By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
In the 1800s, the rallying cry around the country was “go west young man” to find fortune and thousands did. Today, I say head west to satisfy your search for good food. Not remotely as far west as California, but it’s worth the trip.
The Smoking Oyster, at 6200 West Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Shreveport, has been open since January, and I think the secret is starting to get out. A friend of mine mentioned he had heard it was good, and maybe I should check it out. Whoever told him that was right.
I met my daughters and son-in-law for dinner last Thursday. They enjoy helping me try new places and they are happy giving feedback on the food’s quality. I think it is because if they don’t give me feedback, they know I’m going to try to take some of their meal. Hey, whatever it takes to get the job done!
When at a place with “oyster” in the name, it would be sacrilege not to order some, right? The Smoking Oyster offers oysters with four different flavor profiles as well as plain Charbroiled. What they don’t do is serve them raw, which is fine with me. I’ve never been able to eat raw oysters.
We ordered our Oysters Rockefeller. They were cooked perfectly with great flavor. I couldn’t quite identify all the things that went into their green sauce topping that the oysters were cooked in, but isn’t that the way the dish was invented at Antoine’s in New Orleans in 1889? Needless to say, they weren’t any left over.
For our entrée’s we landed on three, with my oldest daughter and I sharing the Fried Catfish and Shrimp Basket. My youngest daughter ordered the Pork Chops with Fried Rice, and my son-in-law went with the Blackened Chicken Pasta.
This made for a great variety of items to gauge how good the Smoking Oyster really is. They also feature a variety of wings, burgers, and sandwiches to try next time we are out that way.
The catfish and shrimp were both fried to perfection, with the catfish having a solid spice flavor that really drew you in to wanting your catfish that way every time. The shrimp had a lighter batter, not Tempura, but in that flavor profile. Personally this is how I like both my catfish and my shrimp fried, due probably to my northern upbringing. The fries were well cooked with a black pepper seasoning that I have grown to love in my years down here.
After dinner was served, the first words from my youngest daughter were, “this fried rice is really good.” If you don’t know her, coming from her that is a great compliment. She fancies herself a fried rice connoisseur and she gets it everywhere. The pork chops were equally as good, juicy and full of flavor. I did get a couple bites of a pork chop, but somehow the rice was all gone before I could try it.
The chicken in the Blackened Chicken Pasta was seasoned very well and more importantly, was juicy. Blackened chicken gets dry really quick, so kudos to the chef who obviously knows what he’s doing. The pasta was macaroni style with the sauce coating it having a small bite to it. The combination of these three items worked well together to make a nice, complete meal.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net
