Many believe that the way one talks about oneself makes a difference when it comes to self-confidence. Does the difference self-talk makes matter when it comes to the way residents talk about the city where they call home?
According to Maameefua Koomson, it matters.
When Koomson, who closely follows Baton Rouge happenings and food scene, heard that food critic phenomenon Keith Lee was making a trip to Baton Rouge, her first reaction was, "Really? Us?"
"Unfortunately, I feel like Baton Rouge does get overlooked — or we're almost like the neglected stepsibling when you have a city like New Orleans," she said.
Maameefua Koomson closely follows the food scene in Baton Rouge. When she heard that TikTok food critic Keith Lee was coming to town, she created a video with restaurant recommendations.
Koomson's mission with her food-centric Instagram is to uplift and support Louisiana's capital city — specifically in its culinary endeavors. Before Lee confirmed he was coming to Baton Rouge, she created a video with several restaurant recommendations and asked others to comment with options. Even if Lee decided not to visit, she thought it would be a great resource.
Koomson said that many people were messaging her negative things about Baton Rouge and that Lee would be disappointed in the food here.
"People probably do notice us, but maybe we turn them off by how we speak about the city," she said. "To me, this is a wake-up call. We can always give critiques, but we fail to realize that the places we love to travel to are appealing because the locals love it — the good, the bad, the ugly."
When Lee confirmed he was conducting a food tour in Baton Rouge, a level of pandemonium struck.
TikTok food critic Keith Lee gave the banana berry French toast from Fork N Spoon a 7.5/10. The restaurant was the first Baton Rouge review he posted.
Several businesses created videos asking him to visit their restaurants. They sent messages and tagged him in social media posts. In one TikTok video, he said that the city has been on "high alert."
With more than 16 million TikTok followers, one of Lee's techniques to get a more accurate take on service and food quality is to send family members into restaurants to order for him. In Baton Rouge, he had to resort to sending other people as even his family members were being recognized.
'It's the biggest blessing'
Lee posted his first review around midnight Thursday, June 13, about Fork N Spoon, the all-day breakfast and lunch spot at 1750 Brightside Drive. He ordered the maple bacon berry French toast, banana berry French toast, braised beef grits with soft scrambled eggs and loaded grits.
Along with his $37.40 order and social media review, Lee left a $3,000 tip.
Fork N Spoon owner Kristen Abshire arrived at the restaurant shortly after midnight to prepare braised beef for the next day, which takes five hours to cook.
Fork N Spoon owner Kristen Abshire behind the counter at the all-day breakfast and lunch spot Thursday, June 13, after TikTok food critic Keith Lee posted a review about the restaurant.
"Then I went back to try to sleep, laid down, and my phone was blowing up," Abshire said. "I was like, 'There's no way.' So I ended up showering and coming back at 2 a.m."
At 7:30 a.m., 30 minutes after opening time, customers started to pile in, nonstop.
"It's the biggest blessing we've every experienced, for a fact," Abshire said of Lee's appearance. "We've never gotten attention or publicity like this. We've never gotten a $3,000 tip. It's surreal."
Lee's ratings for Fork N Spoon:
- Maple bacon berry toast: 7.9/10
- Banana berry French toast: 7.5/10
- Braised beef brisket with soft scrambled eggs: 8/10
- Loaded grits: 7/10
For his first food review in Baton Rouge, Keith Lee visited the all-day breakfast and lunch spot Fork N Spoon, which specializes in homestyle, cooked-to-order dishes at 1750 Brightside Drive.
The day before Lee visited Fork N Spoon, Abshire announced on Instagram that she was expecting a baby in December. Before, she was worried about not being at the restaurant full time. After the exposure from Lee, she's feeling a sense of comfort.
"To be given a position to make more money and more connections in the community, it's perfect timing," she said.
Abshire added that she appreciated Lee's honesty and fairness in his videos. Even when he doesn't like the food, he always finds the right words to not offend the owner or restaurant.
'I never thought he was going to come here'
When Dr. Feel Good co-owner Heather Smith heard that Lee was coming to Baton Rouge, she couldn't wait to watch the videos and see where he would go.
"I never thought he was going to come here," Smith said.
And yet, he did.
The organic wellness shop at 12240 Coursey Blvd. is known for its smoothies, cold-pressed juices and acai bowls. Lee's $30.24 order included the Blue Dream smoothie, hibiscus and sea moss juice and classic acai bowl. He said that the spot came recommended by "one of the biggest food creators here in Baton Rouge." That creator was Koomson.
Heather Smith prepares a Blue Dream, a drink popularized by Tik Tok food critic Keith Lee, at Dr. Feel Good on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Lee's ratings for Dr. Feel Good:
- Blue dream smoothie with coconut water as the base: 8.7/10
- Hibiscus and sea moss juice: 3/10
After Lee and his wife, Ronni, finished their food, they left a $3,000 tip and $1,000 to pay for anyone who comes in after them.
