Signs of the event are all over in Chili’s.  They have been having kids color a chili pepper sheet and hanging them in the lobby of the restaurant.  The wait staff have all taken their shirts and decorated them personally to wear this month.

All of this culminates on September 26th, when your local Chili’s will donate 100% of their net profits for the day to St. Jude’s.  On that day, customers can also make additional donations via a line item on their receipt.  And don’t think that your donation doesn’t count!  Last year, the Chili’s on Manhattan in Harvey donated $330,000 on St. Jude’s day.  The total 2010 corporate donation from all of the stores across the country totaled $5.6 MILLION dollars.  That’s a lot of research.

There are several ways to support the cause or donate even if you can’t make it on the 26th:

• Buy T-shirts
• Buy bracelets
• Donate online

The West Bank Chili’s is located at 1741 Manhattan Blvd. Harvey LA.  Call ahead seating is available at (504) 367-5594.

They started out in a much smaller spot in the strip center location a few years back, but now they have a nice corner space with plenty of parking and a much more open, comfortable feel to the entire restaurant.

Reasonably priced and with good service, you’ll forget you parked next to Winn Dixie the minute you are seated.  Greeted with traditional warm towels and complimentary noodle salad, it’s an excellent way to spend your lunch hour or dinner time, whether you opt to sit at the sushi bar or choose table service.  A large selection of rolls, sushi and sashimi are offered on the traditional Japanese menu.  Rounded out with a few salads and tempura choices and there’s something for everyone.

My favorite appetizer, although a little pricey at $9.95, is the Beef Tataki.  Shaved thin, seared beef served atop fresh crisp lettuce with a vinegar based sauce, it’s a little bit of heaven and worth every penny.  I try a new roll each time I go and today’s choice was the Mango and Salmon roll.  Sounds a little odd, but it was fantastic!

Click the images below for a full sized view of deliciousness

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend that you add Cafe Zen to your list of places to go on the West Bank.

Cafe Zen is located at 2112 Belle Chasse Hwy, Gretna, LA 70053-6651.  Call (504) 393-2293 for more information.

The front of the building is very plain and when you enter there is a to-go counter and a large, open dining room jam packed with cafeteria like tables and chairs for family style seating along with a few arcade games and a claw machine for the kids, big or small.  Very 1970s, right down to the neon beer signs and stuffed animals hanging on the walls. Topping each table is a big roll of paper towels, a basket of crackers and butter and a rack of condiments including a huge squeeze bottle of cocktail sauce – the only thing missing is the newspaper covering the tables.

The menu is pretty simple and straightforward.  Seasonal boiled and fried seafood and traditional sides such as potatoes, corn and sausage.  The specials when we visited were the fried crawfish tails and fried alligator, served in a basket with fries.  Since the whole reason we came was because we heard how good the boiled seafood was, we promptly ordered crabs and shrimp and decided to try the crawfish tail basket as well instead of sides.

Thank goodness we ordered the crawfish, because each basket came with a bowl of some of the best gumbo I’ve ever eaten. Filled with shrimp and crab claw meat and perfectly spiced, I think hubby and I set a record for the fastest gumbo eating.  We weren’t the only ones impressed, as I heard other diners complimenting it as well.  It’s only served by the cup or the bowl, but I’d gladly pay for a gallon of it to serve for dinner at home.

Dear hubby jumped into the crawfish tails (which were pretty darn good) before I could take a picture, but the blue crabs and shrimp were out of this world.  Well seasoned and juicy, I knew it was a good meal by the number of paper towels we went through!  The wait staff was very friendly, the big screen TV was playing a college football game and there was just a comfortable, old New Orleans feel to the place.

It’s not fancy by any means, but if you are looking for casual, family friendly dining and delicious food, take a drive to Harvey and check out Perino’s Boiling Pot.  You won’t be sorry.

Perino’s Boiling Pot is located at 3754 West Bank Expressway in Harvey LA.  Open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 am – 10 pm and until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.  Need more information?  Give them a call at (504) 340-5560.

But every now and again, we wanted to go somewhere and relax and have a meal that couldn’t be found just anywhere.  Something that wasn’t a run of the mill burger or half limp salad like you usually find in chain restaurants.

That’s when we would head to Zea’s Restaurant. I always lamented the fact that they didn’t have a West Bank location because I absolutely adore their fresh spinach salad with homemade pepper jelly vinaigrette and would order it every time we visited.

After I left banking, I didn’t get out to any of their locations for a long time, so when I stumbled across the salad dressing being sold in Rouse’s Supermarket, I did a little happy dance in the aisle and proceeded to have it with dinner every night for a week (yes, it’s that good).

