Recently Cafe LaGrange moved from its original location on Cockerham Rd. to South Range Ave. in Denham Springs. I had driven by this place many times since its' reopening, and have always noticed how packed the place stayed. Today we decided to give it a try for lunch.

Me and my company all decided on a Pasta Marsala dish with different meat choices. I went with the Chicken Marsala, while the other two decided on the Veal Marsala and the Shrimp Marsala. The waitress was kind enough to bring us all a sample of the Marsala sauce to try before finalizing our decisions.

I dipped my finger in the sauce, put it in my mouth, and swallowed. It was alright.  I'll take it.

No more than five minutes later, she returned as the bearer of bad news. "We only have enough Marsala sauce for two", she said. (Wow, major negative for this review!) So we all decided to play paper-rock-scissors for the prize. We all balled our fist and patted our hands three times. Me and one friend laid out paper while the other laid out rock. I  won! Even though I was one of the winners, I decided to hand over my grand prize of Marsala sauce to the looser (Im just an great person:) ).  I wanted to go ahead and ask for the waitresses recommendation.

She told me to go with the Grilled Chicken Parmesan, and I so i did.

After she placed our order, we waited ....and waited.... and waited. It must had been at least twenty minutes before they finally brought out the food.

The plate came with nice portions and looked pretty good. I first tried out the chicken. It was very tender and had a great flavor bursting with Italian herbs and spices. This was more than I could say for the pasta and marinara.

The marinara sauce tasted like tomato paste straight from the can. It had an overwhelming tomato flavor that was way too sweet and very bland. What started as a great dish, quickly turned to crap!

I also tried my friends Marsala and found it to be a little to sweet and not that fresh tasting (of course they did get the pots back-wash).

Well what can i say? I had a horrible food experience. Throw on top of that a slow serve time, not enough food for everyone, and dishes that were way over priced and you have Cafe LaGrange.

Food Rating: 0.5 out of 5 Lagniappe

Service
Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. She did a great job, which is more than I can say about the management and cooking staff.

Service Rating: 1 out of 5 Lagniappe

Atmosphere
The atmosphere reminds me of the old Captain D's restaurants (which it may had originally been?), just a little classier. It was clean and nice, but was missing that personal touch that makes it unique from the buildings past tenants.

Atmosphere Rating: 3 out of 5 Lagniappe


Overall: 4.5 Out of 15

Cafe LaGrange
635 South Range Ave.
Denham Springs, LA 70726
(225) 664-9537‎
www.cafelagrange.com

Since 1958, this roadside drive in has been an icon in the town of Livingston. Its rare now days to find an old fashioned drive-in (Im not talking Sonic here people) that still keeps it roots from so long ago.

The Snow Top Drive In is an outdoor eatery experience. You drive up, place your order at the window and eat your food on one of the concrete picnic tables. Today the heat was brutal (101 degrees by my thermometer), so I decided to stay in my vehicle for this review.

Now, what to order? Snow Top features nothing but All-American foods such as hamburgers, chicken tenders, po-boys, sandwiches, etc. So I felt compelled to review the cheeseburger  meal since this was in fact a drive in.

I finally decided on the 1/4LB cheeseburger with cheesy tots on the side. Once I received my food, I first opened the styrofoam box to find my cheesy tots. Wow! They looked amazing! I had to dig into the tots first. Words can't describe how good these tots and cheese are. The tots were floating in a melted american cheese.  

I devoured the tots quickly, before taking a first bite of my burger. The tots alone are enough to bring me back time and time again to this place, but now its burger time, the holy grail of the drive in I guess you could say.

The burger was a very nice size. It seemed that the meat was weighed in at a 1/4Lb after being cooked instead of vise-versa like other restaurants. The burger had  that fresh off the grill taste and was very descent. Not the best burger I have ever had, but it had that classic-drive in burger taste. Yes Sah!

Food Rating: 5 out of 5 Lagniappe Up!

Service
The service was pretty quick and the order-up girl was friendly. Not too shabby.

Service Rating: 4 out of 5 Lagniappe Up!

