Back when the West Bank had few white-tablecloth restaurants, the Sun Ray Grill opened a small cafe next to a hospital, and shortly had the whole area talking. The success of that restaurant led to the kind of expansion that's common in other cities, but not so much here. It's now a mini-chain, targeting customers on the younger side who are looking as much for a place to go as for something memorable to eat. Here and there on the menu are some pleasant surprises--notably the guacamole, which is made to order and very good.
The Sun Ray has a history of placing its moderate-price restaurants in neighborhoods where such restaurants are not to be found. So they become popular. The menus have a self-conscious international aspect--mostly quasi-Asian and semi-Mexican--with an underpinning of New Orleans flavor. They refer to it generically as "beach cuisine"--the kind of food you'd find in a place that has beaches. It sounds appealing, and often is.
The Gretna location is the original, opened in 1996. Subsequent openings have been in a wide variety of premises, from the enormous Warehouse District place (in an even bigger warehouse) to the modest Old Metairie digs (in the former Delerno's). The concept was created by owner Dana Deutsch, who had a significant history as a chef, including stints in Europe and the Windsor Court Hotel.
No two of the restaurants look alike, but all have in common open spaces and colorful design. The Warehouse District location is especially expansive, and recently added a second concept: Aloha Sushi, a tweaked approach to the namesake cuisine. The newest location, in Kenner, has a full-fledged oyster bar.
This is one of the few restaurants whose websites are up to date. They even show the correct daily specials every day. Very useful.
| Attitude | 1 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 1 |
| Local Color | 1 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 1 |
