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Tuesday, July 23, 2024

TOP 5 Fan FAVORITES

InsideCover

Readers Choose the TOP 5 of the Best of 318

Congratulations to all 695 winners in our Best of 318 competition. Your votes and support have truly made a difference, turning the competition up to a high volume and making your friends the winners.

Food and drink are always favorite reader topics, and one of the most notable winners is The Pearl, voted the No. 1 Best New Restaurant. Since its opening, it has made a splash not only on the local dining scene but also in your hearts, with 15 Top 5 wins, including:

No. 1: Best of 318 New Resturant
Top 5: Best Catfish
Top 5: Best Desserts at a Local Restaurant
Top 5: Best Martini
Top 5: Best Oysters
Top 5: Best Restaurant for Breakfast
Top 5: Best Appetizers
Top 5: Best Seafood
Top 5: Best Bar
Top 5: Best Happy Hour
Top 5: Best Local Brewery
Top 5: Best Overall Restaurant
Top 5: Best Patio/Outdoor Seating
Top 5: Best Place for a Date Night
Top 5: Best Seafood Restaurant
Top 5: Best Wine Selection

2Johns Steak and Seafood scored five No. 1 Best of 318 wins and five Top 5 Best of 318. Way to serve! Ernest Orleans won No. 1 Best Chef and six Top 5 awards. Gibbons Fine Grill scored two No. 1s and five Top 5 awards. Orlandeaux’s Cross Lake Cafe racked up 10 awards with five No. 1 and five Top 5 awards.

On the following pages, you’ll see who stood out and meet a few of our winners — your choices! Let’s celebrate their success and show our support by showing up: Supporting local businesses is not just good business; it’s a way to strengthen our community.

TOP 5 BEST OF 318

Best Antique Shop
King's Antiques And More
Southern Sass Junking
Antique Shoppes at 1100 Barksdale
Caboose Antiques
Antique Emporium

Best Appetizers
Gibbons Fine Grill
Ernest Orleans Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
The Pearl Shreveport
Fat Calf Brasserie
Orlandeaux’s

Best Appliances
Lowe’s Home Improvement
Home Depot
Ivan Smith Furniture
Skent N Dent
Best Buy Co.

Best Assisted Living
The Glen
The Oaks of Louisiana
The Blake At Bossier City
Garden Park Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, LLC
Montclair Park Assisted Living

Best Attorney
Ron Miciotto, Ronald J. Miciotto LLC
Kelly Long, The Law Office of Kelly L. Long, LLC
Allen Cooper, The Law Office of Allen Cooper, LLC
Alonzo P. Jackson Jr. Attorney at Law
Ryan E. Gatti Attorney At Law

Best Bakery
Julie Anne's Bakery & Café
Lowder Baking Company
Southern Maid Donuts
Lilah's Bakery
Buttercups Cupcakes

Best Bar
2Johns Steak and Seafood
El Paso Mexican Grill
Louisiana Daiquiri Café
The Pearl Shreveport
1931 Lounge Horseshoe Casino
Bears

Best Bar or Restaurant to Watch Sports
Hurricane Alley Live
Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux
1931 Lounge Horseshoe Casino
BeauxJax Crafthouse
Buffalo Wild Wings

Best Bartender
Cheyenne, 1931 lounge
Blair, Tiki Bar and Grill
Matthew Rush, El Paso Mexican Grill
Cat Owens, Elks Lodge
2Johns Steak and Seafood

Best BBQ
Louisiana Smoke House
Silver Star Smokehouse
Bodacious BBQ
Hickory Stick
Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q

Best Blepharoplasty (eyes)
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics
Kenneth Sanders Facial Plastic Surgery
Dr. Paige Bundrick, Paige Bundrick M.D. Facial Plastic Surgery
Dr. Bryan Vekovius, Bryan Vekovius, M.D.
Zaffater Eye Center

Best Body Sculpting
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics
Paige Bundrick Facial Plastic Surgery
Dr. Holly Wall, The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery
Kenneth Sanders Facial Plastic Surgery
Simeon Wall Jr., The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery

