Toucan's

OUT AND ABOUT
Toucans
1016 East Prien Lake Road
Lake Charles, LA
337-477-2224

$3-$10
This establishment is more a bar than a restaurant. The bar now a “Tiki Bar” with all the appropriate decorations advertised standard frozen drink and not the drinks I associate with Tiki Bars (Mai Tai, Fog Cutter, etc). They open the kitchen for lunch and then back again at night. It is pretty much bar food with such things as appetizers, salads, burgers and sandwiches. For the most part decent food and during lunch a quiet atmosphere, I am sure it livens up at night.
First foray was off the burger menu. An item they call the Volcano. It is their basic burger with additions. An 8-oz patty seasoned with the house blend cooked to order. On a sourdough wheat bun they stack the mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and red onions on the top part. The bottom is the patty. For the Volcano they sauté raw Jalapeno slices to put on the burger then top it with a slice of American cheese and in my case some bacon I ordered. Slap it together and enjoy. This burger combines heat, sweet, smoky, cheesy and beefy. It proved excellent with the heat building slowly but never overpowering the taste of the burger
Second time in was the Appetizer Platter. You pick 3 out of 5 items. I went with the Chicken Tenders, Hot Wings and Loaded French Fries. The tenders came out big with a crisp thick crust and not at all greasy. A moist succulent inside with good flavor enhanced by the honey mustard dipping sauce. The wings proved classic Buffalo style. Nice size but not too big fried drumettes and two bone portions tossed in a cayenne/vinegar/butter sauce, superb. The loaded fries were a wreck. Dry with just cheese slices layered on them with a bottle of Baco’s on top, not what I was expecting and truly not good in my book. Now if it had been ooey-gooey with cheese sauce and large pieces of their bacon, this would have been a trifecta.
Last foray I opted for the BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich. Served open face on the same bun as the hamburger you had the cold side stuff on one half. On the other half two of the fried chicken tenders topped with an excellent BBQ sauce and bacon (did I mention the killer bacon they have here). Flat out delicious and perfect for soaking up some alcohol. The only ting that could have made it better was a little more sauce.
Service was laid back but good. The times I ate here I was not in a hurry and appreciated the quietness. In my book there is nothing like good tasting food and that includes bar food. This menu shows that someone who loves food thought through it.

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