Last month on my birthday the place I chose for lunch with our daughter was Keith Young’s. I have always simply adored the place, but now I could indulge a passion that usually trumps any decision about food. I could eat outside on a gorgeous balmy December day.
Keith Young just completed a major renovation to the building which fixed the only problem I ever thought he had. No outdoor dining. There was a table or two out on the brick patio in front next to a lovely fountain, but no one ever sat there.
This new renovation to the building created an enormous expansion of the bar area and a lot of seating outside. It was here that we sat on the birthday. I could barely contain my happiness to be there. It is tough to make an outdoor space lovely, but they did. The ceiling was as handsome as the building’s interior, with ceiling fans throwing off a gentle breeze. It was an extremely pleasant experience, and by far the best outdoor dining experience I can think of.
There was another happy surprise that day. Keith has brought back his Summer Lunch Special. This is such a fantastic deal! Two courses for $17! The first course is a choice of soup or salad and the second offers three choices.
Keith has always had delicious soups. Outstanding soups, particularly the Tuscan soup and his crawfish and corn bisque. But I also very much like his salads, so that is a tough call.
On this day I had the lasagna, and Tom had fried catfish with a crawfish and andouille sauce. My lasagna was enormous enough to give half to my daughter. It was a basic lasagna, not brilliant but very tasty, with Keith's delicious red sauce. Tom raved about his fish. It was crispy fried golden brown in corn meal, with a sauce of crawfish and chopped andouille with exactly the right consistency and spice level. The third choice that day was hamburger steak, Another generous portion served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.
We have become regulars at Keith’s Happy Hour out on the patio, or sometimes in the buzzy bar. The place is hopping always.
While the regular steakhouse experience is fantastic, (and my favorite anywhere) I can’t help but be drawn to this happening bar scene. And there are things at the bar that are not available in the steakhouse, though the steakhouse experience is here too.
The menu at Happy Hour is small but wonderful. He has crisp, fresh, crunchy housemade potato chips that are dusted in Creole Seasoning and served in an enormous portion beside his fabulous blue cheese dip. These are always a must for us. He has sliders which are what a burger should be. I have often said his burger is the best anywhere, but I love these smaller sliders. They are full-sized burgers with a thinner patty. And they are dressed with condiments, cheese, and onion marmalade, which melds together into a bit of a sloppy but delicious mouthful.
Fried chicken sliders are also available in this same size and portion, and we alternate between the two. Both are great. A trio of large meatballs comes as a generous portion with Keith’s terrific red sauce. The meatballs are soft but not too soft and are exactly what they should be.
There are a few other things we generally ignore, like tuna and fried shrimp. These are fine too, but we stick to our regulars, and more food would be too much. All of these menu items are full-sized portions.
Although we don't pay much attention to drink offers at Happy Hours, the standard ones apply: Red or white house wines are half price, etc.
These two fun ways to dine at Keith Young's Steakhouse are new add-ons to the regular steakhouse experience we have enjoyed for years. A complete review of our favorite steakhouse will appear in an upcoming New Orleans Menu Newsletter, in honor of Keith's anniversary this month.
