NINA P’S REOPENS

1600 W. McNeese St. #A, Lake Charles • 337-474-6462

Well, the day finally arrived, and the ladies from Nina P’s opened the doors to a place that had been closed for way too long. I was the first person there on the day they reopened as I knew it was going to be busy.

There clearly were a lot of happy people that day because the place filled up in no time at all. It was nice seeing the old faces that you’d become accustomed to seeing every time you went in to eat.

Now, the place does have a few things that are just the way they were before the fire. But it did get a complete facelift and it now feels much bigger inside. The old outdoor section is gone but that’s OK because, as you know, there are just days when it’s too darn hot to sit outside and enjoy your meal. Now, Nina P’s has much more indoor seating, and with the taller roofs, the place has a warm open feeling to it.

I was so happy to see Fallon and Paulina in the back making food, which you can tell they love to do; and to see those big smiles they always have that make you feel like you’re at your house and they’re cooking for you.

Chelsea, I and my good friend Lenny came in for lunch. I thought I knew what I was going to have before I got there. But as soon as I started looking at the menu, I was completely lost as to what to get.

My all-time favorite is the chicken fried chicken, and of course that’s what they had for the opening day special. I was torn about my decision. I wound up getting the San Francisco burger. I was trying to kill two birds with one stone. I got to go in on opening day and also gather information for my future Bayou Burger Bash that will be featured in a future article I’m writing.

We started our meal with the Crawfish Kickers, which was a crawfish dressing that was battered, along with fries with all of it served with their own house dressing. The Kickers were fried to perfection and were full of flavor, but to be honest, I have no real idea as to how the sauce tasted because I never dipped them, which is odd for me because I am the self-proclaimed dipping champion.

Chelsea ordered the fried chicken spud which is a train wreck in your mouth with all the delicious flavors you get in each bite. The cooks use large potatoes and add the full works of toppings to make the spud complete.

Lenny got the chicken fried chicken which I knew he would. The dish looked so mouthwatering that I thought about just stealing it from him. But since he was buying lunch it didn’t seem that would be very polite.

The thing that was really impressive was the fact that everyone just seemed to pick up where they left off. The food was flowing out in a timely manner from the kitchen. Now to say everything was perfect would be a lie. But the little bumps were just rust from being closed for so long and I’m sure nobody else even noticed.

Everyone was smiling and happy. Old staff were coming in for lunch. It was as if everyone knew everyone there, which proves to you what a loyal loving fan base Nina P’s has.

This is why I preach so much about supporting our local treasures. If one of the big box restaurants burned down there wouldn’t be this outpouring of support if it reopened.

Congrats, ladies, on the re-opening. I know it was a stressful time, but you stuck together and got through this. If it were not for your huge loving family supporting you, it might have been a lot tougher. Paulina told me that if her landlord had not stepped in and helped there would not be a Nina P’s today. But through his generosity, they were able to create a better and bigger Nina P’s.

I went to the Wild Beast Feast. Once again, Laura Monk and her team put on another great event to raise money for the Lake Charles Symphony.

I got to eat some amazing food. The best chef was chosen by three judges at the event; there was also a People’s Choice Award.

Now, my choices were none of the above. It wasn’t because the dishes that were chosen weren’t good. But I chose my winners based on a chef’s interpretation of original and creative dishes.

Now, with that being said, my top two choices were 1910 and Luna’s Bar and Grill. 1910 is a new restaurant that will be opening soon on the corner of Kirby and Ryan Street. 1910 served a Gator Waffle with a jelly and cream cheese mixture as a topping. This was a creative dish that left you with a smile on your face and a bit of excitement that we are getting more and more new places to eat that really are bringing their A game. My only knock on the dish was that there could have been more gator in it.

My very old friend Dave Evans from Luna’s had the dish I and Lyle Broussard both felt was the winning dish of the event. He made a crawfish, venison, and Tasso cheesecake, and yes, I said cheesecake. It was a warm dish and not one you just sit down and pig pit on because it was so rich. The way he brought all the ingredients together was beyond impressive. The crust was cooked perfectly, which is hard to do for this type of event. Dave Evans, you should take a bow because you really hit it out of the park with this one, sir, and I am very proud of your effort.