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
Many, if not most of these reviews, have taken me to restaurants as a first-time diner. It’s fun to try someplace new – at least new to me.
However, this week’s review is of a place I have been several times. After being sick all week, I was finally feeling well enough to get out of the house. So, I didn’t want to go to a place where I didn’t know what I would be getting. I wanted a place that felt comfortable, and where the food would not be a surprise.
On a recent Friday, a friend and I made our way to Ferrier’s Rollin’ in the Dough (1333 Captain Shreve Drive, Shreveport) for lunch.
Ferrier is the last name of the husband and wife who own the restaurant. This November, Rollin’ in the Dough will have been open an impressive 27 years. In any business – much less the locally-owned restaurant business – you don’t make it almost three decades without doing most everything right. I hoped this visit would be one of those times.
We arrived at 12:15, the height of the lunch rush. But on this rainy day, there weren’t nearly as many people as usual. That meant we didn’t have to wait to order at the counter, which we usually do. Nor did we have to hover over people who were finishing up their meal so we could grab their table, which can happen.
Rollin’ in the Dough bills itself as a “neighborhood restaurant”. It’s not on a main thoroughfare like Youree Drive, or Airline Drive in Bossier City. The restaurant is tucked amongst residential homes, a library, and an auto repair shop. As soon as you walk in, you get that “neighborhood” feel. Rollin’ in the Dough is comfortable. It’s relaxing. It’s good.
You won’t find any appetizers on the menu. Rollin’ in the Dough cuts to the chase, with a not particularly long list of salads, sandwiches, burgers, po-boys, and platters. I don’t like surprises, so on all my past visits, I’ve had the same thing – the Chicken Fiesta Salad (it’s delicious and affordable). But for this review, I decided to live a little.
Rollin’ in the Dough is known for three things – fried catfish, a hamburger, and a Casino Cake dessert. I deferred to my friend, and he chose the burger. I was not at all disappointed that I would be trying the Crispy Fried Catfish Platter. The platter came in a small, regular, or large size. Not wanting to hit the boss too hard on the expense report, I went down the middle and ordered the regular size ($13.99).
There were five types of hamburgers from which my friend could choose. He went with the Classic with Cheese ($12.49).
Rollin’ in the Dough’s drinks come out of a self-serve fountain. At the time of our visit, Shreveport was having issues with the color of its water. When the water began dispensing into my cup, I thought I had hit the lemonade lever by mistake. The water was that yellow. Being an honest person, I went back to the counter, pulled out my credit card, and paid for an actual lemonade drink ($2.93).
My friend, who apparently has little regard for what he puts in his body, chose to drink his cup of, as he described it, “slightly dirty” water.
We waited a little longer for our meals than expected, considering the dining room wasn’t crowded. But, after all, the restaurant’s motto is “Great food, not fast food.” The food was worth the wait. When served, my plate had five pieces of crisp, plump catfish filets. The batter’s texture and the seasoning’s taste were fantastic. Underneath the fish were a decent number of French fries, flanked by two hush puppies (think flat, not round).
Also on the plate was a bowl of green pickled tomatoes, and a bowl of Cole slaw. The tomatoes were more thin than thick, but still good. The slaw was thick and offered a low-level kick. There was also a container of remoulade sauce in which to dip the fish.
One of the reasons, maybe the reason, Rollin’ in the Dough is known for its burgers is because the buns are homemade. In fact, behind the counter, there is a big window allowing you to look in the kitchen and see the bread being made from scratch. Sure enough, the bun was the high point for my friend.
“What makes the burger is the bun,” he said. “It’s soft. It’s got a good taste. The bun enhances the burger. The burger itself is nothing special. It’s an average burger. But the bun brings it to another level. I’ve had the cheeseburger many times and would not hesitate to order it again.”
My friend’s burger came with fries, and lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions on the side. The menu said the patty would be eight ounces of “freshly ground beef, charbroiled to perfection.” My friend wasn’t as impressed with the meat as he was the bun, but when he put it all together, he was satisfied.
True to its simplicity, Rollin’ in the Dough doesn’t offer many dessert choices. That is probably because it’s hard to beat the Casino Cake ($3.49), which when I was a kid was called a Devil Dog. It’s a square piece of chocolate cake, with vanilla cream on top, all covered in chocolate icing. Those who love it say you can’t leave Rollin’ in the Dough without a Casino Cake, so I didn’t. I don’t like chocolate, but I sure liked this chocolate.
My friend went with a Chocolate Chip cookie ($1.69), one of a couple of different kinds of cookies available. He said it was “kind of cold and crispy. I like my chocolate chip cookies a little softer and gooier.”
The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $43.06. In this day of rising food prices, I thought that was a fair price for what we ate, when you consider the quality and – especially in the case of my fish – the quantity.
Rollin’ in the Dough proves you don’t have to be a fancy place with a long, drawn-out menu, to earn Four Forks. If you have been there once, I bet you have been more than once. If you have not been, I would suggest you do. It is worth going out of your way.
Is their 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
