Bourbon Street Steakhouse Grill in West Memphis a great place to dine

WEST MEMPHIS — Thinking about dining in Downtown Memphis? There is a restaurant that is a well-kept secret that you should know about.

While it is not downtown, it is close. The Bourbon Street Steakhouse Grill is just across the Mississippi River Bridge in West Memphis. Located upstairs at Southland Park Gaming and Racing, the Bourbon Street Steakhouse Gill features USDA Choice beef, hand-cut and aged to perfection with a Louisiana twist. In addition to great steaks, the restaurant also features a variety of offerings one would expect to find in the French Quarter. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

I took a party over to check out some new menu items and get a taste of the restaurant’s Early Bird Menu. We enjoyed an outstanding dining experience and found the atmosphere to be warm and inviting, and we were impressed with the quality and value represented by the Early Bird Menu – available from 5 to 7 p.m. for $25 per person.

A couple of new menu items can be found on the Early Bird Menu, one as an appetizer and the other as an entrée. Both Manager Randy Frankson and server Matt Silverman recommended the entree. They did not steer us wrong, as Chef Tung Nguyen knocked it out of the park with the Canal St. Chicken.

Before the entrée, however, we enjoyed some appetizers. I opted for Crawfish Bayou Teche, classic fried green tomatoes topped with bronzed crawfish tails and spicy hollandaise. It is not only a regular menu item, but is also one of two starters on the Early Bird Menu. This selection won the bronze medal for Best Appetizer in the 2010 Arkansas Hospitality Association Tradeshow.

The crispy, golden coating contrasted nicely with the slightly tart green tomatoes. It was an expertly executed southern favorite sent to another level with the Cajun influence of crawfish and seasoned hollandaise. The other starter on the Early Bird Menu is a house salad — heart of romaine served with finely hand-chopped tomatoes, cucumber and red onions.

One of the entrees we sampled was the aforementioned Canal St. Chicken. This entrée is one of three on the Early Bird Menu, the others being an 11-ounce sirloin and blackened redfish.

While one might be hard-pressed to choose chicken over steak or redfish, consider that Canal St. chicken is one of the more popular menu items. It is a breast of chicken stuffed with mushrooms, fresh spinach, cheese and Cajun cream. The chicken was juicy and tender. The fresh flavor of the spinach and the earthy mushrooms blended well the chicken and a fantastic Cajun cream sauce that is good enough to be bottled and sold. Thank you Chef Tung!

One can choose from a variety of sides on the Early Bird Menu, including a baked potato, vegetable medley, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and creamy whipped potatoes, allowing one to go full Cajun, light or comfortably filling.

For dessert, choose from the Kitchen Sink Sundae or Bourbon Pecan Pie. The “sink” is big enough for two, so a party of two might be well advised to order the sink and pie rather than two sinks, unless you’re trying to set an eating record. (We also sampled some desserts from the full menu, including a Banana’s Foster-inspired cheesecake that is something special.) To top off the value, the Early Bird Menu includes a complimentary glass of Copper Ridge wine with your entrée. Reservations are recommended and to take advantage of the Early Bird deal, be sure to make your reservations for sometime before 7 p.m.

While there, we sampled a variety of items from the full steakhouse menu also. The selection of steak cuts can be ordered either char-grilled or blackened on an iron skillet. I sampled a filet ordered by someone else in our party. The spicy Louisiana seasoning adds to the full flavor of the steak, but doesn’t overpower it. Chef knows his stuff, working a form of magic with spices and sauces. He worked the same magic on blackened beef kabobs, also ordered at our table.

A new entrée on the full menu is Duck En Rouge, twice-cooked duck breast glazed with Asian fusion bourbon rouge gastric. Crispy shredded string sweet potatoes rest next to sliced, glazed duck on this dish. The super tender duck melts away and the Asian/Cajun glaze masterfully enhances its flavor.

There is a wealth of enticing appetizers and entrees on the full menu, which even include wine suggestions for each entrée paired up by a sommelier. We enjoyed a highly rated Chalk Hill Chardonnay with the Canal St. Chicken.

You will want to try Bourbon Street Steakhouse Grill for yourself. The Early Bird Menu provides a great opportunity to experience the restaurant at a budget-friendly price. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Call (800) 467-6182 for reservations. View the menu online at www.southlandgreyhoundpark.com.