So having read a lot of reviews about this place, I was excited and weary about trying it. All the reviews were great, so I was worried my expectations would be way too high. The location didn't help. Tucked beside a Payday Loan in a Wal Mart shopping center isn't where you would expect a nice high quality restaurant. Or so you would think.
Walking in as an early bird at 5 P.M. we're the first ones there, which I don't mind. The staff were very friendly, we were seated quickly and had butter and rolls in a record amount of time! The rolls were warm but nothing too special. However, the butter along with it had enough seasoning which made it very good!
We ordered two appetizers, the first was Shrimp Gumbo which came with white rice. I'm not an expert at any type of food really, i've had great gumbo before, but this gumbo completely blew me away. Full of flavor, a touch of spice, perfect consistency. Every flavor complimenting the other. If you come to the French Quarter Grill I highly recommend this dish! However, I would get a cup of gumbo rather than a bowl unless you're wanting it as an entree, the bowl is huge!
The other appetizer was the Crab Cake, served with coleslaw. I've only had crab cakes maybe one other time in my life and that was a long time ago, but this one was very very good! Light and fluffy, stuffed with crab, the warmth of the crab cake along with the coleslaw a perfect combination. This dish is delicious, each element complimenting the other. I give it a good 4 out of 5 stars!
The only entree we ordered was the
Fish Ponchartrain, your choice of fish(we got Mahi Mahi) served with broccoli, mashed potatoes, and covered in a brandy mushroom sauce with shrimp, crawfish, and crab. The sauce made this dish. Rich and creamy, going along perfectly with the fish. Everything on the plate was heightened with the sauce. So delicious! I would definitely come back for this.
All in all, French Quarter Grill is worth all the hype you hear. Anyone, in my opinion, who thinks otherwise, is just a food snob trying to sound like they know what they're talking about. I may not be any expert, but I know good food when I taste it, and everything I tasted here was delicious!
