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 Services
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.
I had seen one or two social media posts for Cassandra’s on the River. Otherwise, I had never heard of the restaurant in downtown Shreveport (500 Clyde Fant Parkway, Suite 100). It’s at the edge of the Red River District, which is an area I seldom, if ever, visit.
But on a recent, gloomy Friday, I asked a friend to meet me for lunch at Cassandra’s, to see if my expectations equaled reality.
We could have spent time looking for a metered parking space on a nearby street. But, we are both cheap, so we chose to park for free in the Bally’s Casino and Hotel parking garage. Actually, that worked out much better, as we were just a right turn and a short walk away from the restaurant.
I arrived at Noon, and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. There was a large dining room to the right, with a stylish black and red motiff. The furniture looked new. The room looked classy. I learned later Cassandra’s uses this room for their dinner crowd.
I was escorted by a friendly hostess to a smaller but spacious dining room on the left, which is used at lunchtime. There are tall windows along each of the outside walls, which allows you a nice view — a view which I’m sure would be much nicer on a sunny day. There’s also a nice-looking bar, if that’s where you prefer to sit.
It wasn’t long after we were seated — my friend arrived fashionably late — when we met our server. She was smiling and had a pleasant demeanor. We got the feeling she really wanted us to enjoy our experience. She checked on us often, and was understanding when we kept declining to order, as we weren’t in a rush and wanted to visit.
Eventually, we got around to choosing an appetizer. Cassandra’s offers six choices, including Boudin Eggrolls, Crawfish Cornbread, and Gator Bites. It was a tough call between the eggrolls and Seafood Gumbo, but we each went with a cup of gumbo ($6.95).
When served, the gumbo looked delicious. The roux was dark, and there was plenty of rice, a couple of big shrimp, big pieces of sausage, and green onion. The gumbo’s taste equaled its look. It was really good, and was hot. There are few tastes worse than cold gumbo.
My friend didn’t care for his serving nearly as much as me. He wasn’t crazy about picking things like shrimp out of his gumbo. I am seriously thinking about ending our friendship.
We also had tough choices when it came to choosing our entree. Cassandra’s offers a mix of seafood and comfort food — from Jumbo Shrimp to Smothered Chicken. Being gracious, I always ask my dining companion to order first — whatever they wish. I order something different, to give you an idea of a restaurant’s variety. My friend was torn between the Lunch Grilled Catfish Fillet (which is what I really wanted), and the Fried Chicken.
This is where we relied on our server. When asked what she would choose, she steered my friend toward the chicken. Our server, with honesty we appreciated, said the grilled catfish ends up being small and “shriveled”. My friend took our server’s advice, and went with the fried chicken, which came with two sides and cornbread ($17.95).
Still wanting seafood, but not two pieces of small, shriveled up fish, I ordered a Seafood Po-Boy, which came with french fries. ($15.95). I had a choice of gator, shrimp, oyster, catfish, or crawfish, which were all the same price. I went with the (fried) catfish.
Our meals were served without a long wait, which is always a plus. At first glance, everything looked as ordered, and looked good. However, once we began eating, my friend and I had two different reactions.
I will go first. I was both disappointed and pleased at the bread used for the po-boy. I expected the bread to be high and thick, like you get when you eat a po-boy in New Orleans. However, my disappointment is totally on me. I did not notice the menu described the po-boy as being served “on a toasted hoagie”. That meant the bread would be much thinner, and not nearly as thick. However, that was good, because I don’t eat much bread, and am mindful of my weight.
My po-boy was sliced in half, each with a piece of fish extending beyond the length of the bread. It was dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and tartar sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed both the po-boy and the seasoned fries (though the fries could have been warmer).
My friend wasn’t as pleased with his choice. As promised, he was served three pieces of fried chicken (a wing, a leg, and a thigh). He took one bite, and immediately spit it out. NOT because of its taste, but because it was so hot (with warmth, not spice). Smoke was pouring from where he took a bite. It looked like what you see when the Vatican chooses a new Pope.
After several minutes, the chicken’s temperature dropped to where my friend could resume eating without burning the roof of his mouth. His feedback was not good. He said the batter was thin, and that the chicken lacked flavor. He said the chicken didn’t have any juice.
I was skeptical, so when he offered me a bite of chicken from a piece he had not eaten, I accepted. And I agreed. The chicken was very bland. It didn’t even have that “chicken” taste, much less any other taste.
For his sides, my friend chose red beans and rice, and french fries. To say he was not a fan of the red beans and rice would be an understatement. He said the sausage in his red beans and rice, which resembled the sausage he had just eaten with his gumbo, did not taste the same. He said it had a “smokey” taste — almost a cigarette taste. I found that odd, so I took a bite of sausage. I agreed. The sausage tasted exactly as he described.
My friend liked the fries, which came a few minutes after his meal and were warmer than mine. He said the cornbread was cold. When he tried to spread butter on the cornbread, the butter showed no signs of melting. So, he had to use a little force, which meant the cornbread broke apart.
When it came time for dessert, I assumed we were out of luck, as none were listed on the menu. However, when I asked our server to confirm, she said desserts were on a separate menu. So, know that if you want dessert, you need to ask your server for the dessert menu.
Cassandra’s has five offerings. I let my friend choose first, and he selected Chocolate Cake ($9.95). I was relieved, as I don’t care for chocolate, so that left me with four options, all which sounded good.
Making an excruciating decision between Bread Pudding and Apple Cobbler, I went with the bread pudding ($8.95). It was only later I found out that both are made in-house — and are the only desserts made in-house.
I knew the bread pudding had a high bar to meet. As mentioned in a previous review, the best bread pudding I’ve ever enjoyed came from a nearby downtown restaurant. Cassandra’s bread pudding did not meet that high bar. However, it was fine. The square serving, which was on the small side, was topped with a few berries.
My friend’s chocolate cake looked much more impressive. It was a tall, huge slice. However, looks can be deceiving. He was disappointed, saying the cake tasted like something out of a box. He said the chocolate syrup drizzled on top tasted a lot like Hershey’s chocolate out of a bottle.
The price of our meal, before tax and tip, was $66.70. My friend thought Cassandra’s prices were high. I have come to realize that it is expensive to go out to eat — lunch or dinner — and that’s not going to change.
If my friend were writing this review, he probably would not be as generous as me.
I give Cassandra’s on the River Three Forks. My meal was good, there were several items on the menu that sounded good, and the food which was served to other diners sure looked good. I’m not going out of my way to return, but if I’m downtown, I would not hesitate to stop in.
In this case, my expectations did not meet reality, and that’s a good thing.
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit?
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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
