Each week, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always hungry reporter visits a different local restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
Dinner and a movie.
It’s a dating tradition. A great first date, because if after dinner you know you’re not a match, you don’t have to talk to each other for a couple of hours. A great anytime date, as you can catch up with each other over a meal, then hold hands and watch Liam Neeson get out of trouble, or Sydney Sweeney try to prove she’s an actress.
In Shreveport-Bossier, that means going to a restaurant, then driving to the theatre.
That is, unless you go to Abby Singer’s Bistro (617 Texas Street, Shreveport) inside the Robinson Film Center (RFC).
Unfortunately, a check of the two movies playing on a recent Friday night at the RFC weren’t anything which interested my friend and I. But that didn’t keep us from trying the downtown Shreveport restaurant, which re-opened a few weeks ago after getting a refresh.
Its namesake, Abby Singer, (who died in 2014) is recognized in a tribute on one of the restaurant’s walls. He was a television and movie production manager who became famous for describing the second-to-last shot of the day as the “Abby Singer”. That way, the crew knew it would soon be time for their lunch break, or to put away their equipment.
Thanks to construction on roads other than on I-20, we arrived fashionably late for our 6:30 reservation, which I easily made on the restaurant’s website. When reserving a table, I was given a choice of inside or outside dining. I chose the patio — a decision (through no fault of the restaurant) I would come to regret. More on that, later.
We apologized for our tardiness, and the hostess said it wasn’t a problem, as there was plenty of seating available. She took us to the small outdoor dining area overlooking Texas Street, and told us we could choose any empty table.
The patio had six metal tables total, which gives you an idea of the space’s size. We chose a two-top, and noticed that while there was recorded music playing inside, it wasn’t playing outside. The music would have been a nice accompaniment to our dinner.
Our server, Marie, promptly asked us for our drink order. Marie was very pleasant throughout our visit, attentive and offering suggestions when asked. She even shared some knowledge about the surrounding downtown apartments, and other buildings which have stood the test of time, though several are vacant.
For an appetizer, we had six choices. My friend and I quickly narrowed the list to two: Singer Rolls (four shrimp egg rolls), and Popeye vs. Bluto (spinach and artichoke dip served with pita chips). It had been awhile since we tried a dip, so that was our choice ($14).
It was an excellent choice.
Marie brought out a large, round tray. In the middle was a bowl full of spinach and artichoke dip, surrounded by pita chips — a lot of pita chips. The dip was warm, thick, and topped with cheese. Unlike other spinach and artichoke dips, we didn’t see strands of spinach, or chunks of artichoke. They were blended, so we couldn’t tell what we were eating until the dip’s taste met our taste buds. It was a glorious moment. The spinach and artichoke dip was really enjoyable, and almost darn near filled us up.
For my friend, disappointment set in when it was time to order our entree. She had her heart set on The Right Stuff — three Portobello mushroom caps stuffed with mushrooms, spinach, cream cheese, and gluten-free panko crumbs, served with two sides. But Marie delivered the news that the restaurant had just sold out of The Right Stuff. She said the restaurant makes a certain number of servings each day, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.
So, my friend regrouped, and went with a large Strawberry Blonde salad ($12.50).
I was fortunate that the restaurant was not sold out of what I had been eying since first looking at the menu. Forrest & Bubba ($18.50) was described as pan-seared shrimp in house seafood cream sauce, served over cheese grits.
Now, back to my regrettable decision to dine outside.
While wearing a sweater over a long-sleeved shirt, but without a jacket, I tried to convince myself the temperature wasn’t as cold as it felt. But by the time we finished our appetizer, it seemed like the temperature had dropped 10 degrees — and it was already cool when we arrived. Sheepishly, we asked Marie if it would be too much trouble to move inside. Not only did she accommodate us, Marie told us we could choose any available table, of which there were several.
Abby Singer’s has 14 tables inside, along with a nice, clean-looking bar with five seats. The bartender, who I think may also have been the restaurant’s manager, checked on us twice to make sure everything was to our liking. He visited other tables also. Restaurants which don’t, should consider having a manager talk with guests and ask for thoughts on their dining experience. It makes for constructive feedback, and lets diners know their business is appreciated.
Soon after our move indoors, it was time for the main course. With the exception that my shrimp and grits could have been hotter, it was outstanding. There were six shrimp (maybe seven — I found one at the bottom of the bowl), served over a sizable bed of grits. Even though the menu said they were “cheese” grits, I didn’t taste any cheese, which was fine with me, as I’m not a big cheese guy.
But the star of the show was some kind of juice that permeated the shrimp and the grits. I asked Marie about it, and she either honestly didn’t know the ingredients, or like a good soldier, had been trained not to give up the goods. In any event, that juice is what separated Abby Singer’s shrimp and grits from shrimp and grits I’ve had at other restaurants.
My friend’s salad was served as advertised — baby spinach with goat cheese, fresh strawberries, and roasted walnuts, served with a choice of balsamic or pomegranate vinaigrette dressing (she chose pomegranate). For a little extra, she could add grilled chicken ($5), shrimp ($6), or ahi tuna ($7). My friend added grilled chicken.
The salad’s presentation was nice, and my friend said the salad was very good. In addition to a lot of baby spinach, it had healthy portions of strawberries and chicken.
To be honest, after the appetizer and entrees, we were too full to have dessert. Or so we thought. Always wanting to be of service to you, the reader, we bit the bullet. Abby Singer’s offers two choices: Mrs. Trunchbull’s (I don’t know who she is) Chocolate Cake, and Vanilla Sky Cheesecake ($9). We’re not chocolate eaters, so our decision was easy.
While good, the cheesecake wasn’t anything special. Given four choices, we chose to have our cheesecake topped with strawberry drizzle. Again, there wasn’t anything wrong with the cheesecake — it tasted like most every other piece of cheesecake we’ve had. After the fact, we asked, and were told, it wasn’t made in-house.
The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $59.00. We thought that was a fair price for the quality and quantity of food we ate.
Before finishing our meal, my friend and I agreed Abby Singer’s Bistro deserved Four Forks. The food, service, and atmosphere (we enjoyed the 60’s music — think Baby Love, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) — made for a very enjoyable dinner. Downtown is out of my way, but I would return. My friend has already said she’s going back — and arriving early — to have The Right Stuff.
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit?
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