Best Breast Enhancement
Paul Davis, Plastic Surgery of Shreveport WK
Dr. Holly Wall, The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery
Baron O'Neal, Bundrick & O'Neal Plastic Surgery Clinic
The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics

Best Brunch
Another Broken Egg Cafe
Up for Brunch Cafe
First Watch
Another Broken Egg - Bossier
Marilynn's Place

Best Burger
Papa & Company
Griff's Hamburgers
Rollin’ In The Dough
8oz. Burger Bar Horseshoe Casino
Gullo’s Fresh Produce & Bake Shop

Best Carpet
House of Carpets and Lighting
Ivey's Carpet & Interiors
Henson's Carpet and Lighting
Snyder Floor Covering
Home Depot

Best Casino Lounge
Celebrity Lounge at Bally's
1931 Lounge Horseshoe Casino
Margaritaville Resort Casino
Horseshoe Casino
Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino Shreveport

Best Casino Restaurant
Jack Binion's Steak House, Horseshoe
8oz. Burger Bar Horseshoe Casino
Margaritaville Resort Casino
The Vintage, Bally’s
Drago's Seafood Restaurant, Margaritaville

Best Caterer
KRUE Events
Silver Star Grill
BeauxJax Crafthouse
Fat Calf Brasserie
Shaver's Catering

Best Catfish
Orlandeaux's Cross Lake Café
Jan's River Restaurant
Johnny's Catfish & Seafood
Rollin’ In The Dough
The Pearl Shreveport

Best Chef
Ernest Palmisano, Ernest Orleans Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
Chef Israel "Izzy" Andrade, La Dolce Vita Italian Cuisine
Damien "Chapeaux" Chapman, Orlandeaux's Café
Keidra Brown, Keidra's Kitchen LLC
Chris Hayes, The Smoking Oyster (Food Truck)

Best Childrens Shop
The Moppet Shoppe
La Bambolina Boutique
The Children's Place
Kid to Kid
Old Navy

Best Chinese
Imperial Cathay Chinese Cuisine
Lucky Palace Chinese Restaurant
Lin’s Kitchen
China Dragon
China Flag

Best Chips and Salsa
El Jimador Grill Inc.
Casa Jimador Mexican Restaurant
Superior Grill
El Paso Mexican Grill
Nicky's Mexican Restaurant & Bar

Best Coffee Shop


RHINO COFFEE

Andrew Crawford, Owner
No. 1: Best of 318 Best Coffee Shop

Andrew says, “When we started, it was just us and Starbucks, and people thought I was crazy to put up a store across from Starbucks. We liked the area. We looked for a long time for our original store. I wanted a house; we wanted a coffee house. We’ve grown outside of that. Our downtown location is an old building; our Southern Loop location is brand new. The original is very developed and has a great following. I think more people can walk to it.” Note: The Southern Loop location has a drive-thru and Southern Maid Donuts. What are you waiting for?

Rhino Coffee
Starbucks
Coffee on the Red
PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans
MOOR Coffee CO

Best Cosmetic Surgeon
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics
Dr. Forrest P. Wall, The Plastic Surgery Center
Kenneth Sanders Facial Plastic Surgery
Paul Davis, Plastic Surgery of Shreveport WK
Paige Bundrick Facial Plastic Surgery

Best CPA
Mark Ford, CPA
Brittney Dunn, CPA, LLC
Heard, McElroy & Vestal, LLP
Trent Milican, P&N Tax Services Group
Todd Muslow, Muslow + Agnew Group, LLC

Best Credit Union
Barksdale Federal Credit Union
Carter Credit Union
ANECA Federal Credit Union
Bossier Federal Credit Union
Campus Federal Credit Union

Best Dentist
Shreveport Bossier Family Dental Care
A Brighter Smile
Southern Roots Dentistry
Dr. Caroline R. Cobb, Miciotto Family Dentistry
Caroline K. Haynie, DDS