The day after the video was posted, Smith said the crowd was "insane," adding that they received orders for almost 200 tickets. Before Lee visited, Smith was usually the only employee working from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Now, she has had to hire employees and order triple the amount of supplies to keep up with the demand.
"It's just a blessing," Smith said. "Of all the places in Baton Rouge, I was taken back when he showed up. I was like, 'You're here? My little baby?'"
Lee concluded his review of Dr. Feel Good saying that he was "in full support" of the Black-owned business serving healthy options.
'Some of the best barbecue I've had in my life'
After his review of Dr. Feel Good, Lee posted about Smoke Bayou at 4355 Inniswold Road, a barbecue joint that dishes up ribs, brisket and other smoked meats.
He said that the restaurant was one of the most recommended spots in Baton Rouge.
@keith_lee125 @Smoke bayou Smoke Bayou taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
"This is a mom-and-pop spot, but it's been recommended like it's a community staple," Lee said in the video. "I would've thought this place had six, seven locations. But when we pulled up, when I say mom and pop, it's a small, intimate shack."
Lee's $41.61 order included mac and cheese, smoked cabbage and a four-meat plate with chicken, sausage, ribs and brisket.
Lee's ratings for Smoke Bayou:
- Mac and cheese: 2/10
- Smoked cabbage: 2/10
- Ribs: 7.9/10
- Chicken: 8/10
- Brisket: 9.2/10
- Sausage: 9.5/10
When he opted to try the ribs first, he noticed that they weren't served with barbecue sauce on the ribs or on the side.
"That's called confidence," he said.
He noted that the ribs were sweet and smoky, but he wished they had more salt.
Nevertheless, he praised Smoke Bayou, saying it was "some of the best barbecue I've had in my life, by far."
Rounding out the food tour
Before his arrival, Lee set up a poll on Instagram asking which restaurant most embodies the food scene in Baton Rouge — 32% voted for The Bayou Affect, a Creole-style restaurant located at 670 O'Neal Lane.
Lee's review of The Bayou Affect was the first and only lackluster rating for customer service in Baton Rouge. He said that his family waited more than an hour for their order and were then told that the order was never placed. By the time the miscommunication was discovered, some of the items Lee originally ordered were unavailable.
@keith_lee125 The Bayou Effect taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic @TheBayouAffect ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
After he posted his review, the restaurant took to social media to respond and defend themselves.
"I take full accountability for the mishandling of Keith Lee's order," The Bayou Affect owner Skylar Leblanc said in an Instagram Post. "There was a miscommunication between the name assigned to the order, and the driver's actual name, leading to an elongated wait time for his specific order."
Lee's $42 order consisted of Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, spicy lemon pepper wings and a catfish platter with fries.
"This is what I'm excited for," Lee said while holding up a large, Buffalo sauce-covered chicken drum.
He noted that, while the vinegary sauce on the wings might not be for everyone, he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Lee's rating for The Bayou Affect:
- Philly cheesesteak egg rolls: 5/10
- spicy lemon pepper wings: 8/10
- catfish platter: 7.5/10
His final stop in Baton Rouge
For his final Baton Rouge stop, Lee reviewed KOK Wings & Things, which serves a wide selection of chicken wings in various flavors at 1509 Government St., in the Electric Depot. The first detail Lee noticed about the restaurant was the amount of people dancing.
"This is a full party scene," he said on TikTok. "This is not just a restaurant."
@keith_lee125 #stitch with @Tre’Jan Vinson Kok Wings Baton Rouge taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic @KOK Wings & Things ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
His $41 order featured a five-piece mix with Krucial and Double Dip flavors, a five-piece mix with Rebel and Honey Drip flavors, a five-piece mix with Rasta and Sum Nasty flavors and catfish sliders.
He noted that the wings weren't labeled, so he didn't exactly know which ones he was sampling. Nevertheless, he said that the Krucial wings, a honey garlic rub, and the Double Dip wings, a sweet rub with honey and garlic, were breaded well.
"Even though it's a lot of sauce, it's still crispy, which is very surprising because it's soaked in sauce," Lee said.
Lee's ratings for KOK Wings & Things:
- Five-piece mix with Krucial wings (honey garlic rub flavors) and Double Dip wings (sweet rub and honey garlic rub flavors): 8/10
- Five-piece mix with Rebel wings (jerk and honey garlic flavors) and Honey Drip wings (honey garlic rub and barbecue flavors): 8/10
- Seasoned French fries: 4/10
- Five-piece mix with Rasta wings (jerk flavor) and Sum Nasty wings (sweet heat and sweet rub flavors): 7.5/10
- Fried catfish sliders: 5/10
"Overall, I see why this is a popular spot," Lee concluded about KOK. "Again, they're in there cutting a rug. And I'm happy they're happy."