Keith Young's Steak House

Restaurant Review

Anecdotes & Analysis

This Wednesday begins this year's shorter-than-average Mardi Gras season, which brings one thing to my mind: steak. Carnival means "farewell to beef," so we must follow the tradition by going to steakhouses as much as possible. Even with the tremendous increase in premium steakhouses here in recent years, it's hard to find a better place to indulge in this most substantial of dishes. Unlike the chains, which have to follow corporate standards that might not make sense here, Keith Young buys local, and his menu reads like that of a thoroughly Louisiana restaurant. And his dining room is busy enough to attract the better servers on the North Shore to his staff.

Why It's Essential

By quite a margin the best steakhouse on the North Shore, this handsome restaurant has expanded its premises and its menu enough that it stands with the best restaurants of any kind on St. Tammany. The steaks have always been terrific. Lately, however, a slab of beef is not the automatic order here. Too many other dishes beckon. Lunches are an almost absurd bargain, with appetite-overwhelming portions of first-class food.

Backstory

Keith Young's family opened a hamburger and steak restaurant in Slidell in the late 1960s. Young's grew into one of the most popular restaurants in that town, and one of the best steakhouses in the area. (It still is.) In early 2005, Keith left the family business to open his own restaurant in Madisonville. At first, he served essentially the same menu as the older place, but as time goes on Keith Young's has become a much more varied and interesting restaurant.

Dining Room

The main dining rooms are conservative, elegant parlors with about a dozen tables each. The front room has windows looking into the woods that surround the restaurant. The bar, much expanded recently, is as pleasant as the dining rooms now. The wine room is a striking and comfortable private dining room, The service staff is obliging and happy.

For Best Results

You must have a reservation for weekend dinner here, and it wouldn't be a bad idea for any other time. The best tables are in the room just past the bar. Lunches are busier than they used to be, but tables are still usually easy to come by. If they're running oysters Bienville as a special, don't miss them. The recipe is from my cookbook.