Best Desserts at a Local Restaurant
Julie Anne's Bakery & Café
Strawn's Eat Shop
Gibbons Fine Grill
The Pearl Shreveport
2Johns Steak and Seafood

Best Donuts
Southern Maid Donuts
Dripp Donuts
Lickin’ Good Donuts
Sweet Glaze Donuts
Crispy Donuts

Best Dry Cleaning
Porter's Fine Dry Cleaning
Azalea Cleaners
Port City Dry Cleaners
Al-N-Way Cleaners - Minden
Steve's Cleaners

Best Event Planner
Delia Jeffcoat, Delia Jeffcoat Events
Emerie Eck Holtzclaw, Lagniappe P.R.I.M.E., LLC
Cherrie Matthews, Caspiana Plantation House
Bonné Summers, Apex Communications and Events, LLC
Allie-601 Spring Street

Best Eye Doctor
Lusk Eye Specialists
Dr. Zaffater, Zaffater Eye Center
Clay Bundrick Jr., MD, Highland Eyeclinic
Russ Van Norman MD, Shreveport Eye Specialist
Dr. Wally Nawas, Bossier Eye Institute

Best Face Lift
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics
Kenneth Sanders Facial Plastic Surgery
The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery
Paige Bundrick Facial Plastic Surgery
Bridges to Beauty

Best Facial
My Spa My Way
Spa Concepts Salon & Spa
Ark-La-Tex Dermatology
8445 Med Spa
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics

Best Family Law
Kelly Long, The Law Office of Kelly L. Long, LLC
Ryan E. Gatti Attorney At Law
The Cook Law Firm
Alonzo P. Jackson Jr. Attorney at Law
Miramon Law Inc.

Best Festival
Red River Revel Arts Festival
Mudbug Madness
Let the Good Times Roll Festival
Louisiana Film Prize
Highland Jazz & Blues Festival

Best Financial Planner
Edward Jones Investments
Evans Financial Group
Kelly Young, Cornerstone Investment Strategies
Cody King MS, MPAS, CFP, CRPC, APMA, Ameriprise Financial
Jerry Lorey, The Lorey Group

Best Fitness Studio
YMCA of Northwest Louisiana
No Ceilings Crossfit
Planet Fitness
Club 4 Fitness
WK Fitness Centers

Best Flooring
House of Carpets and Lighting
Robert Ivey's Flooring Direct
Dixie Floors Inc.
Henson's Carpet and Lighting
Synder Floor Covering

Best Florist
The Colony House of Flowers
La Bloom
Flower Power
Kroger
Lisa's Flowers & Gifts

Best Food Truck
The Cajun Asian Food Truck & Catering
Louisiana Smokehouse
Dripp Hot Chicken
Ono Hawaiian Grill
Larry P's Boiling Pot

Best Fried Chicken
Southern Classic Chicken
Chick-Fil-A
Dripp Hot Chicken
Cotton’s Fried Chicken Minden
Orlandeaux's Cross Lake Café

Best Fries at a Local Restaurant
McDonald's
Southern Classic
Five Guys Burgers
Rollin’ In The Dough
Oyster Bar & Grille

Best Fundraising Event
Holy Angels Run & Walk 5K
Christmas in the Sky
St. Jude Dream Home
Give For Good
TASTE a festival of food and art

Best Furniture
Ivan Smith Furniture
Johnson's Furniture
Ashley Homestore
Beweley's Furniture Center
Havertys Furniture

Best Gift Store
Enchanted Garden
Lewis' Gifts
Give Me 3
Birdwell's, LLC
BECKdesigns, LLC

Best Golf Course
Southern Trace Country Club
East Ridge Country Club
Querbes Park Golf Course
The Club at Huntington Park
Northwood Hills Golf Club

POP N PIZZA

Brittani Shabazz, Owner
Top 5: Best Pizza
Top 5: Best Place to Eat Downtown

With all the pizza joints in the area, our Best of 318 winner may come as a surprise to some. It’s Pop N Pizza, now located in the heart of downtown Shreveport. According to owner Brittani Shabazz, it’s no surprise to its regulars, who come from all over. “We have people that drive in from Lafayette. We have people that come in from Haughton and Texarkana once a month. We have people that fly in from New York City every month.” That’s a recommendation. “We make everything fresh. It’s a difference … and then there’s the love we put into it. We love pizza, and I think it translates. We’re not going to sell you anything we don’t want to eat.” Selling by the slice makes Pop N Pizza a popular stop for the downtown lunch crowd. “Customers can walk in, get a slice and walk out.

