Shreveport - Bossier, Louisiana's Other Side

Restaurant of the Week:

Many sushi restaurants have the same sushi selections, with a few “signature” rolls or pieces thrown in. After visiting most of the sushi restaurants in Shreveport-Bossier, I was bored with the same old selections of Spicy California Rolls, Vegetable Rolls, Shrimp Tempura, etc. Then a friend told me about the new Avocado California Roll and Sushi restaurant near the new Target in Bossier City. He said they had an immense selection of sushi to choose from and that they were a great place to dine. I decided to try it out.

The décor is odd, as there are pictures of Italian villas and gardens on the wall and simple dining chairs and tables. The tablecloths reminded me of the thick vinyl ones my aunt used to put on the kids' table for Thanksgiving dinner. The room was uncomfortably cold.

It took our waiter 15 minutes to even acknowledge we were there and to take our drink order. After that, it took another 15 minutes just to get the drinks and yet another 10 minutes before he took our food order. Yes, by this time we had been there 40 minutes and didn’t have our food. No, it was not busy. There were only six other patrons in the whole restaurant and they had three waiters. We waited 20 more minutes before our food arrived; making our time spent there an hour, thus far. 

I ordered the Spicy Chicken California Roll (not listed on their website) and the Avocado and Cucumber Roll. The Avocado and Cucumber Roll was what you would expect, but the Spicy Chicken California roll was an unexpected experience.

Take your basic Spicy California Roll, top it with fried chicken and walnuts, and drizzle some sort of coconut/ginger sauce on top and you have the Spicy Chicken California Roll. It was delicious! And almost worth the wait…almost.

My husband is not a sushi fan, and unfortunately they didn’t have many other options (although their kids' menu does have corndogs). He ordered Beef Fried Rice. It came piled high on his plate and wasn’t greasy or overly fried. It was actually very good.

If you want to take a look at their menu (which isn’t even half of what they offer; my friend was correct on the size of their selections) you can visit them at www.avocadorollnsushi.com.

I’ll visit them again, but I will make sure I have more time the next time I do. I don’t have a very good review to give, other than that they do have a unique selection and their food was pretty good.

For more comments and other reviews, visit out facebook page at www.facebook.com/LouisianasOtherSide. Next week’s blog will feature the BBQ goodness of Country Tavern. If you have any suggestions on places for review, or any other comments, please e-mail me at ahaney@sbctb.org.

Haven’t heard of the Stiff Necked Fools? You will!  Stiff Necked Fools are a Reggae band based out of Shreveport-Bossier City. The story goes that founder Dan Sanchez, an award-winning Blues artist born and raised in Los Angeles, was looking for an artistic outlet and one day he decided to explore his love for reggae music. His hobby turned into his passion and led him to form a trio. Dan recruited the sounds of John Hoffman (the son of Stan Hoffman of the Killer Bees) on drums, Jason Ball on keys, and Greg Pitts on Bass.  What started out as a side project quickly turned into something much more serious. As the group began to pick up steam, Ryan Viser (trumpet) and Scotty Gerardy (saxophones) were added to the lineup. Daniel Breithaupt (congas) played with the band off and on and joined them full-time at the beginning of 2010. From there, things started taking off.

Unfortunately, just as the band was starting to blossom, Dan fell ill to cancer and passed away in March 2010. Devastated but determined, the Fools worked to pick up the pieces and keep moving and grooving. They recently added Stefan Poole (saxophone and vocals) to their group. Today, they are easily the hottest Reggae/Jam Band in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. They are relentless in their pursuit of achieving the ultimate sound. While they are a Reggae based band, Stiff Necked Fools are also inspired by other musical genres, which include rock, funk, blues, jazz, and jam bands.  Stiff Necked Fools are making their mark on the music scene in Louisiana and are a group to keep your eyes and ears on.

Don’t miss the chance to catch this truly unique band.

Upcoming Shows:

Every Thursday at the Tiki Bar and Grill - 9:30 PM - 12:30 AM - 639 E. Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA
Friday Sept. 24th - Fatty Arbuckles - 12:00 AM - 4 AM - Red River District, Downtown Shreveport, LA
Saturday Sept. 25th - The Riverside Warehouse opening up for Cowboy Mouth - 11:00 PM - 630 Commerce Street, Shreveport, LA
Friday Oct. 8th - The Riverside Warehouse - 11:00 PM - 630 Commerce Street, Shreveport, LA
Saturday Oct. 9th - The Red River Revell - 1:00 PM - Festival Plaza, Shreveport, LA
Saturday Oct. 23rd - 3 Docs Brew House - 9 PM - 1 AM - Ruston, LA

Restaurant of the week:

I took the Downtown Lunch Trolley to Café at Artspace recently and I got a pleasant surprise.

When I entered Artspace, I was greeted by the jazz club setting that Artspace has transformed into for its newest exhibition showcasing the photography of international photographer, Jerry Dantzic, with never-before-seen photographs of jazz legends from  1950-60. The large photos of the exhibit graced the walls and caught my eye as I walked by them and up the stairs to the Café.

The Café at Artspace is in a loft-style setting and on the second floor of the building. There is another gallery one more story up that you can get to by walking up another flight of stairs from the Café. It is all very open and even though the dining area is not very big, it feels much larger than it actually is.

