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Sunday, July 19, 2020

Felix's Restaurant And Oyster Bar: On The Lake

Not Sponsored: Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar is one of three seafood restaurants nestled together on Lakeshore Drive. I reviewed Landry's Seafood House: Lake Pontchartrain and The Blue Crab Restaurant & Oyster Bar. Today I would like to share my thoughts on Felix's. Felix's is locally owned. They've been around since the 1940's and are known for their delicious oysters. They have four locations (French Quarter - currently closed due to covid-19; Lakefront - which I'm reviewing today; Mandeville, Louisiana; and Gulfport, Mississippi). There are separate menus for each, so depending on which location you visit, you definitely want to look at that location's specific menu.


Felix's on the Lakefront is really beautiful. From what I can tell, its a two-story building surrounded by palm trees, lush plants and a marina. I love their neon sign displaying their restaurants name. You have the option to dine in or take out. There's also delivery by Uber Eats and Door Dash. If you dine in, you can either take the stairs or elevator.


The decor on the first floor is colorful and really puts you in the mood to eat seafood. While I was waiting on the elevator, I was admiring all of their wall art which consisted of various sting rays, crabs, shrimp and fish. As you step into the elevator and look down you see a colorful floor mat with the restaurant's name and a picture of an oyster. Once you reach the second floor and step off the elevator you're greeted by a hostess, the indoor dining area and a beautiful chandelier. If you visit this location, get a close look at the chandelier. It's so beautiful. It resembles blue & natural coral and is filled with various seashells of all shapes & sizes. It's very complimentary to the restaurant.


One thing you may not know about me, is that I love faux food & drinks. Food stylists use them all the time for photo shoots and advertisements. I use them in holiday decor. Upon stepping off the elevator, there was colorful cocktail on a table. It really made me SMILE. From a distance, it looks so real and delicious. I ordered a real strawberry daiquiri.


So far, I've shown you the first floor, indoor dining area (second floor), but where I encourage you to dine is outdoors (second floor). Just be sure to wear sunscreen (at moments there can be lots of sun) or dine in the evening. Look at this view! Isn't it gorgeous!?! It's captivating, huh? I love eating outside. For me, it started when I went on vacation with my graduate school friends to Miami, Florida. We dined outside. It was a different experience for me. One that I truly enjoyed. I've fallen in love with outside dining again. I love the fresh air. I love looking at the beautiful clouds in the sky. Its a joy watching boats cruise along the water. There are gorgeous apartments and condos situated along the water. It's all so calming, relaxing and therapeutic. So I definitely encourage you to sit outside.


I must say, that Felix's menu is pretty extensive given the entire covid-19 situation. So I applaud them. I've been challenging myself to order food I've never tried while dining out. I've had charbroiled oysters, but do you know I've never had Oysters Rockefeller or Oysters Bienville. Oysters Rockefeller consists of spinach or parsley or herbs, a rich sauce of butter, bread crumbs, that's either baked or broiled and served with lemon wedges. Oyster's Rockefeller was actually created in 1889 at a New Orleans Restaurant called Antoine's (which still exists) by Jules Alciatore (son of founder Antoine Alciatore). There was a shortage of escargot, so he used oysters instead. The dish was named Oyster Rockefeller after John D. Rockefeller the then wealthiest American for its extreme richness (source). Oyster Rockefeller tastes really good and is very hearty. Oyster Bienville you guys is shrimp, mushrooms, bell peppers, sherry, a roux with butter, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. I love cheese and I love shrimp! HaHaHa It's lighter and ohhhh so delicious. Oyster Bienville is a traditional New Orleans dish. Felix's did a great job preparing their oysters. They were delicious.


No matter what restaurant I go to, I always order gumbo! I LOVE GUMBO! It's so interesting that none are alike. NONE. I love my mother's gumbo. So this time I ordered their gumbo and turtle soup. Their gumbo was ok. I think it was because it only had crabmeat in it, which to me doesn't quite qualify as gumbo. It was more like soup. I had their turtle soup, which I felt was delicious. It had hearty chunks of turtle meat. FYI, turtle soup was the 27th U.S. President William Howard Taft's favorite food. He even brought in a chef who specialized in the dish (source). Entrees were the fried and grilled seafood platter. I always order fried seafood platters. I tried the grilled seafood platter, but I prefer their fried version. Felix's gives you LOTS of food! I took a lot home. You get fish, shrimp and oysters! Everything was delicious and fresh. I even added a soft-shell crab to my order. Did you know that soft shell crab is a culinary term for crabs that have recently molted their old exoskeleton and are still soft? I'm just learning that! I thought it was so interesting. It was scrumptious. I had a delicious time at Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar. It was such a lovely evening. The waitress Voneisha was so personable and accommodating. I encourage you to visit one of Felix's locations. They have delicious food. I must add one other thing. Their presentation of their food is so beautiful. Presentation means a lot. As much as taste!

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