Another newcomer to Shreveport (New Orleans, Lafayette: 2009, homes, neighborhood)

[CajunMan]

Hello y'all,

I was born and raised in New Orleans and have lived in Atlanta, Tulsa, Dallas, and now Wichita, KS. There is good and bad in each one of those places. In Wichita (Andover) its very safe, there are great schools, and if your a hunter...great deer & pheasants. But...it is always windy and it gets very COLD (2 degrees w 20mph wind kinda cold)! In the summers your in that baking dry 100 degree heat. It is classic Midwest, but we're from the South (wife from Mississippi).

Point being, everywhere...everything is a trade off.

So after 18 years living outside of Louisiana I am moving back. Proximity to family is our main issue but as always you go where the opportunity is. My family is mostly in New Orleans and my wife's in West Point, MS. We also have family in Lake Charles, BR, Alex, Lafayette and Memphis, TN. I will be based out of Shreveport and but will also cover Tyler & Longview, Texarkana, Monroe, and Alexandria.

I have 4 children (ages 5, 7 , 9, and 14) and their education and safety is obviously the priority. I hunt and fish, am active in sports, and go to church on Sundays. I love all kinds of music (from Classical and Jazz to Heavy Metal and Rap) and enjoy great food and wine. I love LSU and Saints football and Mixed Martial Arts. Don't know what kinda box that puts me in, but I think boxes are overrated. I feel comfortable around CEO's and street musicians, Uptown Sophisticates and CoonAss bar patrons.

I think its important to have a strong relationship with the community I live in. I feel it is very important to know and interact with your neighbors. I like to live comfortably but to me that means surrounded by great friends and neighbors, not isolated in some big pretentious house. So as far as housing if I'm looking at a ball park $350k, what area should I focus on?

I will start in April working during the week in town and spending weekends in Kansas till the end of May. So I will have plenty of time to check out the areas you suggest. Also, I will be visiting the area next week with the family. What would be a fun thing to do with kids on their first trip to town? Also can anyone reccomend some good family friendly LOCAL restaurants? I always opt for local places over the chains...better food, better people.

Thanks,

[hank0604]

Shreveport doesn't really have a lot of local restaurants, but there are some. Superior Grill on Line Ave is a great (though slightly more expensive) mexican place--it is THE place to be seen on a Friday or Saturday night. Also on Line Ave. is a place called the Oyster Bar--the name is misleading, as it isn't much of a seafood place--it is good mexican fusion food and is generally not as crazy as Superior.

There is a seafood place downtown, which I believe is called Brother's Seafood. I have never been to their restaurant, but they catered an event that I went to and the food was excellent.

And of course, Johnny's Pizza! It is a chain place in the sense that it has franchises across northern LA, but that's it. It's a north LA born and bred place with great pizza. Yes, I am a Chicagoan saying that Johnny's pizza is the best pizza in the world.

Also, there is a place at the corner of Stoner and Market called Fat Boy's. It's kind of a dive-y type biker bar at nights, but has the best burgers in Shreveport. Might not be the best place to have a family lunch, but anytime I am in Shreveport I make sure to have a beer and a burger there. It's definitely my favorite place in Shreveport.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by hank0604

Shreveport doesn't really have a lot of local restaurants, but there are some. Superior Grill on Line Ave is a great (though slightly more expensive) mexican place--it is THE place to be seen on a Friday or Saturday night. Also on Line Ave. is a place called the Oyster Bar--the name is misleading, as it isn't much of a seafood place--it is good mexican fusion food and is generally not as crazy as Superior.

There is a seafood place downtown, which I believe is called Brother's Seafood. I have never been to their restaurant, but they catered an event that I went to and the food was excellent.

And of course, Johnny's Pizza! It is a chain place in the sense that it has franchises across northern LA, but that's it. It's a north LA born and bred place with great pizza. Yes, I am a Chicagoan saying that Johnny's pizza is the best pizza in the world.

Also, there is a place at the corner of Stoner and Market called Fat Boy's. It's kind of a dive-y type biker bar at nights, but has the best burgers in Shreveport. Might not be the best place to have a family lunch, but anytime I am in Shreveport I make sure to have a beer and a burger there. It's definitely my favorite place in Shreveport.

Actually I believe the Brothers Seafood downtown finally closed. Nicky's is still down there, though, and that is a local "chain".

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by hank0604

Shreveport doesn't really have a lot of local restaurants, but there are some. Superior Grill on Line Ave is a great (though slightly more expensive) mexican place--it is THE place to be seen on a Friday or Saturday night. Also on Line Ave. is a place called the Oyster Bar--the name is misleading, as it isn't much of a seafood place--it is good mexican fusion food and is generally not as crazy as Superior.

There is a seafood place downtown, which I believe is called Brother's Seafood. I have never been to their restaurant, but they catered an event that I went to and the food was excellent.

And of course, Johnny's Pizza! It is a chain place in the sense that it has franchises across northern LA, but that's it. It's a north LA born and bred place with great pizza. Yes, I am a Chicagoan saying that Johnny's pizza is the best pizza in the world.

Also, there is a place at the corner of Stoner and Market called Fat Boy's. It's kind of a dive-y type biker bar at nights, but has the best burgers in Shreveport. Might not be the best place to have a family lunch, but anytime I am in Shreveport I make sure to have a beer and a burger there. It's definitely my favorite place in Shreveport.

I've yet to go to Fat Boys but I've heard their burgers are called "bastards" (ie. big bastard, fat bastard, sloppy bastard, etc). That's what I've heard anyway but I think it's funny!

[CajunMan]

So nothing like New Orleans in terms of restaurants...that's too bad. Guess I'll have plenty reason to head home often. What about Cajun food? We make a lot of it at home, but sometimes its nice to just go out for it...any places fit the bill?

