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Seither's
Harahan: 279 Hickory. 504-738-1116. Map. WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY WHAT'S GOOD BACKSTORY DINING ROOM ESSENTIAL DISHES FOR BEST RESULTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Casual.
MC V
Wherever you find a seafood market, there's a good chance there's a restaurant connected with the operation. One side helps the other: the restaurant gets a better-than-average supply of local fish and shellfish, and the market has a place to sell out any surplus it may have. Seither's is like that. The dining room isn't much to look at and for the most part the menu is simple, but the quality is excellent.
One of the advantages little restaurants have is that they prepare everything to order. That's the story behind the fired seafood platters and poor boys here. But even the boiled seafood--a major specialty--is usually hot right out of the boiling pot. The biggest surprise is an appetizer called eggplant Harahan: panneed eggplant slices, topped with a seafood stuffing and a crawfish cream sauce. They sling a lot of cream sauce around seafood here; get only one per table.
The building has been a seafood market for many decades. (I wish it had been this good when my parents live across the street in the 1980s.) Jason Seither took the place over in 2004, and little by little has added to the menu.
About three dozen seats, a little crowded, with the decor you expect from a neighborhood cafe. Service can bog down when the place gets busy.
Starters
Fried or grilled chicken salad
»Blackened shrimp salad
Fried shrimp salad
Grilled ahi tuna salad
Fried oyster salad
Stuffed mushrooms
Fried mushrooms
Homemade onion rings
Fried eggplant
Fried dill pickles
Mozzarella sticks
»Eggplant Harahan
»Barbecue shrimp
»Gumbo
»Seared ahi tuna
Stuffed artichoke
Shrimp and corn soup
Fried green tomatoes
Crabcakes
Garlic bread
Entrees
»Boiled shrimp and crawfish in season.
Fried shrimp
Fried oysters
Fried fish
»Fried chicken
Fried combo basket (choice of two above)
»Seafood platter
»Blackened shrimp
Grilled snapper with jambalaya
Crabcakes with pasta and cream sauce
»Soft-shell crab with pasta and cream sauce
»Barbecue shrimp with pasta
»Eggplant or chicken parmesan
Sandwiches
»Roast beef
»Blackened shrimp
Fried shrimp
Fried oysters
»Blackened fish
Fried fish
Soft shell crab
Fried chicken
»Blackened chicken
Hamburger
Combo (fried shrimp, fish, oyster)
Seither's is better at boiling and grilling than it is at frying, which is a bit heavy. The seasoning blends on the blackened dishes is very good. The seafood cream sauces are also good, but all taste about the same. No problem: just get one.
Some further research on the fried dishes to lighten them up is what I'd do next.
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- No reservations
