marilynn's place

wonderful brunch....wish we had more places like this in maryland! :). marilynn'splacein shreveport.....i just don't know where to start this review. my hubby has been working here in louisiana for the past six weeks as part of his job. we thought that we were going to be relocating here; i booked a trip as we thought we were going to be house hunting. things changed, so my house hunting trip turned into a pleasure visit. usually, i'm a little more prepared when i am traveling and i know where we are going to go. this time, not so much. about a week before my arrival, i did a little reading about local places and came across marilynn'splaceon several websites. most all of the reviews were very good to amazing, so we decided that we would do the sunday brunch there. sunday brunch is not something that many places in maryland have and i have a total romance with it. marilynn'splacedid not let me down!

marilynn'splaceis located in an old gas station in a lovely area of shreveport. there is a lot of character and marilynn's fits the neighborhood to a t. sunday brunch opens at 10. we got there early and it was a good thing that we did! you order at the counter and the menu is on one page....love this! we didn't have to spend a lot of time stressing over what to have! we met the chef/owner, robert and he was just in a word, awesome! he explained the menu and the drinks and told us about some of the food. he was exactly what i think of when i meet someone that is a chef....someone who enjoys food and people! he has it going on in that department. i understand it well as someone who considers herself an amatuer chef and a consummate foodie!

there is some indoor seating and a lot of outdoor seating. my husband preferred to dine inside, so we were able to secure a table for two with no problem. there is a bottomless bloody mary and mimosa bar that we opted not to get as we had other plans for the day, but if we would have been just hanging around, i would have opted for it. drinks looked delcious!! we both had big cups of coffee instead.

upon ordering, you give your name and they call you by name to pick up your breakfast at the counter. food is southern style, stick to your ribs, forget your diet at the door!! my husband selected the mexican breakfast, which was a tender, flavorful hunk of bread with the right amount of heat and sweet, topped with a fluffy egg with a tomato based sauce and two huge strips of applewood smoked bacon. he was in heaven and was very pleased with his selection.

i ordered the country biscuits with andouille sausage and gravy. i'm a product of a southern mama and can make a mean biscuit myself, so i pretty much compare any biscuits to mine. these did not let me down. they were very tender, flavorful and flaky. the gravy was a little thinner than i am used to, but it was really, really tasty! loved the spice in it.....i've never thought of doing that to mine. i would most certainly order this again!

we had an order of beignets which were just the death of us! light, pillowy puffs of dough, sprinkled with just the right amount of 10x sugar along with some strawberry sauce to dip in. they were in a word just delightful!

if things couldn't have been anymore caloric, robert the chef personally delivered the special of the day which was a shrimp and artichoke strata. this isn't something that my husband and i would have normally ordered, but it was delicious! it was presented on a beautiful bed of greens and was full of plump shrimp and tasty artichoke. everything was very fresh and tasty.

marilynn'splacedraws a crowd, so it's well worth getting there a little early. we still have a few days left....might have to try a dinner there. if you are in the shreveport area, i definitely give it a two thumbs up!

marilynn'splaceis set in an old gas station & on days weather permitting, all doors are open and folks can enjoy open air dining. it was perfect weather for our visit. to order, walk up to the counter and take a menu and a seat. make your choice and pay the cashier, when your order is done, your name will be called to pick up your meal.

i chose to order the shrimp remoulade po-boy and my lunch date ordered the fried crawfish po-boy. marilynn's serves real gambino french bread from new orleans. that's a greatplaceto start. i loved the remoulade sauce they make. it has all the right flavor and a consistently that compliments the seafood rather than covering it up. i asked for extra shrimp, i like my po-boys packed. i was given what amounted to an extra portion, and although i offered to pay for it, was not charged.

it was deliciously filling, sweet potato fries was a nice side. the crawfish were breaded with a mouthwatering mixture that made them outstanding to pop & eat if ordered alone. the po-boys came dressed and with very little wait time. the people are very friendly, the prices are great and the food is simply delicious. there are several awards on display for their culinary excellence, when you taste the food, then you will know why. enjoy a bite at marilynn's place, i sure did.

