If you read our paper, you probably noticed last Monday that I've embarked on a crusade to try every local restaurant in Shreveport-Bossier and report back with how the experience is.
For someone who loves to eat, I am very excited. And for someone who loves his community and supports small businesses, I am even more excited.
I learned long ago that chains are not where it's at. No offense to them, chain restaurants are usually good and they have their purpose, but there's nothing special. It's the same thing every time.
But a locally-owned, non-chain eatery has a certain feel to it. You can't explain it, but it's there...When you order a signature dish or something you can't get anywhere else, you feel special.
The Monday/Tuesday Edition of our paper kicked off my reviews with cajun cuisine (but have failed to really even breach the tip of the iceberg) and to be honest, heading in I had no idea what I was doing. I'm not a food critic, I just love food.
So before I even got going on this idea, I sought someone who had done this before. I talked with the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau's Chris Jay about his experience reviewing food places.
If you're unfamiliar with Chris, he's a young, enthusiastic member of the community who is always in the thick of things when it comes to having fun in Shreveport-Bossier. He also writes regular food critiques for the blog 20X49.
He gave me some great advice that I will not reveal here — a magician never reveals his secrets. But it set me along my way. And now I've set a personal goal of trying one restaurant once a week (which I'm sure my diet isn't too happy with, but hey, can you say "cheat day"?).
So keep an eye out HERE for what I come back with. And if you have any suggestions, be sure to email me at sean@bossierpress.com or comment below.
Locally owned restaurants definitely have a different kind of taste. Most of it is due to the fact that their foods are passed down from generation to generation.
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