Each week, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always hungry reporter visits a different restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By: ANON E. MUSS, Journal Restaurant Reviewer
One of us wanted steak.
One of us wanted seafood.
So, a recent Saturday night seemed like the right time to try a restaurant which—according to its name—serves both.
Anthony’s Steak and Seafood (7504 Mansfield Road in Shreveport) is a place I’ve heard good things about but never visited. I’m told the restaurant — established in 1992 — is in what used to be a Pizza Inn. Someone with a better memory than me says the pizza place was popular, as it was next to the long-since closed Joy’s Cinema City Six theatre.
Anthony’s is a little hard to see from the street. So hard, in fact, that my friend saw it before I did.
It’s in a nice, non-descript building which looks more like a house. The sign out front is small, so when your GPS says “You’ve arrived at your destination,” slow down and look around. It’s there.
Walking in, we were greeted by a pleasant lady with an inviting smile. It’s always nice to feel like your business is appreciated, instead of waiting several minutes for a hostess to acknowledge your presence.
We were escorted to the dining room, and soon found ourselves in the 1970’s. The atmosphere immediately reminded me of smoke-filled restaurants you see in old movies. Thankfully there wasn’t any smoke. But there was green opaque plastic between booths—with skinny wood columns—dividing the back of diner’s heads. There were mauve-colored tablecloths (think of your grandma’s kitchen table) underneath glass. On this night, very pleasing recorded Jazz music was playing throughout the restaurant. We were told the type of music changes each evening.
I kept expecting to see the Rat Pack — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford (young readers, google them) — enjoying steak and drinks over hearty laughter.
We loved the atmosphere.
We were seated — no waiting — at 6:50. Our server, Barbara, was at our table within a minute or two to welcome us and take our drink order. We would later find out Barbara — who was very nice and wore a big smile — is Chef Anthony’s sister and has worked at the restaurant some 30 years. In fact, most everyone who works there is related to the chef. There are nieces, nephews, and a grandson, whom I met in the restroom he was cleaning, and has a wonderful attitude about life (“I want to be my own man.”)
We began our meal with an appetizer of Fried Alligator Bites ($12.99). It’s not every day you have the chance to eat alligator, so why not?
Some 15 minutes later and with my stomach growling, our appetizer arrived. Barbara gave us an understandable explanation for what seemed like a long wait. “Everything is cooked to order.” It’s hard to argue with that, and the alligator bites were well worth the wait. There were five on a plate — three small ones and two bigger ones. They were served hot and had a really good taste. The batter was just right: not too thin to fall into tiny pieces, and not too thick to where it was all we tasted.
I was surprised the alligator bites didn’t come with a dipping sauce and was going to request one. But before I could, Barbara came to our table and asked if we would like something in which to dip our appetizer. She recommended a remoulade sauce, and her recommendation was spot-on. It was tangy, had a bit of a kick, and was the perfect complement to the alligator bites.
There was an issue when it came to my friend ordering a glass of wine. Two of her choices from the wine list were not available. Another choice (Barbara kindly offered to bring a sample) proved too sweet. Eventually, my friend found a wine ($10) she liked. Easing the frustration was that a nice lady came over and apologized for the confusion, saying the restaurant was in the process of updating its wine list, and some wines on the list were not available.
All entrée’s come with a salad, and your choice of either a baked potato, Au Gratin potatoes, or french fries.
The salad was plentiful, but nothing special. In fact, it looked and tasted like a bag salad. But my friend found something that made an ordinary salad extraordinary. She ordered a vinaigrette dressing. But this was not your typical vinaigrette dressing. It was made by Chef Anthony. The dressing was tomato-based, and my friend compared its taste to that of spaghetti sauce.
She absolutely loved it. So much, that she dipped into it just about every piece of food she had.
About 45 minutes after we were seated, our entrées were served. They both had a very nice presentation and were as ordered. I had a combination of Catfish, Shrimp, and Frog-Legs ($37.99), which came with one nice-sized fillet, three healthy shrimp, and three nice-sized frog legs. The batter, just like on the alligator bites, was perfect. The fish, shrimp, and frog legs tasted great—without the “seafood” taste.
I chose a baked potato. For you older folks, remember the baked potato Bonanza served back in the day? This one had that taste, and it was delicious. A compromise between a hard and soft potato, with almost a grilled taste.
My friend went with an eight-ounce Petite Ribeye ($27.99). She likes her steak with a touch of pink inside. Sure enough, that’s exactly how it was cooked. My friend said it was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. She did not have any complaints.
My friend selected the Au Gratin potatoes. She said the texture and cheese were good. Some Au Gratin potatoes are soupy — these weren’t.
Also with our meal, we were served an inviting loaf of bread, complete with a drizzle of melted butter on top. Neither my friend nor I are bread-eaters, but with you — the reader — in mind, we each had a bite. The bread was delicious, and when asked, Barbara told us it was homemade.
Desserts are not on the menu, so be sure and ask what’s available. We did and were given choices of Cheesecake with a strawberry drizzle, Key Lime Pie, Crème Brulee’, and a chocolate cake. We both like Key Lime Pie, but it seems hard to find in these parts. So, we took advantage of the opportunity.
We both liked it, but my friend liked it more than me. I didn’t experience the “key lime” taste. To me, the filling tasted more like custard. She tasted the key lime but didn’t care for the crust. There was a nice amount of whipped cream on top, but not so much that it overtook the pie.
Pleasantly full, we received our check. The total (excluding tax and tip) was $85.96. I thought that was a bit pricey, but I’m not a good judge of what something should cost. I think everything—especially food—is expensive.
One thing that wasn’t on the receipt — but is common at a lot of restaurants — was a tip-percentage breakdown. It’s helpful not to have to use your phone calculator to determine what is 15, 18 or 20 percent of the subtotal.
One hour and 40 minutes after we arrived, we left — very satisfied with the food and atmosphere. Most of all, however, we enjoyed the fact Anthony’s is a family business. Everyone seemed to care about our experience and genuinely appreciate our business. That goes a long way, especially if the food is just so-so.
In this case, however, the food was much better than so-so. Mix everything together, and Anthony’s Steak and Seafood gets four forks. I would return and would go out of my way to do so.
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to review? Email: SBJRestaurantReview@gmail.com
1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