At a table by the top of the stairs were three women sipping on iced-teas and laughing loudly. We sat at a café style dining set covered with a black tablecloth. Around us were tables in a similar style and of varying heights, covered in either black or white tablecloths. Other than the three ladies, my husband and I were the only patrons. From the looks of the tables, however, it appeared that they had been busy earlier in the day but at this later hour (around 1 p.m.) they were slowing down.

Our waitress came and got our drink orders: a sweet tea for me and a Coke for my husband. We took a moment to look over the menu and I finally decided on “The Original,” a grilled chicken sandwich with fresh pesto, spinach, tomato and mozzarella cheese, on grilled sourdough bread. I also ordered a side of pasta salad.

My husband ordered “The Modulation,” a make-your-own style sandwich on which he piled turkey, ham, bacon and Swiss cheese onto grilled sourdough bread. He had a side of potato chips with his creation.

We sat and listened to some jazz music and enjoyed the quiet of the room (even with the ladies still laughing and gossiping.) We chatted and waited for our meal to be served, discussing the art exhibit downstairs and some of the upcoming events that were being displayed on a small TV next to us. We didn’t wait very long for our food, though.

It was clear to the both of us that my husband was going to enjoy his as he did create his own. Mine, however, was much more delicious and filling than I expected! The home-made pesto sauce was tangy and fresh and the bread was simply amazing. The pasta salad had the perfect amount of Italian sauce and vegetables.

But, the final touch that has sealed my fate as a repeat customer was most definitely the Vanilla Bean Crème Brule. I love Crème Brule. It is undoubtedly my favorite dessert, and at Café at Artspace I may have found the best Crème Brule I have ever eaten. My husband kept laughing at me because I seriously could not stop smiling as I ate it! Even thinking about it has me grinning like a fool as I type. Yes, it is really that good.

I highly recommend Café at Artspace, and even took the time to fillout a comment card at the registry. The atmosphere, service, and (most importantly) the food is superb and definitely worth a repeat visit. 

Are you a self-proclaimed "beer connoisseur?" Do you love to eat great foods and drink different beers? Are you ready to Revel in the Madness? If you can relate to that, you won't want to miss BREW...A Premier Beer Tasting event, Oct. 16.

Spend the afternoon, at this one-day event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., sampling internationally acclaimed and domestically micro-brewed ales, pilsners, stouts and everything in between. In addition to great music, some of the area's finest restaurants including Columbia Café, Tiger Bites, and Café at Artspace will be offering free samples of their signature dishes.

"There is a wide variety of beers to sample, there is plenty of seating and the atmosphere is electric," said Melanie Bacon, Downtown Shreveport Unlimited executive director and a festival organizer.

Few people know this, but Shreveport-Bossier has two local brewer clubs - Malt Munching Mash Monsters and S.U.D.S. They will be on hand with their special beers and you can taste other unusual and more obscure brews like "Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale" or "Widmer Brother's Drifter Pale Ale."

For Louisiana State University Tiger fans, don't worry about missing the 7 p.m. kickoff against McNeese State. There will be three plasma TVs broadcasting the football game.

BREW will be held at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport. Tickets are $50 per person and include four-ounce samples of the featured beers, a ticket to the concert, free food samples from some of the finest restaurants in the area, answers to your beer questions, and live music during the tasting. If you're not a beer-lover but would like to attend the concert, you can still be part of the fun. Concert-only tickets are available and are expected to cost $15.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.shreveportbrew.com. You'll want to order soon, though, as the event is expected to sell out.  Be sure to read theFAQ section of the website, and check out the list of featured beers. You must be at least 21 years old to attend BREW. Call 318-222-7403 or 318-424-4000 for more information.

Shreveport-Bossier has enjoyed having the highest hotel occupancy rate in the state, thanks in large part to events like the Port City Classic.

Grambling Tigers and Tech Bulldogs fans are steadily booking their overnight stays in our area hotels. With the game just a few days away there are some vacancies left, but you should book as early as possible to be sure you get rooms at your favorite hotel chain. The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau is making daily calls to our hotels and motels to check on availability. You can check for vacancies on our website at www.shreveport-bossier.org/vacancy or see a list of all our accommodations. You can also browse our website for great ideas on things to do and see, places to eat, etc. while you're in town.

There are lots of ways you can keep up-to-date on what's going on in Shreveport-Bossier:

Our events calendar, ShreveportBossierFunGuide.com has information on all the events associated with the Port City Classic. You'll also find lots of other fun things to do on the Fun Guide.

Visit our facebook page to interact with other people visiting and living in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Follow us on twitter.

Or, if you just like to talk to a real person, call us toll-free at 888-45-VISIT. One of our information specialists will be happy to help you plan your trip to Shreveport-Bossier.

While you're planning, go ahead and put the Shreveport Classic, October 23, on your calendar. This is a gridiron contest between Prairie View A&M University and Southern University. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.

You'll also want to attend Red River Revel Arts Festival. This is one of our biggest festivals and is a Southeast Tourism Society Top Twenty event. The Revel starts on Saturday, Oct. 2 and runs through Saturday, Oct. 9. Enjoy art from more than 120 visual artists from across the nation - just in time for the holidays! Plus, five performance stages feature non-stop entertainment and will showcase some great Revel favorites.