LA Pines in Slidell

Since we were having lunch in Slidell we decided to try this place since it was recently featured on DDD. They have the dive aspect nailed down, it is definitely that and more, not a problem, I like dives if the food is up to the hype. I was worried they might be swamped from the publicity, but for a Friday lunch they had several empty tables, so I presume they were not stretched beyond their capabilities.

I stuck with the foods featured on the show, seafood gumbo, prime rib poboy and corn pudding, my wife got the fried shrimp platter instead of the poboy.

The gumbo was regrettable, one of the few I have ever had that could be improved by a scoop of potato salad. The roux was blond, the vegetables still crunchy and there were pieces of chicken in a seafood gumbo. It was pleasantly thick and served at a proper temperature, frequently restaurant gumbo is served lukewarm.

The prime rib poboy was pretty good, but I didn't detect any smokey flavor, on the show they smoked the prime rib. It was a bit fatty, but prime rib is a fatty cut, so that is to be expected. The au jus soaked bottom part of the bread was delicious.

The corn pudding was excellent, fresh flavor, nice spice, a suitable accompaniment to a poboy instead of French fries.

The star of the lunch was my wife's shrimp plate. A generous portion of large perfectly fried spicy shrimp with hush puppies, cole slaw and the mandatory fries.

For desert we split a piece of chocolate pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I highly recommend this, we were battling over the last bite.

I'd like to go back and dive into their seafood menu except for the gumbo, but it is rare that I can get a restaurant version which compares to what I make at home. The service staff was very friendly and you could tell the place was a favorite with locals.