By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
I recently received an email from a reader who gave me a couple suggestions of places to check out so I can share these hidden gems with everyone. One I had never heard of, and being the curious person I am, I had to check it out. The place suggested is Tike’s Treats and Eats, 3030 Youree Drive, Shreveport.
And she was right, more people definitely need to be talking about this place.
I stopped by Tike’s on my way home from work, looking for something different for dinner because, truth be told, I did not feel like cooking. I had done no initial research before entering, so it took some time to decide what to order.
Tike’s features pizza, Detroit and regular, Po’ Boy Pockets, sandwiches, and a plethora of freshly-made desserts. I am not a fan of deep-dish (Detroit) pizza, so if you’re interested, I suggest trying it first-hand.
I wanted to try something different so when I spotted the white garlic and spinach pizza, I knew I had to add it. I’ve never had a pizza that didn’t include tomato sauce, so why not give it a try today? What good is visiting a new restaurant without trying new things, right? I added chicken to the pizza; it seemed like the right thing to do.
As I looked at the Po’ Boys Pockets, there was no way I was going to leave without one, if only to know what is meant by “pocket.” I landed on the Chicken Bacon Ranch Po’ Boy Pocket with seasoned fries.
I looked at the array of desserts proudly displayed in a glass case. Clearly the owner knows we are weak and can’t resist when we can see just how good they look. I am one of those weak people so I ordered two of the quick cakes, which are basically these single-served cakes with frosting on top. My choices: pistachio and chocolate.
Faced with the dilemma of too much food, I decided I’d eat a couple slices of pizza, half my Po’Boy, fries, and one of the cakes that night, so I could enjoy the rest the following day.
Starting with the Po’ Boy Pocket, I’d say it’s more like a calzone than a traditional Po’Boy. The whole sandwich is toasted together with the bread wrapping all the way around. It was so good that I almost abandoned my plan and just ate the whole thing, but I didn’t want to shortchange the pizza. The fries were well seasoned and cooked to perfection.
When I started on the pizza, I was strangely nervous. Even though I knew I liked everything I was about to eat, it just went against my thoughts of pizza. Boy was I wrong; the garlic cream sauce blended so well with the pizza crust, and the fresh spinach and chicken gave such depth to the pizza. I absolutely enjoyed it and will be ordering that again. The quality of that pizza opened my eyes to trying things a little less traditional.
I chose the chocolate cake to finish off my meal. I didn’t eat it for a couple of hours; I was way too full. There was no doubt that this was a cake made fresh. It was so moist and the frosting was sweet, but not too rich.
The next night I put the other half of the Po’ Boy Pocket and the pizza in the oven to warm them up slowly. This was to keep the bread and crust nice and crispy. Both gave me the same joy they did the day before. I cannot recommend this place enough if you haven’t been there already.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net