We sell other food as well. Today, we had beef tips and rice.”

Best Grocery Strore
Brookshire's
Kroger on Ellerbe
Kroger
Cush's Grocery & Market
Whole Foods Market

Best Gumbo
Orlandeaux's Cross Lake Café
Ernest Orleans Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
BeauxJax Crafthouse
Herby-K's
Marilynn’s Place

Best Hair Salon
Chemistry Hair Salon
Fantastic Sam’s Cut & Color
Salon Chic
Avalon Hair Salon
Tiffany South Hair Salon

Best Happy Hour
El Paso Mexican Grill
2Johns Steak and Seafood
The Pearl Shreveport
Fat Calf Brasserie
Oyster Bar & Grille

Best Hardware Store
Tubb's Hardware & Cajun Gifts
Lowe’s Home Improvement
Home Depot
Ace Hardware in Bossier City (it’s new!)
Tommy's Specialty Hardware, Inc.

Best Healthy Eating Restaurant
Counter Culture
Gibbons Fine Grill
First Watch
El Cabo Verde
Vegans on the Run

Best Home Decor
Hobby Lobby
At Home
HomeGoods
Canatella Interiors
Ivy & Stone

Best Home Design Services
Hobby Lobby
Ivy & Stone
Canatella Interiors


JANET MEIER DESIGNS

Janet Meier, Owner
Top 5: Best Home Design Services

“We’re small, but we are so focused on service,” says Janet. “We really do try to go out of our way to help somebody. If they buy a picture, and they can’t get it hung, generally we are going to go hang it for them. We try to offer service that people can’t get on the Internet. We are full-service interior design. We can help you if you’re building or remodeling or just refreshing a room. We can assist with the paint color, flooring selection, lighting, all the way down to the furniture. We really try hard to be very cost-conscious with the lines and the pieces we carry. We are not high-end; we try to have a really nice product for the money. We get a lot of compliments that our prices are really good.”

Janet Meier Designs
Myron Griffing, Space: Interiors

Best Homebuilder
Southern Home Builders Inc.
Bayou Construction & Specialty Services, LLC
Rodgers Home & Construction
Terry Elston Builder
Ashley’s Building and Construction

Best HVAC Service & Repair
Bobby L. Greene Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Co.
Advanced Air Conditioning & Heating Inc.
Southern AIR Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical
Ability Air Conditioning Inc.
Pioneer Comfort Systems

Best Investment Firm
Edward Jones Investments
Raymond James
Evans Financial Group
Ameriprise Financial
Merrill Lynch

Best Italian Food
Monjunis Italian Café & Grocery
Giuseppe's PastaCaffè
The L'Italiano Resturant
Carrabba's Italian Grill
Olive Garden Italian Kitchen

Best Jewelry Store
McCary's Jewelers
Couch & Co. Jewelers
Lee Michael's Fine Jewelery
Lockhart Jewelers Inc.
Kay Jewelers

Best King Cakes
Lilah's Bakery
Julie Anne's Bakery & Café
Lowder Baking Company
Southern Maid Donuts
Tubbs Hardware

Best Landscaping
Hoogland's Landscape

LEX PLANT FARM

Cindy Mathis, Manager
Top 5: Best Landscaping
Top 5: Best Nursery/Garden Store

Lex Plant Farm opened in 1983 in the “country” on what used to be Harts Island Road, now East Kings Highway. It scored big in this year’s Best of 318 voting, and manager Cindy Mathis has a good idea why. It’s because of “the overall atmosphere out here and the great selection of plants as well as the knowledgeable and friendly sales staff.” “We have full-service landscape design and installation, as well as an irrigation department. We carry certain products that you might not be able to find anywhere else. We have fresh-grown tomato starts (we grow our own vegetable starts for home gardeners). We have over 60 varieties of tomatoes and over 60 varieties of pepper plants.”

