I had almost forgotten about writing this post until I clicked through some photo albums on my computer and saw the pictures from the meal. It would have been a real travesty if I hadn’t caught it, because I enjoyed my meal at Serpas True Food so much.

Serpas is located in the Old Fourth Ward and is situated midway between Lotta Frutta and the Irwin St. Market. The head chef, Scott Serpas, hails from South Louisiana (instant check-plus for that) and worked in restaurants from Texas to The A before opening his own in 2008. Mario and I stopped by for dinner on a weekday evening. We immediately loved the wide open space of the restaurant, which has probably 15′ ceilings (don’t take my word for that, I’m terrible at estimating measurements) and is dominated by a wall of windows on one side. First off, I have to comment on our AWESOME service. Our waiter was one of the most enthusiastic I’ve ever had and clearly enjoyed the food at Serpas. He deftly fielded our questions, made recommendations, and gave insightful comments on what dishes were his favorites and why. Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name, but if all the servers at Serpas are as passionate as he is, you’re in for a nice night.

Now then, the food. We had a My Daily Thread coupon (like a Groupon) to spend, so we did our version of a “splurge” and ordered an app, entrees, AND dessert. To start, I ordered the flash fried oysters (pickled chilies, mirliton, no photo) and actually got picky eater Mario to try one!

The oysters were fried to a perfect crisp, and the sorta sweet/sorta spicy chilies were an excellent accouterment. This is the 2nd time in my life I’ve [knowingly] eaten mirliton, the first being at The Red Maple in New Orleans where it was served stuffed with seafood, and maybe this is the reason (or because of its very mild taste) I think of it more as a vessel for other goodies than a side item in its own right. My point is, I’m not sure what it added to the dish. The oysters also came drizzled in a spicy mayo-based sauce that added that “NOLA” kick. I had Mario try his FIRST OYSTER EVER IN LIFE and…he actually admitted it was pretty good. Next mission: get him to slurp a raw one.

For entrees, I went with our server’s recommendation of the trout (lemon thyme butter, new potatoes, spinach, mushrooms), and since Mario had already made his big eating leap of the day, he stepped back into his comfort zone with “Big Papa’s Double Beef Patti” (smoked cheddar, red wine dressing, apple smoked bacon, house fries):

Stuffed Trout

Big Papa's Double Patti

Look. at. that. burger. No, really, look at it:

BURGER.

So, it goes without saying that the Double Patti was a BIG burger. Mario studied it for a minute or two to determine the best course of attack. He enjoyed it immensely and has now even put it at #3 on his “Best Burgers” list (CraftBar and Bocado hold the top spots). My overstuffed trout was fantastic as well–the stuffing was fantastic, the sauce was fantastic, the sides were fantastic, and added to a perfectly-cooked fish, they all worked fantastically together.

To finish, I decided we needed to try the Peach Bread Pudding:

Peach Bread Pudding

The dessert was good, but not great. The addition of fruit to the bread pudding made it more reminiscent of a cobbler than bread pudding to me. But, the peaches were fresh and flavorful, and the bread part was deliciously moist.

We really enjoyed our meal, our service, and the laid back but stylish atmosphere at Serpas True Food. I’ve been searching for a reason to go back since our original visit, and I might have to schedule in a Sunday Brunch in the near future. Fried Oysters Benedict?? I’m there.

www.serpasrestaurant.com