anyone who says thisplaceisn't good probably thinks ruby tuesday is a 5 star steakhouse. seriously some of the best food in north louisiana. sunday brunch is the best...

even if the food would have tasted like dirt, i still would rave about thisplacejust for the atmosphere. extremely upbeat and friendly staff. i've worked in the food industry off and on for 15 years and i can tell you for a fact; this is very hard to find in a restaurant. it is extremely valuable though. the entire restaurant seemed happy. and it carried over to me and husband. thank you!

on to the food! mac n cheese was fantastic. pepperjack was a nice change :-) fried catfish was great as well :-) portions were huge with everything! jambalaya was some of the best i've ever had. perfect amounts of seasoning. cajun cheese fries... yum! spicy but in a good way which was surprising for this yankee! we will definitely be back!!

to tell the truth i haven't reviewed marilyn's before because i was a bit torn. i like the atmosphere even thou there's that dreaded walk up order counter. my past visits have been so mixed i couldn't really decide where i landed, clearly it was on the fence. after my last visit i'm ready to come down on the good side of that fence but with a small reservation...

 tired of the usual places for lunch and having recently revisited marilyn's zomato page from bayoubabe's review i set out for marilyn's just after the normal lunch rush had ended.  things had quieted down as i entered, that was a big help, in the past i felt rushed and crowded at the register as i ordered, not good. i also recalled seeing chris jay's ode to coleslaw from years past as well as the curry catfish mentioned, so my mind was made up form me. i mentioned upon ordering that i usually like gumbo with my meals and the very upbeat and friendly lady behind the counter suggested the combo, great idea!

i found a table nearby and enjoyed the new orleans blues playing from their sound system as i waited. it was a short wait as my name was quickly called out for me to come retrieve my meal. my hopes were lifted as i saw the large bowl of very appetizing looking gumbo sitting next to a good size portion of crispy golden catfish.

the gumbo was one of the dishes that put me on the fence before. granted i'm very picky about my gumbo. my mom made absolutely amazing chicken and sausage gumbo, the kind my friends talked about for weeks after a visit then would bring up again months or even years later! i was also blessed to spend time in south louisiana traveling to many cities large and small sampling amazing food as i went, it's harder to find bad food down south than good! my first taste confirmed that this was indeed much better than i remembered from past visits thou not up to "down south" standards.

the catfish changed everything, no longer a fence sitter!
thou i was looking for more curry flavor, it was terrific, perfectly fried crisp. the fries were really good, thick "steak" fries that i enjoyed dipping in the remoulade sauce. the hushpuppys were good also with fresh bits of onion and green pepper inside. then there was that coleslaw! spot on chris, this is not your ordinary slaw! fresh chopped cabbage with red onion, cilantro and carrot in a vinegar based savory dressing, outstanding!  

my final take, i like thisplaceand it's food. i will say from my experience that i'd go with their fried creations over the other entrees. if you are looking for a more traditional "sit down" restaurant this might not be your thing. there's not much in the way of service and the layout is different. it's more neighborhood bar / hangout feeling to me, a good thing if you like south highlands, if not well...

shreveport cajun food
picked solely on it’s zomato rating, marilyn’splacewas just as described. housed in a former gas station building, it has garage doors that open up into the parking lot (but not open this particular day due to the heat). when we arrived there was only one car in the parking lot…not a good sign. but once we went in and placed our order, the crowd appeared. you’re welcome marilyn’s place! ok, it might have been the good food might have attracted the crowd…
if you decide to go, make sure you’re hungry because the portions are filling! i had a catfish po-boy and my husband had the crawfish tails. the po-boy is offered in 8 or 14 inch sizes but my 8 inch sandwich was plenty for me. the crawfish tails have just enough of a spice kick to satisfy your tastebuds. i could see thisplaceas a funplaceto go on a date night or with a goup. although we sat inside, there was a crowd gathering on the patio too. if you’re in shreveport, go on over and try marilyn’s place. and tell them travel and table sent you! travelandtable.com

i guess it was unfair to get my hopes up and think that thisplacewould be as good as the food you get in south louisiana. the food was not bad, but not even close to being the best in louisiana. not bad for shreveport. the seafood gumbo was pretty good (a little pricey). the fried shrimp was just ok. ( reasonably priced ). the beignets were nice and hot, but they tasted to me like they were fried in the same grease they fry the fish in. overall, it's ok. i wouldn't call it great. but like i said before, it may be unfair for me to post my opinion when i expect my cajun food to taste like the real cajun food in south louisiana. will i be back? probably...just not all that often.