Lex Plant Farm
Akin’s Nursery & Landscaping
Mathews Landscape & Pest
Cascios

Best Lighting
House of Carpets and Lighting
Home Depot
Lowe’s Home Improvement
LED 4 Life
Henson's Carpet and Lighting

Best Liquor Store
Cuban Liquor & Gourmet
Thrifty Liquor
Tony's Discount Beverages
Connected Bottle Shop - Mansfield Road
Apollo Liquor Store

Best Local Artist
POETIC X
Allen Smith, Graphite Art
Cody Cooke, Cody Cooke and the Bayou Outlaws
Art By Sara- Katherine Semon
Aly Starnes Fletcher

Best Local Band
The Hollow Decks
Alter Ego
Charlotte’s Web Band
Soul Grooves
Cody Cooke and the Bayou Outlaws

Best Local Brewery
Flying Heart Brewing & Pub
Great Raft Brewing
The Seventh Tap Brewing Project
The Pearl Shreveport
Red River Brewing Co.

Best Local College
Bossier Parish Community College
Centenary College of Louisiana
SUSLA
Northwestern State University-Shreveport
Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College

Best Local Radio Personality
Erin McCarty, 710 KEEL
Tina B, 103.7 Tha Beat
Gary McCoy, Kiss Country 93.7
Erin Bristol
Tim Fletcher, 1130 The Tiger

Best Local Sandwich
Doc’s Sandwich shop & Deli
Po-Boy Express
Fat Tuesday's Sandwich Shop and Bakery
Bayou Deli & Casserole Shop, LLC
Honey Baked Ham Company

Best Local Singer
Haley Brooke
Charlotte Huston, Charlotte's Web Band
Eddie Spencer
Jeter jones
Jimmy Wooten

Best Local Theater
Shreveport Little Theatre
The Strand
Robinson Film Center
Stage Center's School of Performing Arts
BPCC Theatre

Best Local TV News Personality
Dominique Benn, KSLA
Doug Warner, KSLA
Rick Rowe, KTBS
Patrick Dennis, KTBS
Dan & Jacque Jovic, KTAL

Best Mardi Gras Bal
Krewe of Gemini
Krewe of Centaur
Krewe of Highland
Krewe of Harambee
Krewe of Sobek

Best Mardi Gras Krewe
Krewe of Centaur
Krewe of Gemini
Krewe of Highland
Krewe of Harambee
Krewe of Sobek

Best Margarita
Superior Grill
El Paso Mexican Grill
Oyster Bar & Grille
Nicky's Mexican Restaurant & Bar
Casa Jimador Mexican Restaurant

Best Martini
2Johns Steak and Seafood
Superior's Steakhouse
Gibbons Fine Grill
The Pearl Shreveport
Silver Star Grill

ABSOLUTELY ABIGAIL’S

Donna Phillips, Co-Owner
Top 5: Best Women’s Boutique

Absolutely Abigail’s, “a true boutique,” has been a Shreveport staple for 23 years. It is known for its flair in making apparel out of unstructured, free-flowing, diverse and international art. Its art-driven, out-of-the-box style in women’s clothing and accessories remains a fan favorite. Donna Phillips and her daughter, Abigail Satterthwaite, the boutique’s co-owners, are delighted with this award. Donna says, “I am grateful and humbled. A lot of hard work goes into this business. This award is motivation to continue our dedication to customer service that keeps our loyal customers coming back. We are also proud of our amazing website that ships all over the world. I’m just thrilled!”

