By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
I had not been down to the Louisiana Boardwalk since the last night the dueling pianos played. I’ve never played pickleball but I knew The Picklr opened, but had not checked it out just yet. Then I saw on social media a new restaurant, with a respected local chef at the helm, opened next to The Picklr.
The Brine, 201 Boardwalk Blvd., Bossier City, staged a soft opening a few weeks ago. Their official opening day is set for this Friday, October 2. A soft opening is when a restaurant will generally run a limited menu and limit the number of guests they serve, all with the goal of getting the staff trained to iron out any kinks in their systems. They advertise it this way so guests understand this is a training period. They want feedback good and constructive, so they can succeed in the long run.
The owner of El Cabo Verde and Zuzul Coastal Cuisine, Chef Gabriel Balderas, has put his sights on helping revive the Louisiana Boardwalk by opening The Brine.
I purposefully waited until this week to go try The Brine to go with their official grand opening, hoping to help get the word out. The word is already out! The Brine has been busy right from the start, which directly goes to Chef Balderas’s reputation in the Shreveport-Bossier area.
I did not include a picture of the menu, as it was a limited one and I don’t want anyone to think they only had a small set of choices.
I started with the Fried Green Tomatoes, and they were thick, breaded nicely and fried to a golden brown perfection. The batter had a nice kick to it, which if had I known, I may not have ordered. I would have missed out. The spicy bite turned the dish into a high-end appetizer, one that could thrive on any restaurant’s menu.
For my entrée, I ordered the Grouper, and exchanged mashed potatoes for the corn succotash, not realizing rice already came with the fish. The Grouper had not arrived so there was another gulf white fish as a replacement. Sadly I don’t remember what our server said it was. I will have to go back and check, because it was outstanding, flaky and moist. It had a great flavor and the chef cooked it to perfection.
My daughter ordered the Fried Chicken, which was a boneless chicken breast. One look at the chicken and you could tell it was fried well, with a beautiful color. When she cut into it, it was juicy and full of flavor. She was nice enough to let me have a bite. I would order that any time.
They offered two options for dessert, which I didn’t want — well until I heard the second one, Key Lime Pie and a Caramel Bourbon Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding. Read that again, can anyone refuse that? Not me.
It tasted better than the name suggested. I will always save room for that dessert. I may even just order it to pick up when I don’t have time to dine there.
I am going to go out on a limb and say reservations will be a must once their official grand opening happens on Friday. I know I’ll be making mine very soon.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net