Some of my best childhood memories are of going to dinner with my parents or grandparents. Usually on a Friday night, they would pick a place — most of which aren’t around anymore.

 

One of my favorite’s was Cypress Inn. Back then, it was in the middle of nowhere, on Cypress Lake in Bossier Parish. If you wanted fried catfish, Cypress Inn wastheplace to go. When I was probably 10 or 11 years old, I once ate 17 whole catfish. Funny, the things we remember. I was more proud of that accomplishment then, than I am now.

 

I thought about the long gone restaurant — I believe a fire was the cause for closure — on a recent Saturday. After spending all afternoon at ball fields, a friend and I were (very) casually dressed, feeling a little grimy, tired, and hungry. I had been told the next best thing to the old Cypress Inn is Jan’s River Restaurant (7675 W. 70th Street, Shreveport). So, we decided to check it out.

 

From the minute my friend and I arrived, we knew we didn’t have to worry about being overdressed. Diners were wearing everything from shorts, to blue jeans, to t-shirts. One lady was wearing what looked like a one-piece pajama.

 

Thankfully, my friend and I fit right in.

 

In its 37th year, the family-owned restaurant’s look fits its customers’ attire. The outside of Jan’s is about as nondescript as possible. Inside, Jan’s is rustic with its cedar walls. There are two dining rooms. The main room is large, and on this night, almost every table was taken. There’s a much smaller dining room, which is where we were seated. It was small enough to where you could hear the conversations of others, but not so small that we felt cramped.

 

Here’s something I found interesting. The tabletops have advertisements for various businesses, which are permanent to the tables. A little investigative reporting revealed the ads are printed on the table, then the top is covered with some kind of glaze. It was a very old-school look. 

 

Courtney was our server, and she could not have been more pleasant and attentive. A young lady working her way through school, Courtney was soft-spoken, checked on us often, and answered any questions we asked her. 

 

Jan’s offers nine appetizers. Now, with all the goodies you get with your meal (more on those in a minute), an appetizer is absolutely unnecessary. But, I work for you, the reader, and felt the need to try one so you would know what to expect. We went with the Battered Corn Nuggets ($9.50). I like corn, and was expecting a basket with maybe 10 nuggets.

 

Boy, was I wrong.

 

Courtney brought us a basket filled with no less than 20 of what looked like big, fried balls of corn. Big on size and big on taste! The “nuggets” were hot and tender, and had an addictive-like taste. They came with a dipping sauce, which made this appetizer a home run choice.

 

As the menu indicated, all entrees are served with bean soup and hush puppies. And if you order any type of seafood, you will also be served cole slaw, tomato relish, and onion slices. All of this comes before your meal! That is why you don’t need an appetizer.

 

 

 

If none of that is appealing, you can have fried shrimp or fried oysters. But before arriving, I visited the restaurant’s website. For first-timers, Jan’s recommended the seafood platter, ($34.50), which came with a choice of fries or a baked potato. Although I had been to Jan’s once before, probably 20 years ago, I considered myself a first-time customer. So, I took the restaurant’s advice. 

 

 

 

My seafood platter was basically a plate full of fried food. I eat very little fried food, but I talked myself into making an exception. I’m glad I did, although I didn’t want to know my cholesterol level afterwards. The two catfish filets, one whole fish, two shrimp, two oysters, and one big frog leg were all very good. The batter was glued to the food. Nothing looked or tasted greasy. My only disappointment was that the piece of whole fish didn’t have much fish on the bone. Next time, if I order fish only, I will likely get filets. I chose the baked potato, and it was just like I like my potato — hot and soft.

 

 

When looking over the menu before ordering, I noticed the absence of any desserts. Despite my friend and I being very pleasantly full, I asked Courtney why Jan’s doesn’t serve anything sweet. She said they do offer one dessert, cheesecake, but it’s not made in-house. Reading between the lines, we decided the cheesecake wasn’t worth ordering.

 

The cost of our meal, before taxes and tip, was $71.50. Kudos to Jan’s for suggesting tip amounts based on the pre-tax amount, and not the total amount.

 

If you read the above closely, you already know I would return to Jan’s. What you don’t know, until now, is that I would go out of my way to do so. Therefore, I give Jan’s River Restaurant Four Forks. If you’re dressed casual and have a taste for fried fish, or a juicy-good steak, Jan’s would be an excellent choice. It’s not on a lake, so there aren’t any postcard views of the sun setting over water. But the food and service are good enough to make you forget about Cypress Inn.

 

Almost.

 

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