Frequently, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always-hungry reporter has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
Not everyone has time to have lunch at a sit-down restaurant.
If you work and get an hour off midday, it’s difficult – if not impossible – to fight traffic, enjoy a meal, and get back to the office in 60 minutes without getting an ulcer. I guess that’s why fast-food places are so popular.
But wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy something other than a burger or chicken, by way of picking it up and bringing it back to work?
On a recent Wednesday, I was working in my office, when my stomach started to growl. I looked at the clock and saw where it was close to noon. I didn’t really have an hour and a half to spend going to a restaurant. But I remembered seeing a fairly new place that wasn’t too far from where I was located. So, I asked a friend who was also busy at her office if she would like me to pick up lunch for both of us, and bring it to her.
Po’girls Sandwich Shoppe (That’s what their sign reads. Their website has the name as Po’girl) (6362 Benton Road) opened last August. I assume its name is a takeoff on po’boys, and I love a good po’boy. Unfortunately, except for at a couple of places, I’ve found that there’s always something not right with the po’boy I order. Either it’s too small, the bread is too hard, or their just isn’t much inside.
Hoping Po’girls would be different, I went to their website, hoping to order online. I found good and bad. The good news is that yes, you can place your order for pickup. The bad news is that none of their po’boys had descriptions as to what I would be getting. I was only allowed to mark ingredients I didn’t want. There was nothing telling me the specifics of a Rowdy Rooster Po’boy, or The Trailblazer Sandwich. How can I order something if I don’t know what I will be eating?
So, in lieu of what should have been the simplicity of ordering online, I got in the car and drove with the intent on ordering in person and preparing myself to wait in line.
Po’girls does not offer inside dining, which was fine, since I didn’t have time to sit down. There is a small covered area with some tables, and fans. Much to my surprise, on a day when the temperature was headed toward 100 degrees, there were a couple of people eating outside. Maybe in the fall, but no way I would eat outside in this heat.
When I pulled up to the drive thru, I was met with a menu which offered cold po’boys, hot po’boys, soups, and salads. I was the only car in line, so I didn’t feel pressured to take my time deciding what to have. (By the time I left, there was a line of cars behind me. By the time I received my food and drove away, there was a line of cars – people waiting to order.)
From the 18 different po’boys, I went with the Creole Chickie Po’boy ($11.43).
For my friend, I ordered the Cran-Pecan Chicken Salad ($10.39). For an extra $3.12, I could make the po’boy, and the salad, a combo, which would include chips and a drink, which I did. While waiting to pay, I asked the nice lady helping me if the Chicken & Sausage Gumbo on the menu was homemade. She said it was. My friend, like I, like a good gumbo, so I ordered two eight-ounce servings ($6.23 each).
When I arrived back at the office and unbagged our food, I immediately saw something I have seldom – if ever – seen. Everything – the two small containers with our gumbo, and the sandwich wrapper, and the container with the salad, were taped closed. What a great idea! This prevented the tops from coming loose, and food spilling everywhere. Now, that’s what I call going the extra mile. I love it when places do something like that. It just enhances the customer experience.
Honestly, I don’t like to get food to-go. By the time I get to where I’m going, if the food is supposed to be hot, it usually isn’t. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite of gumbo. It was still warm, even after a 20-minute drive. In addition, the gumbo was full of chicken, sausage, and rice. The roux was a little on the thick side, but the taste was spicy.
When I pulled my wrapped and taped po’boy out of the bag, I was impressed with its size. When I got it unwrapped, it looked even more impressive. The po’boy was loaded with everything promised – grilled chicken, white cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and – here’s the big one – creole mustard. The po’boys taste, fueled by the creole mustard, was terrific. Everything really came together to make for a smooth flavor.
A word about the bread. Bread can make – or break – a po’boy. Often times, it’s too hard, and you’re just crunching away every time you take a bite. Sometimes, the bread is too soft, and it falls apart. The bread on my po’boy was perfect. It complemented what was inside, without becoming a distraction. Good stuff.
When my friend opened her salad, she saw a container divided into four areas. There was a row of Poppy Pecan Chicken Salad with dried cranberries, pecans, and poppy seed. There was a row of cheddar cheese, a row of tomatoes, and a row of lettuce with red onion. So basically, she could eat what she wanted when she wanted, or she could mix everything. The salad was plenty big, and my friend enjoyed it. She took special notice of the pecans, which she said were whole and plentiful. I took a bite of the chicken salad, and didn’t pick up on a particular taste, but my friend liked it, and that’s what was important.
Unfortunately, we did not receive our bags of chips. That’s another reason why I don’t like picking up food to go. If you’re missing part of your order, you don’t have much recourse. Driving all the way back to the eatery didn’t make much sense.
While paying, I noticed a sign which indicated Po’girls offered three types of cookies for dessert. I asked the lady if they were homemade, and she said “Yes”. So, I added to my order one Snickerdoodle ($1.56) and one White Chocolate Macadamia ($1.56). My friend agreed that the Snickerdoodle was the best of the two. It was soft and tasted fresh. The snickerdoodle was hard, leading us to think it may have been nearing its shelf life.
The cost of our meal, before tax, was $43.64. Po’girls does charge a bit more if you pay with plastic instead of cash, which I did. That’s why the amounts above look a little odd.
I am happy to give Po’girls Sandwich Shoppe Three Forks. There’s no way I would recommend you drive from west Shreveport or south Bossier all the way to Benton for a po’boy or salad. However, if you find yourself within 20 minutes of Po’girls, I highly recommend you give them a try. Hopefully, by then, you will be able to order online and know what you’re getting.
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
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit for lunch?
Email SBJRestaurantReview@gmail.com.
