A lot of oyster bars can be found on the North Shore, but this may be one of the best of them--even in these times when oysters often come from other than the traditional beds from which we've eaten well for decades. But K Gee's is a seafood generalist beyond oysters. Everything within the Louisiana seafood spectrum is here--except the boiled stuff.
Fried seafood is impressive, performed with fresh product of excellent quality (nice little catfish, for example). Everything is fried to order and comes out crisp and greaseless. Also here are more and better broiled items than you’ll find at most casual seafood places. The regular menu is to the point, but the daily specials extend the range deliciously. Like yesterday. On the blackboard was a roasted garlic soup. Not the time for eating soup, but we were intrigued. MA ordered it impulsively. What came to the table looked like the usual creamy colored cream soup. But that wasn’t the taste. This was so very delicious, it was hard to believe. It had a lot of crumbly stuff in it, and it tasted like garlic, but also had a hint of boiled seafood. And that’s because it was the garlic from the boil, crumbled up into big and little bites, giving this soup extra complexity and texture.
While we waited for our order, MA perused the extensive menu, and noticed a stuffed artichoke on the menu. She is absolutely compelled to order any stuffed artichoke on any menu, in her eternal quest to find one she likes as well as the one of her youth. She never does. And that includes today’s version. It wasn’t bad, just not as good as her ideal. They are making them in the kitchen though, which is different from most places.
Next came our entrees. Me, a Ferdie with frips. Kathy is the originator of the word frip, and it applies more to this item than the fries at Francesca with the same cute name. These are waffle frips - the perfect word, since they are like a thick chip bordering on a fry. These are always crisp and golden brown. MA was stunned that she had never heard my rendition of the original Ferdie. It is this: A regular customer at Mother’s got the sandwich he always specially ordered named after him. Period. Today’s Ferdie was good but not spectacular. Less than perfect bread and toasting. The ham was nicely grilled with crispy edges and the roast beef well-roasted.
MA, after her usual discussion of wild vs. farm, ordered the grilled salmon special because she got the right answer to her question. She subbed out the veggie rice for spinach, feeling very healthy. (This after the stuffed artichoke investigation and the frips.)
Kathy and Grant Williams opened K Gee's in June 2010, after working in a well-known seafood restaurant on the South Shore. That restaurant was the famous Bozo’s, and she learned everything she knows from her uncle Chris Vodonovich, and the front of the house welcome from his wife, her Aunt Bernie. At the time, the BP oil spill was in full career, and oysters were hard to come by. To fill the gap (they were figuring that oysters would be the house specialty), the Williamses diversified the menu to include a good number of original dishes, most of which are pretty darn good.
Add everything together, and you have (or, at least I have) a restaurant that almost always engenders the thought, "Why don't we dine at K-Gee''s more often?" This last visit was so good, we will.
K Gee's
2534 Florida St Mandeville 780448
11am-9pm
985-626-0530
kgeesrestaurant.com
