Catfish without the pilgrimage
Middendorf will setup inside a downtown hotel over two weeks
One of South Louisiana’s most beloved catfish restaurants is coming to Baton Rouge for a limited run, which means you can get Middendorf’s famed thin-fried catfish without making the drive to Manchac.
What’s happening: Middendorf’s is popping up at Passé, the restaurant inside the new Origin Hotel at the corner of North Boulevard at Town Square.
When: The fish will be served Tuesday through Friday this week and next, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Why the fuss: Middendorf’s thin-fried catfish is so well known that the restaurant trademarked the name, first putting the dish on the menu in 1934, when Middendorf’s opened as a roadside diner in the Manchac Swamp. The restaurant is about the only thing there now.
The backstory: For generations, Middendorf’s has been a destination for road-trippers across south Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Families have been stopping there for years, often knowing exactly what they came for before they sat down.
On the menu: The catfish is the star, but regulars also swear by the whole flounder stuffed with crab dressing, frog legs, soft-shell crabs and fried chicken.
The bottom line: Owner and chef Horst Pfeifer tells RedEye the pop-up is not a market test for a Baton Rouge restaurant, though he is not closing the door on that idea either. He expects to learn from the response.
For now, his focus is on getting Middendorf right. That meant adjusting the menu to fit a smaller kitchen at Passe while protecting the history and expectations tied to his restaurant.
“Middendorf’s has been a big name for 90 years. It’s almost a religious experience for some people. We have to be careful as the keeper of something like this.”