Best Meat Market / Specialty Store
Bergeron's Boudin & Cajun Meats
Cotton's Grocery
Cush's Grocery & Market
Smith Family Farms Market
Corks & Cuts Spirits Food Daiquiris

Best Mediterranean
Yeero!!!-Yeero!!! Authentic Greek Cuisine
Athena’s Greek & Lebanese Grill
Taziki's Mediterranean Café
Zuzul Coastal Cuisine
Flames Mediterranean Restaurant

Best Men’s Clothing Store
Dillard's
John Pickens Custom Clothiers, LLC
L.E. and Chalk
On Time Fashion
Cavendars Western Outfitter

Best Mexican Food
Ki' Mexico
El Jimador Grill Inc.
Casa Jimador Mexican Restaurant
El Paso Mexican Grill
Superior Grill

Best Museum
R.W. Norton Art Gallery
Sci Port
Louisiana State Exhibit Museum
Shreveport Aquarium
Meadows Museum of Art

Best Nail Salon
Spa Concepts Salon & Spa
Happy Nail Spa
Allure Nails & Spa
Haute Nails
Jaded Nails & Spa

Best New Restaurant
The Pearl Shreveport
Pepito XO
Fuzzy's Taco Shop
Mama’s Italian House
Frozen Pirogue

Best Non-Surgical Enhancements
Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics
Dermatology and Skin Surgery
Dr. Sarah Glorioso, Ark-La-Tex Dermatology
8445 Med Spa
FIXX Medical Spa

Best Nursery / Garden Store
Akin’s Nursery & Landscaping
Ellis Home & Garden
Lex Plant Farm
Garrison's Home & Garden
Home Depot

Best Overall Restaurant
Gibbons Fine Grill
2Johns Steak and Seafood
Orlandeaux's Cross Lake Café
Fat Calf Brasserie
The Pearl Shreveport

SLICING THROUGH THE COMPETITION
THE PEARL

Robert Shaver, Owner
No. 1: Best of 318 New Resturant
Top 5: Best Catfish
Top 5: Best Desserts at a Local Restaurant
Top 5: Best Martini
Top 5: Best Oysters
Top 5: Best Restaurant for Breakfast
Top 5: Best Appetizers
Top 5: Best Seafood
Top 5: Best Bar
Top 5: Best Happy Hour
Top 5: Best Local Brewery
Top 5: Best Overall Restaurant
Top 5: Best Patio/Outdoor Seating
Top 5: Best Place for a Date Night
Top 5: Best Seafood Restaurant
Top 5: Best Wine Selection

With a name like The Pearl, you know oysters have to be on the menu. Robert Shaver wanted to put that pearl inside something outstanding. “When we opened The Pearl, we wanted it to be special. The people of Shreveport were ready for something a little different. We wanted more of a social restaurant. We’re open seven nights a week, and on long weekends — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — we’re open all day. We’re seafood and steaks. We only do certified Angus steaks. For our seafood, we use everything in Louisiana that we can. All of our desserts are homemade in the restaurant. If your phone is low on charge, you can set it on our 47-foot cocktail bar.” In case you wondered, Shaver said, “The oysters are a huge draw.”

Best Oysters
The Oyster Bar & Grille
The Pearl Shreveport
Frozen Pirogue
Orlandeaux’s
Drago's Seafood Restaurant, Margaritaville

Best Patio/Outdoor Seating
Ki' Mexico
El Paso Mexican Grill
The Pearl Shreveport
Fat Calf Brasserie

Best Pediatrician
Gretchen Petterway, Mid City Pediatrics
Angela Cush-John, Mid City Pediatrics
Pierremont Pediatrics
Mid City Pediatrics
Dr. Gene Mack Jr., Pierremont Pediatrics

Best Performing Arts Group
Shreveport Little Theatre
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
Lumpy Grits Artistry
BPCC
Stage Center's School of Performing Arts

Best Pest Control
AntiPest
J&J Exterminating Inc.
Killer for Hire, LLC
Terminix
Orkin

Click to continue to Part 2 of 318's TOP Fan Favorites

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