One restaurant on Highland Road that most people at LSU know of and love (I’m looking at you, student media workers) is The Chimes, and after I went for the first time on Feb. 22, I wasn’t disappointed.
With a visitor in town, I had the perfect opportunity to go eat at Chimes since someone else would also experience it for the first time with me. So, here’s what I got when I went for dinner.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Does anyone ever talk about Chimes and not bring up the spinach and artichoke dip? Even before I tried it, I would talk about the dip.
After trying it, I get it. The hype is valid because the dip is good while also being different from others. Spinach and artichoke dip is a classic appetizer seen on many restaurant menus, but this one from Chimes stands out.
I’ve also never had a dip with the kind of chips that were provided, so that was different. They’re like fried bowtie-shaped pasta chips. I’m not 100% sure. Whatever they are, they’re awesome and pair so well with the dip. We almost finished the entire plate before our other dishes came out.
One thing, though, is that the cheese on top was so hard. I don’t usually break my dip with a fork, but I found myself doing that a little while eating this one. The cheese likely hardened after coming out of the oven or something like that, so I wasn’t too thrown off by it. Plus, the actual dip was fine underneath.
Overall, solid. Would definitely doordash this (and only this) if I was hungry and didn’t know what to eat.
Seafood Pasta
I’m not sure what Chimes is popular for other than the dip, so I played it safe and chose a specialty dish. The seafood pasta has crawfish tails and (I think) lobster with linguine dressed in an andouille cream sauce. I’m a seafood person, and since it also came with a breadstick, this pasta gets a yes in my book.
Specialty dishes also come with a side salad. I’m not too big on salads because I’m a different level of picky with them, so I again played it safe and went with a basic Caesar. My guest opted for the same.
I’m not used to Caesar salads with whole baby tomatoes in them, but after picking those out, I enjoyed my three total bites then happily pushed it to the edge of the table.
I regret to share that I did not pick the croutons out after I pushed the salad aside. I usually ask for extra croutons, so the fact that I didn’t even eat the four available on my plate is a little unlike me. Poor move on my part.
This dish was good overall, and I’d probably get it again if I find myself back at Chimes. It’s hard to miss on pasta for me, so I didn’t expect anything less.
Bacon Wrapped BBQ Shrimp and Jambalaya
This dish also came off the specialties, and since my guest was in Louisiana for the first time, it seemed fitting to order jambalaya. My guest also wanted this dish anyway once we looked at the menu, so that made the decision-making process easier too.
I didn’t have much of this since my pasta was enough to feed two of me, but I did have a piece of shrimp and a spoonful of jambalaya. I’m not a huge jambalaya person (or maybe I’ve never had good jambalaya) so I’ll stick with my seafood pasta.
The shrimp though…y’all, that was fire. Anything with bacon and barbecue sauce gets an immediate Chloe stamp of approval. I didn’t thoroughly scan the menu to check for myself, but if this shrimp isn’t already offered as its own dish, it should be.
Although I wasn’t a fan, there was almost nothing left on the plate at the end of dinner, meaning my guest thoroughly enjoyed every component of the dish. With that in mind, I would recommend this dish to those who are actually jambalaya connoisseurs.
Final Thoughts
After spending a little over an hour in Chimes, I now understand why it’s such a fan-favorite in Baton Rouge. The most memorable part of the experience was the environment in the restaurant; from stained glass artwork to music like “Santeria” by Sublime, Chimes creates a scene that’s perfect for the college campus atmosphere.
If you’re an LSU student or a resident of Baton Rouge who has yet to step into Chimes, it should be your next stop. Those who know me know that I always order spinach and artichoke dip when it’s on the menu, and the one from Chimes is ranked high for sure. That alone is enough to go.
In all seriousness, Chimes is an LSU classic. If you’ve never been, this is your sign to check it off the bucket list!