Local eatery still deserves its legendary status

318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter often has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

I have written several reviews for 318 Forum, and it is not lost on me that I haven’t visited one of our area’s most iconic eateries.

Allow me to share my line of thinking. Everyone has been to at least one of the Strawn’s Eat Shop variations, right? I mean, how can you have lived here for any length of time (like a week) and not gone to the original Strawn’s Eat Shop on Kings Highway in Shreveport, Strawn’s Eat Shop Too on Shreveport’s Youree Drive or Strawn’s Eat Shop Also on Airline Drive in Bossier? The experience at each is always the same. You’re going to get home cookin’ — and a piece of homemade pie — in a very casual, comfortable atmosphere.

But recently, I received an email from a reader. I always appreciate it when someone takes the time to write. (It also lets the boss know people read these reviews!) She asked me to review the original Strawn’s. Her request was based on the fact that local restaurants need support. “I am afraid if people don’t continue to visit this location, it will close. ... So many of our old restaurants have closed. Let’s try to keep this one!”

Fried Chicken Plate Lunch

I agree with her. However, perhaps unknowingly, she went out on a limb by asking me to review a particular restaurant. A review can be good, or it can be bad. What if I have a lousy experience? That certainly wouldn’t help the eatery’s business. But the reader made several good points. So, on a recent Wednesday, I invited a friend to meet me at the original Strawn’s (125 Kings Hwy.) across from Centenary College to see if the restaurant was still living up to its “iconic” reputation.

I arrived at 12:15 and didn’t bother looking for a parking space in front of the restaurant, so I drove to the back, where parking is available but not always guaranteed. I found a spot and made my way up the stairs and through the back door.

Strawn’s has two dining rooms. There’s a small one up front, which includes a counter with mounted stools. On this day, no one was sitting at the counter, which was being used as a storage area for things like bread and eggs.

But the rest of the seating area was full. So, my friend and I sat in the larger room, which, like the smaller room, has tables and booths.

If you’re looking for an aesthetically pleasing restaurant, Strawn’s Eat Shop probably isn’t your place. The colors don’t come close to blending. The floor is a red and black checker-board, and the walls are a mix of light and dark blue. But what is cool are the paintings on those walls. They depict a variety of characters, from Superman to Snow White to Buzz Lightyear. Whoever drew these is exceptionally talented.

When you go to Strawn’s, if you’re not having breakfast, you have to order either a plate lunch or a burger and fries, and a piece of pie, right? In all these years, I don’t think I’ve ever had anything else. On this day, the plate lunch choices were fried chicken, chickenfried steak, or chicken and dumplings. As you know, I always let my guest order first. Well, he threw me a curveball. Instead of ordering a plate lunch, he went with the chicken-fried steak sandwich on a bun ($13) and a glass of unsweet tea ($3.25). Now, as I mentioned, he could have had the chicken-fried steak on the plate lunch. However, he said he didn’t care for the vegetables that came with it. Plus, he had a taste for a sandwich.

So, that left me choosing between a plate lunch and a burger. It was not an easy decision. But I flipped a coin (in my mind) and went with the fried chicken ($13.50). It would come with my choice of lima or green beans (I chose green), mashed potatoes, a salad and a roll. To drink, I had water with lemon.

Our server, Rainey, could not have been nicer. She was Johnny-on-the-spot with our beverages and was quick to respond to our requests for things like pepper sauce and extra napkins.

Not long after my friend and I ordered, Rainey served our lunch. My friend’s sandwich featured a huge chicken-fried steak.

It was so big, I couldn’t see the bottom bun. The sandwich came with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Given a choice of fries or hash browns, my friend made the wise decision to go with fries.

“I thought it was very delicious,” he said of his meal. “I actually enjoyed it more than I do their regular chicken fried steak. I know that sounds crazy, but the sandwich was very good.

It tasted fresh and moist.

Strawberry Pie

Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich with Fries

It was more than enough to eat. I would order it again. I would order that before I would order the chicken fried steak plate.”

But why? “I felt like it was a good lunch time meal. There is a lot of food with their lunch plates. If you’ve got a hearty appetite at lunch or if you’re not having a big supper that night, (the plate lunch) might be the way to go. But this really hit the spot of, ‘Hey, how about a sandwich and fries?’ It was more than enough.”

My plate lunch lived up to its name, as the plate was covered with food. There was a nice-sized piece of chicken that was fried really crisp. You know how sometimes when you peel off the skin, it’s weak and droopy? This skin held together. When I bit into it, I could hear the crunch. Now, that’s chicken like my aunt used to fry.

The vegetables were hit and miss.

The green beans were warm and tasted great. The potatoes were cold. The salad was a typical Strawn’s salad — lettuce and not much else. The roll was soft and tasty.

Speaking of salad, I asked for Thousand Island dressing on the side. It was served on the side, all right. Rainey brought me a squeeze bottle half full of dressing. Remember, if you’re looking for anything remotely associated with the word “fancy,” Strawn’s isn’t your place.

Now, I almost laughed when, after our meal, Rainey asked if we wanted pie. Are you kidding? Does anyone leave Strawn’s without having eaten a slice of pie? Certainly not us. My friend chose chocolate ($5.75), for which I was happy, since I don’t like chocolate. Without hesitation, I asked for a piece of strawberry pie ($5.75).

In typical Strawn’s fashion, our pie was top-loaded with whipped cream. The combination of the cream and the filling is what makes Strawn’s pie so addictive. Not to mention the crust, which wasn’t too firm and wasn’t too crumbly; in other words, it was just right.

The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $44.99. Speaking of a tip, I noticed a sign on the cash register that declared that a $2 tip would automatically be added to the order of each student from a certain high school. I asked the lady behind the counter about the sign. She said that quite often, the students come in large groups and don’t tip. She went on to say that “parents should raise their children with manners.”

To the nice lady who emailed me, you are right. Local restaurants need our support. After having lunch at Strawn’s Eat Shop, I am happy to show my support by giving the restaurant Four Forks. I would happily go out of my way to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Heck, even if I only had a sweet tooth, I would drive a good way to have a piece of their pie.

The reader wrote that Strawn’s is “a local legend.” From my visit, it’s clear that the legend continues to grow.