Atmosphere
When you eat here, it feels like you are stepping back in time a little bit. The building is a cool little roadside drive in that sits in the heart of Livingston (also a place that has that feeling of stepping back in time). The fact that you have to sit outside in the sun (no shade at all) is what kind of sucks. Make sure you come here on a nice day, or you'll be eating out of your vehicle like we did.

Now I know its a drive in, so i wont be too harsh with this rating. Eating outside does add to the experience, and overall, i had a pretty good one at Snow Top.

Atmosphere Rating: 3 out of 5 Lagniappe


Overall: 12 Out of 15

Snow Top Drive In
13768 Florida Blvd
Livingston, LA 70754
(225) 686-2175
www.snowtopdrivein.com

If you’re searching for some good down home food in the area, check out James Grill in Denham Springs. James Grill, only open for breakfast and lunch serves foods such as red beans & rice, chicken and dumplings, chicken fried steak and other country style foods along with grilled items.

I have been to James Grill many times before. I love coming here for the fresh home- style cooking and great prices. Today I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak with corn bread, mashed potatoes, and black-eyed peas.  As usual, the chicken was very tender and drowned with creamy country white gravy.  The side items where very good as well. The plate came with a gigantic piece of corn bread and fresh mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas.

At James Grill you won’t find anything new or exciting, or unique. It also won’t be the best food you have ever eaten, but I guarantee you it will be delicious, fresh, and filling.

Food Rating: 4 out of 5 Lagniappe Up!

Service
Today’s service was pretty horrible. We walked in and seated ourselves. We waited probably about ten minutes before a waitress acknowledged we were there and then she took another five minutes to actually come wait on us. After our food was served (which was very quickly), our waitress never came back to check on us for refills or anything else. She was too busy chatting with all the other waitresses. We had to yell out across the restaurant to get her attention for the check.
Usually this place has good service, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be for today’s review.

Service Rating: 1 out of 5 Lagniappe Down!

Atmosphere
James Grill is a make shift restaurant that was quickly thrown into the old James Drug Store. The drug store shelving acts as dividing walls and the kitchen is openly exposed to the dining room.  The restaurants décor consist of a nauseating amount of LSU items that has gone beyond ridiculous.  

Atmosphere Rating: 1 out of 5 Lagniappe Down!


Overall: 6 Out of 15

James Grill
205 Florida Ave SE
Denham Springs, LA 70726
(225) 665-5640

Frank's Restaurant has become a staple of Baton Rouge cuisine. If you live in the area, you've either eaten at Frank's or you've heard of it. Franks, offers a wide variety of food choices that ranges from breakfast (served all day) to dinner.

Today, my friend and I decided to go golfing. We got out there really, really early. The temperature was below freezing and so were we. After a chilling round of golf (I won of course), we decided to head to Frank's for some breakfast.

Frank's is mainly known for their breakfast, although this place stays packed seemingly from morning until the evening. I went with the Alligator Sausage Breakfast Platter featuring two links of alligator sausage, two eggs, grits, and two gigantic biscuits. There is no doubt that you won't leave this place with an empty stomach.

The alligator sausage was terrific. It was juicy, tender and was packed with flavor. The made-from-scratch biscuits at franks are some of the best in the area.

I am I regular to this place and for those seeking a great chicken fried steak or cheeseburger, Frank's is the place. The chicken fried steak here is delicious. It has a rich flavor and a nice chewable texture that’s not too hard like you find with other chicken fried steaks. The steak is then topped off with thick and creamy white gravy. Just makes me want to say "Ummm Ummm"!

Food Rating: 5 out of 5 Lagniappe Up!

Service
Like I said above, Frank's stays pretty busy. Be prepared for a little wait. Other than that, the waitresses work very hard and do a great job serving customers and the food has never really took that long to come out.

Service Rating: 4 out of 5 Lagniappe Up!

Atmosphere
Franks has that old country atmosphere much like a Cracker Barrel. It has a ton of old plow tools and LSU memorabilia hanging from the walls. The style of the restaurant really works well with the food that is served here.

As far as room goes, the place can get cramped with all the people and tends to be a bit noisy.
Atmosphere Rating: 3 out of 5 Lagniappe


Overall: 12 Out of 15

Frank's Restaurant
8353 Airline Hwy
Baton Rouge, LA 70815
(225) 926-5977