Phil & Leona's

OUT AND ABOUT
Phil & Leona’a
2502 Broad St
Lake Charles, LA
337-433-8545
Sunday 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM $1-11
Monday - Friday 5:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Friday - Saturday 24 Hrs
These people were in operation at least a month before they changed the sign. Not much change on the interior or exterior except for the new sign. Place is clean and the service laid back but friendly
Lets start off with breakfast. First time I got a Mr. Gumbo Special and came away less than pleased. So I gave them another go round. This time it was pork chop, 2 sunny side eggs, grits and toast. This was more like it, perfectly griddled, perfectly seasoned bone-in breakfast chop. Bone-in is best, tender and juicy. I contently picked and gnawed everything off that bone. The eggs possessed firm whites and liquid yolks, just the way I love them. The grits were good also
From there I gradated to the plate lunch. Although the menu has only one protein option for the day the whiteboard usually offers more (fried chicken to turkey wings to catfish). I opted for the meatloaf. It came with whipped potatoes, peas, and a piece of cornbread. I can tell a lot about a cook by their meatloaf. This one was loaded with onions and bell peppers nicely spice and tender not tough. The sides except for the cornbread wire pretty standard. The cornbread presented more like cake, delicious. With the plate lunch you get a dessert also. Your choice of what ever is on the counter that day. I opted for sweet potato pie. A plain simple ultimately satisfying bite
At this point the food had been good but I wondered were the “New Orleans Soul” was? The next items provided that in spades. I got a small Creole Gumbo. Did I say small, it came in a bowl big enough to bathe in. Its base was a thick okra impregnated broth. It contained chicken parts including necks and wings (I was a happy camper), sausage and shrimp, all in a well-spiced and balanced bowl. I almost started singing “When the Saints Come Marching In”. It is accompanied by a “mash potato” potato salad with boiled eggs and pickles. Next came Stuffed Bell Pepper. It is not the usually. It is not stuffed in a bell pepper but lies on flattened bell pepper. No rice, meat, and tomato sauce. Instead bread based stuffing with crumbled Patton’s Hot Sausage and small shrimp, again a good balance of flavors and spices. Also on the plate killer mac and cheese, cheesy and creamy
So while it may seem like a place with good southern soul food there are some New Orleans's fingers in the pots and pans. I need to stop more often because it is that good.


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