no star for thisplacebut you had to add one for the review to post. the owner of this establishment very rude. we will never go back to an establishment that is so very poorly run and substandard food. the fried fish was cold and had no flavor, the potato fries were under cooked. the jambalaya and gumbo were bland and cold. the rude behavior adds to the disappointment of this place. don't waste your time or money here.

love love love it!!! greatplacefor brunch, lunch, or dinner. friendly staff and great service. love the atmosphere and love the food. great to go for some drinks without having to go to a crowded and noisy bar.

a good restuarant.. there were three adults and two children in our group. we ordered most of the menu. our food was hot and delicious. the portions were not that great for the money. but once again the food was good. the service was fast and friendly. the dinning areas were different but cozy for the spring. this is the type ofplacei would advise for someone to go have a great lunch. i will go again but not for dinner.

coolplacewith good food but horrible service for the last two visits. one rude cashier makes for a negative experience.

ignored. i really enjoyed going to yourplacetoday around 1:30 pm. my two friends and i stood at the counter for 10 minutes waiting for someone to acknowledge us. after a cook and three other employees walked by and ignored us, we decided to leave. i don't think i will be making that trip again.

we were driving through shreveport on our way to texas. looked on urbanspoon for a goodplaceto eat. found marilyn's place. the red beans and rice was fantastic. the fried curry fish was even better. the hush puppies were very dry ... as if they were cooked yesterday. the bread pudding was as hard as a rock. we were not greeted when we entered, we were obviously not sure what we were doing, and was given no direction from the staff. if i lived in the area, i would not return. open air seating ... kitchen is open air as well .. flies every where.

graded e for effort. if you read the reviews you'd never try this place. i like to try aplacefor myself and form my own opinion. first time there was a week night. we tried the roast beef sandwich (poorboy..hmm ?) jambalaya, red beans and potato salad. every dish was really good. we are from new orleans so we had our fingers crossed. we are so tired of all the chain restaurants here in shv. food was tasty, we liked the vibe and we met the owner. we chatted for a while and he knew a lot about new orleans and we could tell he puts his whole heart and soul into his business, my family owned a few restaurants in new orleans so i very much aware of what it takes to run a successful restaurant. about three weeks later we returned. early dinner on a saturday. here is what the owner needs to be aware of...and i did see it mentioned in another review. you cannot be fully confident that your staff will run your restaurant like you would if you are not there, the girl taking our order seemed unfocused. she did take the order correctly but it took a while for her to enter it into the system. we ordered a 14 inch roast beef just mayo and wanted the bread toasted. the bread that you use is too doughy to be called po'boy bread, po'boy bread is not a shape it's about texture. and i know we are in shv but if i have to settle for gambino doughy bread then please please toast it so your po'boys have texture/crusty exterior. your kitchen barely warmed the bread. hamburger po'boy..um sandwich that is, meat was barely warmed, could not have been cooked to order because it was ready too quickly. people do not mind waiting for good food. please do not cook your burgers ahead of time. also, one measly patty is not enough meat on a po'boy. also, roast beef was dressed. we did not ask for dressed on roast beef. kitchen is too caught up in serving food quickly. priority should be on freshness, temperature and accuracy. we will probably try it again on a weeknight. thank you for giving shv a uniqueplaceto dine.

meh. we had high hopes of finding a gem in the culinary vacuum of shreveport. the gem we found in marilyn'splacewas cheap plastic. the catfish is overcooked and bland. it was the curry catfish which sounds exciting. nope. the red beans and rice were bland. the jambalya was bland. no amount of tabasco helped. the beignets were ok. my advice to the cooks and owner...get out and taste some good stuff in no or lafayette and taste what you plate up. sorry.