So when Zea’s opened a location in Harvey, bringing the New Orleans number of restaurants to 5, I almost wrecked the car snapping my head around to make sure that I had really seen what I thought I had seen.  While I’ll miss the Semolina’s that was there before, the menu at Zea’s more than makes up for that loss.

Located right in front of the Palace Theatre on Manhattan Blvd. (hint: get there early on Friday and Saturday nights), the designers have done a beautiful job of making the interior a welcome respite from the outdoors.

There’s a full service bar, where you can enjoy a meal or just have a cocktail if you are waiting on friends or on a table.  I highly recommend that you call ahead the day you plan to dine and make a reservation, because the place fills up fast at peak lunch and dinner times.

The interior is cool and relaxing, with a great decor and a professional wait staff that is well versed on the menu.  When I last ate there, everyone dug into their plates so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to get good pictures of the food.  Rest assured, it was delicious!

As a bonus,  I found a new favorite dish…the Mediterranean Hummus -  topped with feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and calamata olives and served with pita bread.  It’s a big enough portion to make a great shared appetizer and we didn’t leave a single drop on the plate.

Want to treat a friend? Gift cards are available online, along with some of the signature Zea’s sauces.  They also have an extensive catering menu – something to keep in mind as you start to plan those holiday parties.

The next time you are looking for a place to eat on the West Bank, give Zea’s a try. Not only will you have a delicious meal, but it’s another way to support a Louisiana business and stay local.

Zea’s Restaurant is located at 1121 Manhattan Blvd. Harvey, LA 70056
(504) 361-8293

(504) 361-8590 Fax
Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm
Map | Menu |

One of the things I adore about the West Bank is that the people who live here love to eat as much as I do. They will invite you to dinner, a BBQ or a boil at the drop of a hat.  Some of our friends are excellent cooks who should be making a living at it.

Since I really don’t like to cook, we are usually looking for a place to eat each weekend.  Sometimes it’s an old standby, but today we visited the new Monroe Street Cafe that Ernie and Joanne Elfer opened a few weeks ago in Gretna.  Serving breakfast, lunch (with a rotating menu of daily specials) and dinner they are a welcome addition to the West Bank restaurant scene with family members working alongside each other in the kitchen and the dining room.

We were greeted by Rosey, the Elfer’s daughter, as we entered and made to feel as if we were special guests from the moment we arrived.

The colors and decorations are warm and welcoming, from the comfortable upholstered dining chairs right down to the fresh flowers that were on every table.  Huge old mirrors have been framed on the walls of the dining area and give a sense of spaciousness to a room that could feel small but definitely does not.

We’ve known Ernie for years and had the chance to eat his delicious food before the cafe was even a thought, so I knew it would be good.  The buzz is all about the muffaletta pizzas, but since we had a bit of a late night I was ready for breakfast or brunch.  Lucky me, there is a Sunday brunch from 6 am to 2 pm each week.

For only $13.99, the brunch includes a juice cocktail, fresh fruit, shrimp remoulade, eggs Benedict, sausage, ham and cheese Elfair, the most amazing roasted garlic grits, biscuits, pecan delight (a mini warm pecan pie with whipped cream) and coffee or tea.  I couldn’t even finish all of the food on my plate, so the pecan delight will be a treat later tonight…

If you’re not in the mood for brunch, you can also build your own breakfast, dig into a 3 egg omelet, have a pizza topped with scrambled eggs, ham and sausage, or choose from a wide selection of homemade pastries that are baked fresh every day.  Rounding out the menu are the soup of the day and a great selection of sandwiches and salads.  Prices are reasonable, with almost every menu item under $8.

Hubby is a little bit of very picky eater, but he didn’t leave a single bite on his plate today.  Fortunately, I was able to grab a picture before he dug into the huge spaghetti plate topped with homemade meatballs.

Chef Ernie takes great pride in greeting everyone that visits and stepped out to see how we enjoyed our meal. He took us on a tour of the back dining room that is not open to the public yet, but will be known as The Chief’s Room when it is complete.  Ernie was Chief Choctaw 2007 and plans to decorate the room with his costume and other memorabilia from his reign and has invited other past Chiefs to display any of their items as well.  Hmmm…that may be just the right place for the next Krewe of Choctaw board of directors meeting to be held.

Our next visit will be for one of the made to order pizzas. Ernie says that his pizza is designed for those that love it as much as he does – a hand tossed dough basted with blends of garlic, olive oil, herbs and spices and your choice of sauce (red, olio, alfredo, BBQ or creole) is served with plenty of toppings and cheese.

