Lunch Bites: Plantation Inn

Flanagan’s delights with memorable flavors
March 6, 2012
Does kangaroo taste like chicken?
March 6, 2012
Flanagan’s delights with memorable flavors
March 6, 2012
Does kangaroo taste like chicken?
March 6, 2012

Admit it, there are days when the suggestion of a drive-through lunch makes you queasy.


Just because you’re dining on a drive-through budget doesn’t mean a hot meal is out of reach.

Plantation Inn, situated inside the Houma hotel, offers a selection of four lunch specials daily. The full-service restaurant and lounge are located just to the left of the hotel lobby. Inside, guests have the option of sitting in the quaint lounge area or, through the glass door, in the dining area.


Tables are arranged to provide more intimate seating for two or four people or room for bigger crowds.


The friendly wait staff is quick to take drink orders and hand over the day’s specials.

On this particular day, guests choose between pork roast and gravy or chicken fried steak covered with white or brown gravy. The roast is accompanied by your choice of mashed potatoes or rice (mashed or smothered potatoes with the steak), seasoned corn or smothered cabbage and a fresh-baked dinner roll. The sandwich option is a turkey club croissant – thin-cut turkey, bacon, American or Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato – served with a cup of homemade corn soup.


I enjoy the chicken fried steak, while my guests opt for the sandwich deal and Choice No. 4, the grilled shrimp Caesar salad, which includes diced tomatoes and grilled shrimp sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese on a bed of romaine lettuce. The creamy dressing is served on the side.

Each special is $7.95 and includes free iced tea for restaurant diners.

Our order arrives within two minutes, a big plus for those of us with tight schedules, piping hot (where appropriate). The servings are hearty.

The day’s dessert special on this day is lemon meringue pie, offered for $2.25 a slice. My guest assures me the tangy lemon and light meringue make for a great ending to this outing.

So, if you’re in the market for a good bargain, hearty home-cooked meal, add Plantation Inn to your options. Just because you’re on the clock doesn’t mean you have to settle for fast food.

Plantation Inn offers hot, daily lunch specials for diners with demanding schedules who crave more than a “drive-through” menu.

ERIC BESSON | GUMBO ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE