TrueSouth episode 4 review: Shreveport, LA
Shreveport is a pass-through afterthought to many. But stay awhile and you’ll find some great food, people, and blissful “limification.”
By: Bossman Slim
Well, it isn’t Monday. I hope we didn’t keep you on the (John T.) edge of your seat waiting for the next TrueSouth review. Life gets busy sometimes, and in the midst of a move, I wasn’t able to post the piece on Monday.
But we’re not going to let you down, and we’ve got it for you now. This week we’re at an American crossroads. A town I’ve been to many times, but have never spent more than 20 minutes in with little more than a glance out the window at the Independence Bowl as I sped by. A town that has long been known as a crossroads, from the riverboat days to the railroads, to our modern intricate highway system which meets right at the Louisiana-Texas border.
Our first stop in Shreveport: Herby K’s. (Photo: 20x49)
Our fearless host John T. Edge shows us Shreveport is more than a pass-through town. It’s home for many, a place with unique and quirky character. A place with history, of faults and surprises, and of hope for the future. We’re first introduced to the bar and restaurant Herby K’s and its eclectic history. Walk into Herby K’s and you might start bartering with one of the bartenders for one of the items on the wall. The place looks like Goodwill for trinkets. When patrons come, they leave behind knickknacks and souvenirs, and when they return, they expect it to be right where they left it. That isn’t what the bar is only famous for, though. When you make your next visit, be sure to try the Shrimp Buster sandwich or their gumbo, which is supposed to be some of the best you’ll find. If you’re like Oscar-winning Shreveport native Bill Joyce, you might even get a bacon cheeseburger and dip it in the gumbo.
A “Shrimp Buster.” Also known as heaven. (Photo: Shreveport-Bossier.org)
After stopping for a gut-busting, heavenly lunch at Herby K’s, we next head to one of John T.’s favorite spots of all time. Lucky Palace in next-door Bossier City may not sit in the best part of town, but it serves the best food around. Owner Kuan Lim serves the best Chinese food you’ll find - from new creations to your American-Chinese staples like General Tso’s chicken. But those well-known American-Chinese dishes? You’re regular Chinese restaurant down the road probably won’t cut it anymore after you’ve tried Lim’s version. And when you come to Lucky Palace, you also come to drink. The wine list makes a New Orleans sommelier blush and would make even the straightest teetotaler a lush for a night. Among friends around a table of great food, John T. and the gang enjoy life and laughter - and sink into a state of blissful “limification” as he calls it. As my favorite band, the Turnpike Troubadours once sang about this very area: “What mama don’t know won’t hurt her.”
With the restaurant in the tough part of town, why is it that so many venture to it and pack its tables during normal times? It’s a love of good food and wine, sure, but it is more a devotion to their friend Kuan Lim, who’s kindness and generosity is well-known. When a friend got cancer, Lim sent food. When a friend comes to Lucky Palace, it’s often because they want to sit down for a glass of wine with the owner. He is an icon in Bossier/Shreveport. His reputation for kindness is now coming back to him, as Lim has dealt with recurring cancer over the past few years. We’re pulling for you, Lim.
Shreveport is a crossroads. A pass-through town. It’s a historical crossroads and a modern one. But if you stay for a minute, you might find a few other crossroads within the city itself. The crossroads of Cajun food and creation. Of trinket and valued shelf space. Of one glass of wine and tipsy “limification.” Of preserving history and struggling forward for the future. For those who are from Shreveport and stay, this crossroads is home.
You can visit Shreveport by watching this episode now on ESPN+ or set your DVR for the next airing on SEC Network. No announcement on a new episode for next week, so we’ll keep going in rewind on season one. Next Monday we’ll head to the country music capital of the world: Nashville, Tennessee. See you there next Monday for some Boot Scootin’ Boogie.