runch was a recent product for Walker after tossing around ideas in his head this time, rather than on the stove. It’s that same thought process over the past nine years of trying something new that prompted him to venture out and open restaurants in Ruston and two more in Baton Rouge. Not all trials and errors turn into triumph though. Walker refers to his Baton Rouge locations as “a real struggle” after spending a good portion of two years mostly in his car traveling to south Louisiana, rather than in one of his own restaurants. He even broke away from the Ruston location and now he can focus all of his attention on making his original brainchild in Monroe the best yet. “I got more bogged down in the business side of it and lost focus on the creativity in this restaurant,” Walker said. “Once I got that (closing the Baton Rouge locations) behind us the first of this year, I said, ‘I’m going to hit the ground running back in this restaurant.’” Not all of the Baton Rouge experience went sour though. Walker met a local celebrity on the food scene, Jay Ducote. The Food Network Star Season 11 Runner-Up is also a writer and his blog “Bite and Booze” is frequented by thousands since starting it in 2009. “His advice to me was, ‘It’s a good, solid menu, but there’s nothing really on it that really sets yourself apart,” Walker said. “So I started looking at it, even the names on the menu – grilled chicken salad, roast beef poboy – nothing really creative that really rings a bell. That’s when the wheels started turning and wanting to do different things.” Some creations came from shaking up current menu items, and others were new ideas that popped into Walker’s head that he tried to translate into the kitchen. More than half of his staff has been with Walker since he opened the Portico doors in 2005, but even they looked at him like he was a little crazy when he suggested changing up current menu items – mainly because those dishes were some of their most popular sellers, like the Flatboy Sandwich. “It was pretty basic,” Walker said. “It had roast beef, ham, turkey … just a lot of meat on the bread and just a big sandwich flattened out. People really liked it, but it was one dimensional in flavor. All those proteins were really salty and never had any contrasting.” Walker’s creativity comes from his own mind, but he also puts himself in good company to help get the wheels turning even more from the Food Network to YouTube videos and trying out as many restaurants as he can when he travels. “I was in New York during the holidays last year,
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and the hotel I stayed at, The Standard, had a restaurant inside, The Standard Grill. It was one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been in,” Walker said. “They had this brisket roast beef with all this stuff on it and had all these different flavors going on, so I got to thinking, ‘OK I’m starting to see what’s going on here.’ I came back, and I changed it that day.” However, Portico’s best seller on the menu was not developed from a brilliant revelation in a big city. In fact, it almost came by mistake. The Shrimp IN Grits is served as an appetizer and as an entrée, but don’t be expecting a plate running over with grits and shrimp generously spread throughout it. Instead, it looks more like a hushpuppy on steroids. Notice the name – shrimp IN grits. Walker puts the shrimp in the grits, fries the grits and tops it off with a mushroom cream sauce. Other shrimp dishes include the Shrimp Massey, another top seller, which consists of a grilled jumbo shrimp, wrapped in bacon with Creole cream cheese, jalapeño, fresh basil and pepper jelly. If the kitchen is Walker’s canvas, he makes the most of it with colors, too. Where artists have paintbrushes, Walker has garnishes most people would never think of putting together, and it always seems to put the right hues together. The Asian Ahi Tuna appetizer is the perfect example. The seared tuna has been on the menu for years, but only recently did it take on a look of its own. Instead of sliced and seared tuna on a plate with all its embellishments, Walker has made it into an art form. The tuna is rolled in a sesame seared ahi, spring mix, mandarin oranges, avocado, cucumber, tomato and soy sauce vinaigrette and served in a shape similar to flan, but it hardly takes on the taste of a dessert and it’s about twice the size. The citrus and vinegar touches add just the right contrast between the tuna and sesame. “I come up with the recipes, and we’ll all just get back there and try to kick it out,” Walker said. Burgers and sandwiches have also taken on a new look, and the tacos can be a lighter option. The tortilla is stuffed with your choice of honey sriracha glazed fried shrimp, Caribbean jerk grilled mahi or smothered pork roast, then topped with cabbage, pickled red onion, avocado or fresh cilantro aioli. So much detail for a guy who never thought he would have the makeup to be in the restaurant industry. “I didn’t have the patience without burning everything,” Walker said. “I’ve always enjoyed eating and going out to eat and really interested in what other people can do, so I would always make notes and ideas and figure out how to get that done.”