“Laissez les bons temps rouler,” (let the good times roll)! This is a catch phrase anyone who has traveled to or knows Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, is familiar with.
Let your hair down, have a great time, mix in a few drinks with great friends, and repeat it again the next day.
I love to visit New Orleans. I love the cultural diversity of its residents as well as the ethnic diversity of its food. A fusion born from a blend of Caribbean, Spanish, French, European and Acadian influences.
Red beans and rice, Crawfish Etouffee, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Muffalettas, beignets, and Po-boys are just a few of my favorite dishes from the Crescent City.
A blend of Cajun and Creole cooking styles filled with bold flavors, plenty of spices, a little heat and cooked with a lot of soul.
I often crave a bite of New Orleans and luckily for us, Parkway Pourhouse offers everything you could wish for. It’s like eating alongside the Mississippi River in the French Quarter without having to drive nearly 500 miles to get it.
The interior shouts - sports bar. There are plenty of TV screens to watch the NFL, college football, golf, baseball, and every other sport imaginable. There are more TVs in the patio bar where you can enjoy the nice weather, especially in the fall, and on occasion, be treated to live music. The outdoor patio is pet friendly for well-behaved and properly leashed fur babies.
There is a full bar inside so make sure you check out their beverage menu. Parkway carries a huge variety of local beers on tap and offers specialty mixed cocktails.
When it comes to the food, Kitchen Manager and Chef Nathan Diener offers up the best of New Orleans cuisine while adding in a touch of the Scenic City.
Shrimp and Grits is a classic dish in NOLA and most of the south. Parkway combines their sauteed shrimp with Conecuh sausage and a creamy Cajun sauce. Their southern twist – it is served on top of their Pimento cheese grits. Their grits are creamy, cheesy, full of rich flavor, and the pieces of roasted pimentos add a pop of color and bite of texture.
I’ve had their Shrimp Po’boy several times. You can pick whether you want it topped with Remoulade sauce, tartar sauce, mayonnaise or horseradish mayonnaise. I like the Remoulade sauce, but my favorite is the horseradish mayo. It adds an extra boost of heat.
Another favorite is their Debris Po’boy. It’s a tasty, yet messy roast beef sandwich. The meat is slow-roasted, and the sandwich is covered in beef gravy. Ask for extra napkins and enjoy!
Bonus - they use authentic Leidenheimer bread for all their Po’boys, a NOLA original!
I’ve had their Crawfish Etouffee as a main dish and as a side with my Po’boys. There are plenty of crawdads in the recipe which is served with a scoop of rice in the center. It is creamy and the heat will creep up on you. It’s the type of heat that tickles the back of your throat and makes your eyes water, but you still go back for more. It’s the best, I’ve had, outside of the Crescent City!
I tried their Safety Melt, a beef patty with horseradish mayo, Havarti, aged cheddar, sauteed onions on a sourdough bun. It is a pull apart cheesy goodness. I ordered it with a side of Mac-n-Beer Cheese. It came out bubbling hot. The beer enhances the richness of the melted cheesy goodness.
Their Chimmy Chicken sandwich is incredible. It’s a blackened chicken breast with house made chimichurri, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions, mayonnaise on a Niedlov’s Challah bun. The chicken is juicy and tender, and the chimichurri is power packed with green herbs. I paired it with steak fries, which are thin, crispy and lightly dusted with Cajun spices.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with their Bistro tenderloin. It’s an 8-ounce tenderloin cooked to your liking – for me it’s medium. The steak is topped with their amazing and herbaceous chimichurri!
You can pick two sides to go with your steak. I often get Pimento grits and steak fries, but I urge you to try their pan seared okra. I am NOT an okra eater – but I ate these.
There are seafood options, salads and other main courses I’ve yet to try. My goal, however, is to eventually conquer their appetizer menu. So many things to choose from.
Roasted cauliflower, wings, gator bites, smoked salmon cakes, specialty dips, fried mac-n-cheese bites, gator sausage queso, Boudin balls, corn fritter, boiled nuts, flat bread pizzas and a little thing they call Pimp my fries. They take their steak fries and smother them with your choice of debris gravy, gator sausage queso, or Etouffee. Sounds delicious to me!
I may be eating here every weekend until I check every appetizer off my list. It may take a while, but I like challenges!
Parkway Pourhouse
- 801 Riverfront Parkway
- Chattanooga, 37402
- (423)-498-5300
- parkwaypourhouse.com
- $$-$$$$