, and this cozy little cottage delivers a fine selection of traditional French cuisine.

Soup may serve as the ultimate comfort food in most parts of the country, but in the Deep South, that role is played by gumbo. Hot, spicy, and chock-full of the tastiest creatures from the Gulf Shore, gumbo can be as varied as snowflakes.

Some gumbo cooks believe in lots of okra — a popular Southern vegetable — while others opt for spinach or mustard greens. Regardless of the variations, the result is almost always satisfying, especially with a little Tabasco sauce and some crackers. Here are a few spots to spoon into a nice hot cup or bowl.

Dew Drop Inn, Mobile, Ala. 1808 Old Shell Road, 251.473.7872. The beer is cold and the gumbo is dark, rich, and full of shrimp in one of the Azalea City’s oldest restaurants. Although some claim the Dew Drop Inn inspired Jimmy Buffett’s song “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” the gumbo here stacks up nicely against any in the region.

The Wharf Rat, Baltimore, Md. (Two locations) 206 W. Pratt Street at Camden Yards, 410.244.8900; 801 S. Ann Street in Fells Point. 410.276.9034. The Wharf Rat serves a spicy Southern seafood gumbo, loaded with shrimp, crab, fish, and Andouille sausage, that reminds visitors that Baltimore is indeed below the Mason-Dixon line.

Joe Patti’s Seafood Co., Pensacola, Fla. 524 South B Street, 850.432.3315. In the Pensacola area, this working market is synonymous with good seafood. And the gumbo — which you can order online — is something to write home about.