If you are looking for a new, inexpensive West Bank place to eat, I definitely recommend that you check out Monroe St. Cafe.  Delicious food, great service and another wonderful way to stay local.

You’d never know from the tall, skinny building, the location and even the casual sounding name that you were entering a fine dining establishment.  Featuring white linens, a professional wait staff that knew the ins and outs of the entire menu and chefs that have worked in some of the finest restaurants New Orleans has to offer, this is a gem on the West Bank.

We were welcomed by the owner when we entered and made to feel as if we were the only guests.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth though, since at lunchtime there was not an empty seat in the house by noon.  Despite the fact that it’s not a very large dining room, the noise level was never overwhelming, allowing the group I was with to hold a conversation with ease.  The lighting is soft and warm, giving the feeling that you’ve stepped out of the rat race for a little while and allowing you to relax while enjoying your meal.

And the food….oh, the food….

We started our lunch with the Fried Green Tomatoes Napoleon appetizer ($9).  Filled with shrimp remoulade and surrounded by a roasted red pepper puree, it was an excellent way to kick off our meal, and was so good that I ordered it again on my return trip for dinner.

I don’t usually eat very heavy foods at lunch, so we all stuck to salads.  Not to worry, these were entree sized plates filled with deliciousness and just begging to be photographed.

On the left is the Steak and Spinach Salad made with shaved prime rib, sautéed Vidalia onions, feta cheese and roasted red peppers ($12) and on the right is the Cajun Cobb Salad, breaking tradition with the addition of crawfish tails and smoked gouda cheese ($13).  I had the Cobb Salad and it was absolutely wonderful.

On the left is the grilled tuna sandwich topped with avocado, sprouts and aioli ($14) and on the right is the Tomato & Crab Salad that included avocado and was full of beautiful lump crab meat ($12).

As we all tasted from each other’s plates, it became apparent that there was not a mediocre dish on the table.  On my return trip last week for dinner I forgot my camera , but thoroughly enjoyed the filet (which was cooked perfectly) and the house Riesling was a reasonably priced wine to go along with it.

I can’t believe that O’Briens has been open for over a year and I’ve been missing out on it simply because of the location.  Don’t make the same mistake!

O’Briens Grille is located at 2020 Belle Chasse Highway in Gretna.  Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (504) 391-7229.

Let us know if you loved it as much as we did…

I met up with some friends for dinner this week and we went to check them out.  The restaurant just opened about 2 weeks ago, so the staff is still getting familiar with the finer points of the menu, but the service was outstanding and very friendly. 

Questions about the food were welcomed and we started off with a table full of appetizers so we could taste lots of different things.  Baskets of warm pita bread were quickly refilled as we made our way through grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, falafel (kind of like a hush puppy, but made with ground chick peas), kibby and plates of green and black olives.

Then came the entrees, which were huge!  Here are a couple of the plates we ordered:

 
This is the Gyro Plate – spiced lamb & beef with tahini sauce, hummus and salad

Chicken Shawarma – chicken and onions, with hummus, salad and pita bread on the side

Despite our protests that we were too stuffed for dessert, the owner sent out samples of baklava for the entire table to sample….yum!

Affordable Dining

Appetizers at Sahara Cafe range from $2.99 to $12.99 (for a sample platter), while entrees are priced from $9.99 to $12.99.  Four different vegetarian platters are available for only $8.99 and the sandwiches are a bargain at less than $6 for any of them.  Kids plates are $5.99 and desserts are hard to pass up since they are all sold for $1.99.

On our way out the door, we had a chance to chat for a few minutes with the owner, who told us that he plans to add outdoor seating in the future, something that will be welcomed when the evenings are cool and pleasant again in the fall. 

I’m wishing him the best of luck in his new venture and will definitely be back soon!

The Sahara Cafe is located at 401 Realty Drive in Gretna (just off of Lapalco Blvd and 1 block from Wall Blvd).  Hours are from 8:30 am – 10:00 pm, 7 days a week.  For more information, to place an order or request a catering menu, call (504) 394-0460.

Are you considering a move to Gretna LA? The West Bank Living Team provides local, professional real estate services to buyers, sellers and military relocations to and from NAS JRB New Orleans. It would be our pleasure to assist you with all of your real estate needs and help you settle into our community.

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Part of the New Orleans culture is the food.  Not just any old food, but good enough to slap your mama food.  Food that makes you tell your friends “Hey, you have to go eat at ____”.  Happily, I’ve found a new favorite spot for fine dining that doesn’t involve crossing the river, but is instead right here on the West Bank.

