Bobby's Seafood
Backstory
Bobby Esteves opened his namesake shop in 1978, mainly to sell boiled seafood, but the menu grew over the years to become a small neighborhood sandwich operation. It was very welcome in those day, since neither River Ridge nor neighboring Harahan had much in the way of restaurants. The location had good gris-gris, though. In the 1960s, this was the address of Joe's Tavern, which in addition to being a good old-style neighborhood bar made some of the best roast beef poor boys in the whole city. And Frank Brigtsen grew up around the corner.
Dining Room
Not much to it but a few tables, the counter, and a look into the kitchen.
Why It's Essential
A combination seafood restaurant and retail market, Bobby's has live and boiled crawfish, shrimp and sometimes even crabs in season. And a fairly complete list of poor boy sandwiches and fried seafood platters. Because you are clearly not paying anything for atmosphere or fine points of service (you order and pick up at the counter, which has all the charm of a Time Saver), the prices are low and the sandwiches well made and generously stuffed.
Why It's Good
They cook almost everything on site, and the retail aspect of the place keeps the kitchen well stocked. The roast beef and seafood poor boys are the stars.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em> Stuffed crabs<br /> Crabmeat salad<br /> Shrimp salad<br /> Boiled shrimp<br /> Shrimp, crab and corn bisque<br /> Seafood gumbo<br /> Stuffed artichokes<br /> Stuffed mushrooms<br /> Onion rings<br /> <em><strong>Poor Boy Sandwiches</strong></em><br /> Roast beef<br /> Barbcue beef<br /> Hot, smoked, or Italian sausage<br /> Hamburgers<br /> Ham<br /> Ham & cheese combination<br /> Turkey<br /> Chicken-fried steak<br /> Grilled chicken<br /> Fried shrimp, oyster, or catfish<br /> Fried soft-shell crab<br /> Muffuletta<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Fried shrimp, oyster, catfish or combination platter<br /> Soft-shell crab platter<br /> Grilled chicken<br />
Bonus Ratings
2
Local Color
2
Value