With less than one week before the LSU Tigers face off against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, LSU fans around the country are gearing up to watch the tigers defend their national championship. For many of the fans, this marks the beginning of another important season: Tailgating Season! Thousands of tailgaters crowd the LSU campus each home game to cheer on the tigers. For some, it is an extravagant party atmosphere lined with kegs and barbecue pits. For others, it is simple gathering with a tent, chairs, and an ice chest or two with food and drinks.

Whatever your style is, the 7th Annual Taste of Tiger Tailgating had something for you. It was presented by Mockler Beverage and Iberville motors this past Saturday at the Baton Rouge River Center’s Exhibition Hall. TheTigerBlog.com was there to sample tasty dishes, drink some cold beer, and check out LSU Tiger merchandise and apparel.

I arrived early and there was already a huge line waiting to get in. By the time the doors opened at 5PM, the line was wrapped around the lobby area five times. Event coordinators handled the crowd well by giving out bracelets for those drinking alcohol at the event (no need to wait in line twice). Once the doors opened, we were all in within 10-15 minutes.

First stop: beer. The beer situation was a little confusing. There were two booths when you entered the exhibition hall. At one line, people were walking away with aluminum bottles of domestic beer (Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, etc.). The other line had a display of bottles with select beer and imports. I just wanted a Bud Light, so I stood in the aluminum bottle line. As I got to the front of the line, I noticed people giving money. I thought it was just people tipping. When I almost reached the front, I heard a person serving beer tell people that the bottles were to be purchased. Myself and three other people simultaneously moved to the other line and started the wait again. After waiting in line again, we finally received some free beer. This booth only served a half a bottle in a cup at a time. Some people were getting two at a time, but I saved some room for food.

My first stop after acquiring a beverage was at the Caminita’s Tiger Den booth. I saw Randy’s post on tigerdroppings.com and wanted to see some of his artwork. He has a new piece titled “Welcome to Death Valley” that “captures the gigantic costumed mascot “Mike the Tiger” in larger than life form stepping out of Tiger Stadium with his arms spread wide open peering upward at the almighty “EYE OF THE TIGER” in the night sky above.” It is a very nice work of art. You can buy prints starting at $25.00 from his website. He also offers framed prints, canvas reproduction, and ceramic tiles.

Now it was time to eat. The venue was large enough that there were not many booths with a large line. I just had a hard time deciding what to try first. I passed by many booths serving pastalaya, but the dish at the Brandon Laborde Catering booth looked the best. This was probably because they were serving it straight out of a cast iron pot instead of warming trays. Their pastalaya was fresh and it contained Cajun sausage. It had a kick but was not overly spicy. The deciding factor when it comes to pastalaya is the texture. Their pasta was cooked perfectly and the dish was moist. Other pastalaya at the event was a little dried out. You can check out the Brandon Laborde Catering Menu here.

At this point, I was out of beer and thirsty from the pastalaya. Once I got to the front of the line, I asked for another Bud Light. They stopped “sampling” the bud products and had moved on to other lines. I’m kind of picky when it comes to beer but they had Negra Modela, an excellent Mexican dark beer. Then it was off to taste some other food.

I passed an interesting booth serving Mickle’s Pickles: The Second Best Pickle on the Planet!. Having never heard of these, I thought I would give it a try. They had two types of pickles, Original and Not Hot Jalapeño. Mickey Fluitt asked if I liked seasoned food and highly recommended the Not Hot Jalapeño flavor. This was delicious, a mild pickle flavor and not too spicy. It was a perfect blend of flavors. You can find these pickles at Maxwell’s Market in Baton Rouge or you can order them at the Mickle’s Pickles website.

Next stop was three booths next to each other, Happy’s, Roux House, and Schlitz & Giggles. I walked up to the Happy’s girls dressed in their usual attire (see picture in photo gallery) and asked for an Irish Carbomb. Unfortunately they did not have the ingredients to concoct one. Schlitz & Giggles is, in my opinion, one of the best pizzerias in town. They had slices of cheese, meat lovers, and barbecue chicken. Always good to eat, especially if you have been downtown all night on Friday or Saturday.

Tony Chachere’s booth had a great assortment of food. I started with the jambalaya and I doubt it was the rice dinner mix that they sell. Their deep fried turkey and fried catfish was also really good. My favorite at the booth was the seafood bisque, very rich and creamy.

Here are some other notable booths that I visited.

Hooter’s - chicken wings, no Daytona style (my favorite)

The Wine Loft - samples of fine wine

Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant - cheese quesadillas

Don Juan Cigar Company - cigars and accessories. Check out their monthly tastings!

La Carreta - margaritas and various Mexican food

Monjunis - muffalettas and pastalaya

Tiger District - LSU apparel

Miss Baton Rouge - thank you for the pictures Brittney, Jamie Lynn, Collette, and Paige

Mini Reviews - Caminita’s Tiger Den, Kickin Kajun, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Cajun Microwaves, and Mickle’s Pickles

The Taste of Tiger Tailgating was a great event that gives LSU fans an idea of what they need for tailgating. It showcased a wide variety of foods to cook or bring on Saturday’s in tiger country. TheTigerBlog.com will definitely be back again next year. Enjoy the photos from the event.

Did you go to the Taste of Tiger Tailgating? What did you think? Leave your comments below.