‘That Place’ Unique combos, quaint surroundings

Heard of a new restaurant in Thibodaux and went to check it out. Situated on La. Highway 1, south of Thibodaux, That Place Seafood and More! is a pleasant find.

Inside, a server promptly greeted me. This is a quaint, little place with hominess and local charm. Original artwork adorns the walls and That Place was exceptionally clean – including the bathrooms.

Looking over the interesting menu design, I saw some very unique items. For starters I ordered a sampler plate of three appetizers: the Tooloulou, a Firecracker Beignet and the Cajun Bird Nest ($3.99). Two homemade sauces accompanied the dish.

The tooloulou is fried dough stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese and crab that was delicious and perfectly seasoned. The dough was nothing I had experienced before. It was like their version of meat pie dough but the best I have experienced.

The firecracker beignet is the same dough but stuffed with cheese and jalapeno slices with a cheese dipping sauce. I liked this dish also. And the Cajun bird nest is thin sliced onion rings plated in a nest and served with their own hurricane bite sauce. I was really impressed by this dish. They were light and crispy with a batter of flour and cornmeal with little flecks of pepper and herbs visible in the coating and were not greasy as sometimes happens.

Frying food properly takes skill, as the oil temperature needs to be just right so the food is cooked thoroughly without burning the coating and the food does not absorb too much oil. What happens more times than not is too much food is placed in the oil, which lowers the oil’s temperature and produces a greasy, unappealing product.

I ordered the Lil’ Bitty Shrimp ($9.95), which the chef described as “the best in town.” It is popcorn shrimp battered the same as the onion rings and fried perfectly. This dish is served with your choice of two sides such as seasoned fries, sweet potato fries or coleslaw.

That Place describes its Beaucoup Beignets as “delicious fillings wrapped in our savory pastry!” This dish is three savory beignets per order in three flavors: crawfish trap, crab trap and shrimp nets or – in the Cajun Trinity – one of each. Each of these dishes is priced at $11.95.

This is such a unique offering I could not pass it up. I chose the crawfish trap, which was more like a meat pie with a delicious stuffing of cheese and crawfish tails then topped with a few crawfish tails and a Parmesan cream sauce. I really enjoyed this dish. The fried bread and crawfish were a nice complement with a delicious sauce to tie it all together.

For something sweet after my meal, the server suggested a chocolate beignet ($3.99). It is their chocolate dough stuffed with white chocolate pieces and fried so that the dough is cooked and the chocolate melts inside. It came topped with powdered sugar and was quite tasty. That Place also offers regular beignets served with homemade syrup.

There is a kids’ menu for children ages 10 and under, which includes Catfish Bites, a corn dog, chicken nuggets or a hamburger, all served with fries and a drink ($3.95 to $4.95).

To keep up with changes to the restaurant menu and operating times, look That Place up on the Web at www.thatplaceseafood.com. The website also lists daily specials not on the printed menu. That Place is also on Facebook under “thatplaceseafoodandmore.”

Of note, chef Jamie Pitre invites guest chefs in the area to submit their favorite recipes, which are prepared as an evening special once a month on Wednesday. Chef JP says the offer isn’t limited to professional chefs, but to household chefs as well.

With its unique, homemade dishes and reasonable prices, That Place Seafood is a great new addition to Thibodaux’s dining options. Do yourself a favor and give them a try.

That Place Seafood 1130 La. Highway 1, Thibodaux (985) 446-6300 www.thatplaceseafood.com Restaurant Hours: Lunch Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday-Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Fridays-Saturdays, 5 to 10 p.m. (Closed Mondays and for dinner Sunday)