By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
Lucky Palace has been a mainstay of the Shreveport-Bossier area for decades, being the consensus top Chinese restaurant in town. They are regularly rated high in metro, state, and national top restaurants lists (the list of these awards can be found on their website).
But how would they do after moving from their original location at 780 Diamond Jacks Boulevard, Bossier City, a few miles east to inside Louisiana Downs, 8000 East Texas Street, Bossier City?
Lucky Palace has always had a good vibe. When you enter the restaurant, you are transferred from the lobby of a hotel to a gourmet-style Chinese restaurant and wine bar. They did a great job of keeping that inside Louisiana Downs using darker lighting to set the mood and put you into a different world than just outside the door. Vibe is a nice thing, however not the focus of this series; good food is.
As my kids grew up, their choice for a reward or celebratory dinner was always Lucky Palace. Nothing made them happier then when I said, “let’s get Lucky Palace.” To this day I can say “I’ll buy, you fly” and they are grabbing their car keys. Good thing I like it as much as they do.
Lucky Palace’s menu has all the traditional Chinese items, including all the main protein items, all the vegetable options, fried and white rice, and of course Lo and Chow Mein.
In the 25 years I have been a lover of Lucky Palace, my orders have become predictable, but sharing is a thing everyone does at a Chinese restaurant, right?
There will never be a visit that does not include the beef-on-a-stick appetizer. You get four in an order. In fact most of the times we get 2-3 orders since they are so good.
There are many other starters that I’ve had that are very good, such as the BBQ spareribs. They are a close second to the beef-on-a-stick, just a bit messier. The shrimp tempura, Crab Rangoon, and shrimp toast have all been excellent for us.
When it comes to an entrée, I have two go-to’s: the beef with broccoli and the shrimp with lobster sauce. My side is always fried rice; I could live off their fried rice.
The friends and family that I generally go with to Lucky Palace have a much wider range of tastes, which of course allows me to try many different items. The ones of note are the Shrimp Lo Mein, Sweet and Sour Chicken and the Kung Pao Chicken. There have been many others but these few stand out as things I have enjoyed.
One change that was made with the move to Louisiana Downs is Lucky Palace is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The number of times I have gone in just to be disappointed is too high to count.
Each week we will explore different places around the Shreveport-Bossier area, in search of good food. If you have a favorite place, send me those suggestions and maybe it will end up a new find here, giving others a chance to share in your restaurant favorites.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net
