Ralph & Kacoo’s ideal for a group lunch

Recently, I was honored to arrange a retirement party for Joyce Alford Harvey hosted by the companies where we have worked together for many years.

Laughingly, I won’t say how many years because then I would hear you all mentally adding up the numbers. Now a restaurant serving a delicious lunch with excellent service could inspire an article, but when they serve 30 guests with the same ease as a table for two it is definitely noteworthy.

Ralph & Kacoo’s is conveniently located right off the Interstate 20 Benton Road exit in the Bossier Crossroads Shopping Center. While it had been some time since I had stopped in, when I needed a place with the space and staff experienced in serving large groups during lunch on a Friday afternoon, they were my first pick.

In addition to their generous restaurant area, for a nominal fee Ralph & Kacoo’s has private rooms available to reserve for meetings and special occasions. After a brief conversation with the event manager, Debbie, and submitting our completed preference list to her via email, I knew we were in good hands.

When I arrived, the room was so well appointed that the floral arrangements I brought were a beautiful but superfluous accent. The tables arranged in a “U” shape to facilitate more conversation were draped in white linen and topped with tea light lamps. Added to the warmtoned walls, artwork and light wood furniture, the room was a welcoming respite from the grey winter day.

Now let’s talk the tastiest part – food.

In order to expedite service for large groups, they offer a selection of special event menus in different price ranges, each featuring about four entrée choices. However, I could not resist letting our guests choose among all of the delicious items on Ralph & Kacoo’s traditional lunch menu. Our server, Suzette, was on hand to make sure this process went smoothly, and her experience was apparent.

As everyone arrived mingling happily, I was just considering how to encourage guests to be seated when Suzette appeared subtly suggesting the perfect appetizers to draw guests to the table. The Taste of Louisiana: a combination of fried crawfish tails, alligator and popcorn shrimp definitely caught their attention. Then as we placed our orders, bowls of large golden hushpuppies lightly sweet and warm from the kitchen were placed on the table holding us over until lunch arrived.

Ralph & Kacoo’s famous Sensational Salad, crisp mixed green salad tossed in garlic-herb vinaigrette garnished with tomato, black olives, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, is a very popular starter item. They also offer avocado and shrimp salads and a Signature Wedge salad with crumbled blue cheese, bacon, red onions and tomato. For me, the most tempting salad was the Seafood King Louie with purple onions, red bell peppers, tomatoes, egg slices and black olives with shrimp, crabmeat and crawfish tossed in a creamy seafood dressing.

However, I simply had to start with one of my favorite dishes, a cup of duck and andouille gumbo. The deeply hued gumbo sauce was rich and flavorful, filled with duck and chunks of andouille sausage. It was so delicious, I will probably have been back for another bowl, before this article is even published. From the murmurings around the tables, the seafood gumbo, etouffee and soup of the day were equally appreciated.

For lunch, I chose an old favorite, Mahi Mahi Bourbon Street to compare past experiences with the current quality of meals served. The charbroiled mahimahi topped with grilled shrimp and creamy hollandaise sauce, served with braised potatoes and vegetable du jour proved to still be an excellent meal. This was a tough call because Catfish Cocodrie and Atchafalaya Grilled Fish both topped with etouffee were also on the menu.

If you are a fan of seafood, consider the fresh Gulf shrimp stuffed with crabmeat dressing and covered in a creamy hollandaise sauce. The Seafood Trio also offers variety prepared with Ralph & Kacoo’s special Louisiana flair. Personally, I look forward to trying the Shrimp Special, fried gulf shrimp served with a bowl of shrimp stew over rice.

If you prefer more turf than surf, they offer a center cut sirloin served with braised potatoes and vegetables, or Chopped Steak Lafitte topped with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and Lafitte sauce.

A particular favorite among our guests was the Chicken K-Jun Blue, a grilled chicken breast topped with tasso ham, crawfish tails, pepper jack cheese and New Orleans cream sauce.

I especially appreciate that while we as a group were enjoying an excellent meal with great service, each diner in the main restaurant was experiencing the same service on a more personal level.

In addition to the inspired variety of lunch items offered, most for less than $15, the atmosphere and service make Ralph & Kacoo’s an exceptional value.