From the same group that brought us Parrot Pete’s and Alligator Pear, they have rounded out the menu at Fountain Park with the opening of the Royal Palm restaurant.

We’ve been trying to find the time to try it out and the opportunity finally presented itself with my birthday celebration this month, so we dressed up (jackets are requested for the gentlemen but not required) and set out to enjoy ourselves on a lovely Saturday night.

Finally, a local restaurant that allows me to make reservations online at my convenience instead of only when the staff is available to answer the phone!  As someone who uses the internet all day, my first impression of service was a good one just because of this feature (although I didn’t like the fact that music plays on the website as soon as I open it – you’ve been warned if you visit it while at work!)

It was a beautiful night when we arrived, and the view from the restaurant is fantastic. Lights, water, fountains…and plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the view from.  Table service is not yet available outdoors, which is a shame since the nights are still wonderfully cool, but the wait staff doesn’t mind if you take your wine out to enjoy the view.

Live music for the evening was provided by Gennifer Flowers (yes, that Gennifer Flowers) accompanied by a piano and upright bass.  The volume was just right for background music and I’m surprised that I didn’t see anyone dancing cheek-to-cheek since there is dance floor space in front of the huge bar.  Truly, it felt like we were on a mini-vacation at a resort somewhere instead of dining in the heart of Harvey!

It was hard to decide what to order, but we finally started out with wedge salad (crisp and fresh) and crab cakes (full of crab meat with very little filler) as appetizers and both of them were just right.  For entrees, we decided on steak with garlic mashed potatoes for my husband and grilled mahi mahi with a crawfish maque choux and fingerling potatoes for me.

The steak was excellent, with wonderful seasoning and topped with crispy onion rings.  The fish was cooked perfectly, but was a little short on flavor to be a real winner.  I’ve watched too much Hell’s Kitchen to give a complete pass on under seasoned food even though there is salt on the table

The real surprise of the evening was dessert – a friend had delivered an entire birthday cake to the restaurant earlier in the day and the waiter brought it out with a sparkler and candles as Gennifer Flowers sang Happy Birthday to me!  I guess I’ll have to wait for a return visit to check out their real dessert menu.

Overall, I give the Royal Palm a big thumbs up – we will definitely be back again to try out some of the other dishes that were tempting us on the menu and to forget our cares and relax for an evening out.

I’ve been meaning to get to the new Alligator Pear restaurant in Harvey LA for the longest time, and last week I finally made it.  If I was putting it off for any reason, I don’t know why – I loved it!

Just a little more upscale than neighboring Parrot Pete’s (they have the same owner), Alligator Pear offers a fresh take on some local favorites with their daily lunch specials along with a delicious selection of salads, pizza, sandwiches, burgers and more.  The menu offers a few nods to well known local politicos too, with the “Harry Lee Chicken Salad” and “Sheriff Newell’s Juicy Ribeye”.

The set up is different than most of our New Orleans eateries – a mix of self serve and table service.  When you enter, grab a menu and then place your order at the counter where you are given a numbered card that gets swiped at the table of your choice.  Drinks are self serve, with free refills.  When your food is ready, one of the very friendly wait staff bring it to your table.  Be sure to note that a 10% tip is already included in your bill.

My selection was the Royal Palm Salad.  While I was a little leery about paying $13.95 for a salad, it was worth every penny.  A spring mix with red peppers, red onions and a Champagne vinaigrette was topped with a little tower of Alligator Pear dip (homemade guacamole), crab meat, tomatoes, shrimp remoulade and chopped egg and served alongside crostinis.  Delicious!

With the weather starting to cool off, I’ll be returning soon to dine al fresco at one of the many outdoor tables that overlook the fountains and let you do a little people watching as well.  While that salad may be hard to beat, the soup of the day would be a perfect compliment for a beautiful fall day.

The Alligator Pear restaurant is located at 1901 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey and opens at 11 am daily.  For more information, you can call them at (504) 281-4472 or visit their website.

What’s that old saying? Oh, yeah.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I decided today that my favorite part of being a grown up is being able to sit outside, watch the fountains and have triple berry cake with strawberry-kiwi iced tea for lunch.

Parrot Pete’s Gourmet Bakery is located at 1901 Manhattan Blvd in the Fountain Park Centre and is open from 7 am – 7 pm.  Visit their website for more information.

Copyright 2008.  Lisa Heindel and West Bank Living.  All rights reserved.