Editor, The Times of SWLA
If you're going for white linen table cloths and a sommelier, don't bother. The décor at Seafood Palace is uber-casual, with tables decked out in red vinyl, and on the walls – mounted fish on fishing nets, Louisiana-themed posters and neon beer signs. But the Cajun food is phenomenal!
Located at 2218 Enterprise Boulevard in Lake Charles, Seafood Palace features authentic Louisiana specialties such as boiled crabs and crawfish, po-boys, and a wide selection of menu items -- all available for take out.
Famous for gumbo
Over the years, Seafood Palace has become the city's favorite spot to enjoy Cajun cuisine, especially gumbo. There are two varieties of gumbo to choose from -- chicken and sausage, or shrimp and crab.
“We're known for our gumbo,” said David Papania, who owns the restaurant along with business partner, John Larocca.
Papania pointed to the autographed Little Chenier movie poster hanging behind the cash register. He said the star of the movie signed it when dining at the restaurant.
“The star of Little Chenier, Fred Koehler, ate here and loved our gumbo,” Papania said. “He's coming back, again, this Thanksgiving.”
What makes the gumbo so good?
Seafood Palace uses only great-tasting, fresh food and premium-quality, fresh ingredients for its gumbo, according to Papania. He added, having a great cook to put it all together is another essential ingredient.
“Stella LaVerge is our gumbo cook,” Papania said. “She's been cooking gumbo for a long time – more than 30 years.”
Opened more than 30 years ago, the highly successful Seafood Palace serves thousands of meals a year, and has been written up in publications throughout the world.
“Back then, it was called Crab Palace,” Papania said. “Alice Gaspard owned it, originally. My business partner and I bought it seven years ago, in 2001.”
They changed the name to “Seafood Palace” and tweaked the menu adding more items, even “gator wings.” Gator wings look like buffalo wings, but are made from Louisiana Alligator meat and they are delicious!
“Fresh-broiled crabs and crawfish are best-sellers, along with the gumbo,” Papania said. He stressed the restaurant uses only fresh, local seafood.
“We get our crabs daily from Hackberry; and, we buy our crawfish from local crawfish farmers,” he said.
The menu
For those who love seafood, there's plenty of choices on the menu, including a variety of tasty dinners.
Served with a salad, French fries and Texas toast, dinner entrees include: fried popcorn shrimp, shrimp, catfish, oysters and combos.
There's also a large selection of a la carte choices, such as crawfish, and crab, patties; stuffed crab, and shrimp; frog legs; crawfish tails; and, a seafood platter. For those who don't want seafood, there's chicken.
“In addition to our fried food, we also have grilled dinners for those who are watching their waistlines,” Papania said.
He said there's also a large number of appetizers to start off the meal. Boudin balls, stuffed pistolettes, fried catfish filet, fried okra, stuffed shrimp, frog legs, shrimp and crab jalapeños are just a few to mention.
There's a kid's menu for those age 12, and younger.
It's a family-friendly place, to be sure. However, adult beverages are available for those who enjoy an occasional cocktail.
Business is good
Papania said business is good, even in this tough economy.
“Our business has been steady,” he said. “We have a lot of regular customers and a lot of repeat business.”
He said the restaurant does a brisk business at lunchtime as people are drawn from nearby hospitals and law offices downtown.
“I guess you can say we have the best, worse location there is,” Papania said. “We're a little off the beaten path, but we've been here so long that people know where to find us.”
He said the location is far enough from the hubbub in some areas so as to avoid wasting time in traffic, but still close enough to allow diners to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time.
The service
Although patrons come for the food, the service is always polite and efficient, even during busier times. The wait staff is very attentive, making sure their guests are enjoying their meals and helping out as needed.
That's what keeps folks coming back, according to Papania.
“That's why we have been successful,” he said. “We have good food, excellent service and a casual, friendly atmosphere.”
Papania can always be found greeting people warmly and talking with patrons to make sure their visit is as pleasant as possible.
“People like seeing an owner present,” he said. “That way, we can make sure that things are done correctly; and, we can take care of any problems that might occur.”
He said that the restaurant business is a people-oriented business.
“I like to be around people,” he said. “I've been in this business all of my life. My family had an Italian restaurant, so it just something I know how to do – and, I like it.”
