Satterfield’s Restaurant – New Roads, LA

This week has been a bit different for Clearly Delicious.  Instead of spending my weekend testing and posting recipes for readers, I took a much needed break to northern Louisiana with Rhett.  We stayed on an oxbow* of the Mississippi River–Lake Providence–road jet skies, swam, drank and ate nearly too much, and enjoyed the lovely company of Rhett’s college and family friends.  The trip was wonderful, but it certainly left little time to post the Greek Salad recipe you’ll be seeing tomorrow or any of my new, fast, and fresh recipes picked out of this month’s Bon Appétit.

*Note: for those readers not from the Louisiana area, an “oxbow” is a body of water such as a lake or river that was once part of the original Mississippi River system.  Due to levee usage and the natural changing of the river’s water-flow, these bodies of water now rest as separate systems no longer connected to the Mississippi.

Enjoying some much needed summer sun with Rhett at Lake Providence.

But I’m certainly not complaining.  It’s funny how summer just sweeps you away with its promise of food and fellowship.  You gather over chilled wine and barbecues so that you might splurge on summertime goodies while enjoying the all-too-spoiled nature of a weekend on a Louisiana lake.

On the way home, Rhett and I obsessively checked our Urbanspoon app to see what famous Louisiana restaurants might be on our way back to the Baton Rouge area.  About 45 minutes outside of BR, we found Satterfield’s–an eatery on False River specializing in seafood and two-for-one Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.  It was our original intention to checkout Morel’s–a highly rated restaurant across the parking lot, but the business closed at 2:00.  Satterfield’s it was, especially after the bubbly hostesses were so kind as to show us which way to get to Morel’s, their competition.

Here is what we ordered: Rhett jumped at the chance for fried and tasty jumbo shrimp with parsley potatoes and I picked out a pasta salad with grilled shrimp and a (very) large bowl of corn and shrimp soup to go with it:

Pictured: Dark wheat bread served at every table just after you sit down.  

Pictured: Sweet and hardy wheat bread rolls slathered in butter make for a perfect nibble before your food arrives.

Pictured: The Soup du Jour, a combination of shrimp and corn served in a mildly spicy red broth.

Pictured: Pasta Salad loaded with grilled (or fried) shrimp, pickled peppers, cheese, romaine lettuce, and cherry tomatoes for a light take on a summer pasta salad with “the Sensation” salad dressing–a combination of olive oil and herbs.

Pictured: Rhett’s fried seafood bliss, buttery over-sized fried shrimp with Parsley Potatoes.

Pictured: Shrimp with a little bit of Tartar Sauce–beautiful and clearly delicious.

A few words on Satterfield’s: although the food was excellent, the eating experience was far from perfect.  Rhett and I realized as our meal progressed that there was perhaps a very good reason Satterfield’s hadn’t crossed our minds when looking at Urbanspoon.  Certainly, Satterfield’s has been rated by plenty of customers, but the reviews were 50/50 as far as the dining experience went.  Consistently, reviewers would press the “like” and “dislike” button based on a variety of poor experiences with the Satterfield’s wait staff, its kitchen, and the overall management.  Out of 89 votes, only 57% of reviewers actually liked the place despite how good the food was.  And, after eating lunch at Satterfield’s I get what they mean.

Our service was somewhat on the confusing side: although our waitress made sure to keep our drinks filled and check in on us, certain dishes never came to the table (like Rhett’s salad) and the waitress didn’t know the price of the Mimosa’s or Bloody Mary’s for the day’s special.  After I asked how much a Bloody Mary was–since she was encouraging us to order the 2-for-1 special–she simply said she’d have to check with the bar and then…well…never even went to the bar to check.  That’s the problem with the Satterfield’s setup–although the building is a gorgeous historical piece of Louisiana culture at 108 Main Street, you can see everything that goes on: where the waitresses go, who is coming and going from the kitchen, and the way other diners are sitting around having similar experiences.  I spent close to five years working in restaurant service–yes, waiting tables, prepping food, and cooking–so I understand the hustle and demand that comes from each table once they sit down.  But to forget part of your customers’ meals and to never answer their questions bothers me somewhat.

Regardless of any issues we might have had with service, I want to point out that food was excellent and that it just may depend on who is waiting tables that day.  Customers rarely pick who brings drinks and food to their table, but they can certainly pick what they order.  To this end, I suggest any of their shrimp-based dishes, pasta salads, or soups. All were exactly what I had hoped for–filled with plenty of seafood and Cajun spice while remaining on the affordable side.  The Bloody Mary’s, however, I still don’t know if they’re good or bad…but, they are 2-for-1, whatever the price may be.

 

–Helana Brigman

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Satterfield's Restaurant - New Roads, LA, 4.4 out of 5 based on 5 ratings Google+