Gibbons Fine Grill aims to satisfy

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

Since I began writing these reviews in 2023, I have been asked when I would review Gibbons Fine Grill (1714 East 70th Street, Shreveport). However, since the restaurant has had strong customer support since day one (2018), I felt everyone knew of the Gibbons experience. I prefer to review restaurants that may not be so universally known.

However, in the past couple of months, more people have inquired about when I would review Gibbons. OK, so maybe I was wrong. Perhaps everyone hasn’t been to Gibbons. So, I invited a friend to join me on a recent Wednesday. Now, being completely transparent, this friend and I had been to Gibbons many times and have always — and I mean always — had a quality visit.

Because I am always thinking of you, the reader, let me pass along a little tip. Go to Yelp and search for Gibbons Fine Grill. Do this before you head out, and you can join the waitlist. Yelp will show your approximate wait and seat time.

On this day, I joined the waitlist at 12:51 and was given an approximate seat time of 1:02-1:17. Sure enough, at 1:08, my name was called. I felt bad leaving so many people waiting for a table, but not bad enough to give someone my spot.

Gibbons has two seating areas. There is the main dining room, which has a mix of tables and booths. Then, there is the bar area where you can sit around the large bar (first come, first served) or in one of several booths. Six televisions are hanging over the bar — three on each side — so you can watch a game from just about anywhere in that space.

The restaurant’s atmosphere would lead a first-time visitor to expect to pay an above-average price for their meal. Gibbons has wine displays in the foyer and the dining room. The main room and the bar area have a classy look without a stuffy feel. The place appeared very clean and, frankly, looked like a restaurant you would find in a larger city.

We sat in a booth in the main room and were soon greeted by our server, Billy. My service at Gibbons has always been excellent; this day was no exception. Billy was professional in his appearance and work, understanding when we asked for more time before ordering and consistently checking to see if we needed anything.

Hawaiian chicken hits the right flavor notes.

Arriving a bit after 1 p.m., my friend and I were starving. Although we knew Gibbons offered starters and desserts, we also knew we would only have room for one. So, we chose to share one of the five starters on the menu. We went with the Triple Dip ($6.95) — spinach dip, queso blanco, and salsa, which came with tortilla chips.

Not long after placing our order, Billy was back at our booth. He served a platter with three nice-sized bowls, each with the promised offering. We were also given two baskets of chips, which, for us, was not enough.

When they were gone, dip and salsa were remaining. I asked Billy if we could have a few more chips, and without hesitation, he said, “Yes.”

Unfortunately, neither the original serving of chips nor the “extra” chips were warm. And they all had a little too much salt for my liking. But the chips’ main purpose was to scoop up the dips and salsa. All three tasted great, and the spinach dip was warm. However, the queso blanco was lukewarm at best.

That was a bit of a disappointment.

For your entrée, Gibbons offers a variety, including salads, fish, chicken, burgers and a couple of other items. I chose to get something I had never tried: Hawaiian Chicken ($9.95). I was promised a “house-marinated chicken breast, fresh pineapple salsa, a bourbon glaze, buttery whipped potatoes and steamed broccoli.” However, Billy told us we could substitute our sides, and I replaced the whipped potatoes with a baked potato.

My friend had difficulty deciding but landed on the Stuffed Shrimp ($14.95). They were described as stuffed with “house-made crab and Ritz cracker stuffing.” Her entrée would come with french fries, cole slaw, homemade tartar and cocktail dipping sauces.” My friend substituted fries for broccoli.

As with our starter, it wasn’t long before our meal arrived. The presentation of each entrée was very appealing. Everything was nice, neat and colorful.

Unfortunately, my food was not hot, and the broccoli was overcooked (some pieces even had black burn marks). However, the chicken was thick, tender and tasty. The pineapple salsa was plentiful and delicious. The baked potato was ... a baked potato.

My friend received six stuffed shrimp on a bed of yellow rice. She said her food was “piping hot.” As for the shrimp, she thought the stuffing was a little too crabby. “It tasted more like crab than shrimp.” She said the rice was “just right,” the broccoli was good, and the slaw was “really good. Creamy, not sugary.”

The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $31.85. But I want you to be aware of something Gibbons has been doing for quite a while. The first time I discovered it, I questioned a manager, who could not answer me. The subtotal on the original receipt read $31.85. However, after giving our server my credit card, I received a second receipt with a subtotal of $34.91, which was the original subtotal plus tax. Here’s why that’s an issue: I’m leaving a tip based on the subtotal. So, if I went off the subtotal on the second receipt, I would leave a tip based on an amount, including tax. That’s not right. I would like to know why Gibbons does that.

Here’s the deal about Gibbons Fine Grill.

Triple Dip appetizer and Stuffed Shrimp entree.

Does it serve the best food in town? No. Does it serve the best food for the price, atmosphere and service? Yes. I give Gibbons Three Forks. My food not being hot and the whole receipt subtotal issue took something away from an otherwise very positive experience. But hey, Gibbons is hardly ever without a crowd, so it has a lot of satisfied customers.

Something else I wish Gibbons would tell me: How can they provide their level of food, service and atmosphere while charging very reasonable prices? I guess the answer would give away their secret.