The rain had come and gone and the sun was shining when the show concluded today, so we took a ride. To the new Middendorf’s. We wanted to go July 4th, the very first day. Okay, I wanted to go opening day. Glad we didn’t, I heard it was a two-hour wait. It was a two-hour wait the first ten days, then ninety minutes, then an hour. And today we got really lucky and walked right in.
I knew that the Pfeifers would make it special, but it goes well beyond that. This is a spectacular place, where no expense was spared. It is large, but not as large as the original complex. There are three dining rooms, the main one which is pretty large but not too large, and two smaller ones that are perfect for private functions. A porch wraps around the back providing ample seating under very large ceiling fans.
Everywhere there are massive pieces of wood Karen Pfeifer says have been housed in their barn for years. Her husband Horst has three suppliers for these exquisite woods. They are everywhere. Karen was hoarding her own buoys, but gave them to Horst for him to realize his vision for the new place. There are huge pieces of art collected from friends, the original place in Manchac, and artists they know. A lot of the woodwork was done by Horst.
Karen said that she already notices the two places have distinctly different clientele. In Manchac people stick with their regular orders. In Slidell they are far more willing to venture out. Three or four times more whole flounders leave the kitchen in Slidell than in Manchac. Guests at the new place are much more inclined to peruse the menu and order something different, or to ask about specials. That was true for me too. I came with an idea to have the thin catfish but almost ordered two other things. And a lot more broiled seafood is ordered in Slidell. Make no mistake, it’s mostly golden brown thin catfish delivered to tables. (a ratio of 85% thin to 15% thick), but the Pfeifers are pleased to see the status quo shaken up a bit.
Karen sees regulars from Manchac who are just coming to see the new place, and friends from New Orleans that she didn’t know have places in Mississippi. They drop in passing through Slidell. It will be interesting to see which place people pick for their regular Middendorf’s experience. I’ve already decided it will be Slidell for us. I love the iconic Manchac spot, but this one is closer and already on par with the other with food and service. The place gleams, and that includes the young staff. They seem polished and well-organized. The food came to the table hot, fast, and at least as good as anything I’ve had in Manchac.
We talked about Italian oysters a few days ago on the show, so when we saw them on the menu here, Tom ordered them. It was a smallish metal ramekin filled with a mixture of chopped oysters under a blanket of parmesan cheese. It was mildly dry but otherwise good. Nice flavor.
Tom also got turtle soup, which is real, and made by Horst himself.
Instead of two plates, we ordered one large seafood platter which included stuffed crab. This was a bargain at $20. It had four pieces of the thin catfish and six oysters, and the same number of shrimp. Coleslaw and pretty ordinary fries. Plus two hush puppies. I have become highly suspicious of stuffed crab, but I had to try this one. Sitting like a baseball out of a shell that I was surprised was a real crab shell, my fear intensified. Would this be all breading, as is so often the case, particularly when it is large? I don’t know if it is my partiality to these two or to their restaurant, but I thought this was tasty..It was highly breaded, but I actually saw crab in it, and it tasted like crab. The gigantic squeeze bottle of good tartar sauce helped it all, but that was only because fried seafood is not the same without tartar sauce. To me, anyway.
We had to get dessert. Horst makes three flavors of ice cream himself, so we got chocolate and vanilla. We should have gotten one serving, because it is large. And delicious.
Our server was the lovely and highly-skilled Francesca, who grew up in the business. Her father, Carmelo, is fondly remembered in these parts.
I can’t wait to bring the grandkids here. They will love the kiddie sand play area with its cooling pools. And ML will stare at the stunning wooden walls open-mouthed as I did for an embarrassingly long time, as I did.
Middendorf’s Slidell
1951 Oak Harbor Blvd Slidell
985-771-7777
Daily 10:30am-9pm
middendorfsrestaurant.com