[ceejamon]

Taco-Mania on E. Kings is an excellent local Mexican restaurant. It's my favorite, personally. Any time I go back home to Shreveport (now in DC) I eat there at least twice.

Strawn's is a must, if only for the Strawberry pie when they're in season. Ruston Peach, too. I'm not a huge fan of the food otherwise.

Fairfield Grocery has a mean brisket sandwich for lunch. It's actually on Youree now, not Fairfield.

Southfield Grill near the corner of Southfield and Youree has "down-home" cooking. The fried squash is awesome, and their breakfast is a well-spent $5.

Don't know if it's still the case, but a surprisingly awesome breakfast was at the Texaco on the corner of Linwood and Bert Kouns. Smoked Sausage, egg, and cheese on a homemade biscuit for a steal. I picked one up almost every weekday on my way to LSUS back in the day. :-)

Shane's has good crawfish. Johnny's Pizza can be great or disappointing depending on the location. The best food in Shreveport tends to be in the seedier areas. There's not really much in the way of New Orleans food, sadly, unless you're in somebody's home kitchen. Columbia Cafe tries to go for the NO Style to some degree, but it's over-hyped and over-priced.

[SBCmetroguy]

South Highland MIGHT give you a home in your price range (assuming there's anything in there for under $500,000) and it's right in the middle of the city in the Uptown area. It's an old neighborhood with lots of charm, a lot of movies are filmed there these days due to its "anytown USA" look. It was Shreveport's first true suburb, dating back to the 1920s when Shreveport consisted of not much more than what is now known as downtown Shreveport. The homes are mostly large and grand, but there are some smaller ones that are still quite nice and pricey, and the neighborhood is excellent. There is a great elementary school there called South Highlands Elementary and Byrd High School is in that area, and that is a magnet school (which you will undoubtedly want in Shreveport!)

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by ceejamon

There's not really much in the way of New Orleans food, sadly, unless you're in somebody's home kitchen. Columbia Cafe tries to go for the NO Style to some degree, but it's over-hyped and over-priced.

Again for overhyped and overpriced "New Orleans" style food, the Blind Tiger. The atmosphere there is nice being downtown, but the food (in my opinion) is overhyped and overpriced. It's not expensive, but for what you get, I think it is. There is also Copeland's in south Shreveport and Copeland's on the Boardwalk, both of which (again, in my opinion) are overhyped and overpriced.

[hank0604]

Originally Posted by SBCmetroguy

Again for overhyped and overpriced "New Orleans" style food, the Blind Tiger. The atmosphere there is nice being downtown, but the food (in my opinion) is overhyped and overpriced. It's not expensive, but for what you get, I think it is. There is also Copeland's in south Shreveport and Copeland's on the Boardwalk, both of which (again, in my opinion) are overhyped and overpriced.

I went to a wedding that had cajun food catered. I think it was from Savioe's, but I can't remember--do they have an actual restaurant?

Much of the cuisine in Shreveport is more of the "southern comfort" variety rather than cajun/creole, but it can be found. "Gumbo Daddy's" has a few locations: the Bossier Boardwalk, south Youree, North Market. Also, during crawfish season (read: now) go to the Crawfish Palace on East 80 out in Haughton. Big buckets of crawfish, along with bigger buckets of beer.

Another restaurant that I absolutely love: L'Italiano in Old Bossier. It's kind of hard to find, it's on Barksdale Blvd near the Horseshoe. Great place, been there forever, and amazing italian food--some dishes also have a bit of a creole flair to them, but it's definitely italian food. When you're there, though, make sure to keep your interest on the goings on of your table alone. I think it's a mob hang-out, so don't seem too interested in the other patrons.

Seriously, I'm not joking about that last part. I was there late one night, and about 20 minutes before closing time a group of 4 or 5 very well dressed guys walked in. The owner/chef, whom I had been talking with (and spoke perfect, unaccented English) walked over to these guys and sat down with them, and they spoke in heavily accented Italian for the next half-hour or so. A lot of people don't believe the mob exists in Shreveport, but let's be honest with ourselves--that much gambling around is bound to bring in some of that element.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by hank0604

I went to a wedding that had cajun food catered. I think it was from Savioe's, but I can't remember--do they have an actual restaurant?

Much of the cuisine in Shreveport is more of the "southern comfort" variety rather than cajun/creole, but it can be found. "Gumbo Daddy's" has a few locations: the Bossier Boardwalk, south Youree, North Market. Also, during crawfish season (read: now) go to the Crawfish Palace on East 80 out in Haughton. Big buckets of crawfish, along with bigger buckets of beer.

Another restaurant that I absolutely love: L'Italiano in Old Bossier. It's kind of hard to find, it's on Barksdale Blvd near the Horseshoe. Great place, been there forever, and amazing italian food--some dishes also have a bit of a creole flair to them, but it's definitely italian food. When you're there, though, make sure to keep your interest on the goings on of your table alone. I think it's a mob hang-out, so don't seem too interested in the other patrons.

Seriously, I'm not joking about that last part. I was there late one night, and about 20 minutes before closing time a group of 4 or 5 very well dressed guys walked in. The owner/chef, whom I had been talking with (and spoke perfect, unaccented English) walked over to these guys and sat down with them, and they spoke in heavily accented Italian for the next half-hour or so. A lot of people don't believe the mob exists in Shreveport, but let's be honest with ourselves--that much gambling around is bound to bring in some of that element.

Oh yeah, Savoie's! Man I can tell I haven't been out to eat in a while! Yep, they have a restaurant on E. 70th between Bert Kouns and the Jimmie Davis Bridge, and across the street from there, they have their own special events building.

And by the way, the Italian "families" were here LONG before the casinos.