The sign said “Opening Soon: Baton Rouge”. Looks like the Morse’s Tea Building was finally getting a tenant.  Baton Rouge, sounds good, I thought. I love Cajun-Creole cooking. There used to be such a restaurant in Halifax at one time, I vaguely remember–was it called Cindy’s, maybe?  My thoughts drifted to jambalaya, cornbread, dirty rice, and jazz. From somewhere in the back of my mind, a niggling doubt, a growing awareness that all is not as it seemed. Baton Rouge…Baton Rouge…Baton Rouge…I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. Damn!  Baton Rouge is a chain. A Canadian chain of generic, bland, cookie cutter restaurants with not an ounce of atmosphere, and even less creativity on the menu. I’m not averse to chain restaurants altogether. They have their place–in shopping centres and scattered among big box stores on the outskirts of town. But not in downtown Halifax. The historic downtown, fighting for survival as the heritage mavens wrestle with the future seekers. How the hell did this even get approved?
Check out Baton Rouge’s menu.  I see so-so food, shipped in already mixed, diced, seasoned and vacuum packed, ready to do little more than provide fuel for downtown tourists–certainly not an enjoyable dining experience.
The menu could be at TGIFridays, Montana’s, Applebee’s, or any one of a number of like chains. There’s a decided lack of Louisiana identity–call chicken fingers Baton Rouge chicken tenders all you want, they’re still chicken fingers.
I don’t know the business plan or financial details of the backers, but I don’t expect Baton Rouge to last. Of course, Applebee’s is still open, so I could be wrong. I’ll go back to cooking my Cajun-Creole food for myself.