Lunch at Don's

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We took my mother to lunch today at Don's Seafood and Steakhouse in Hammond, Louisiana. Don's restaurant in Hammond isn't one of a kind, but it isn't a chain either. It is a family owned group of restaurants that grows as the family grows.

Lunch was great. We've been to Don's half a dozen times in as many years. The service is good, the Landry family members are hospitable hosts, and the food is as expected - great. The atmosphere is casual, but not picnic-table casual. I had fried catfish and fried shrimp, my wife had a lunch-time seafood platter, and my mother had fried shrimp. A serving of hushpuppies is complimentary.

I love fried seafood in the Acadian tradition. Don's is my kind of place. This is authentic Acadian food - most people know it as Cajun. It isn't one of those restaurants next to the interstate with a big billboard spelling "Cajun" in large, goofy letters in hopes of attracting tourists. The local people eat at Don's as often as they can and they've been doing it for years.

The original Don's was opened in Lafayette in 1934 as "Don's Beer Parlor" by Don Landry. A few years and a couple of brothers later, the name settled on "Don's Seafood and Steakhouse." The original three brothers passed the business down to the next generation or two, and there are now half a dozen Don's in Louisiana. The Landry family has had the good sense to stay true to their Acadian heritage while allowing each Landry to tailor their restaurant to thier locale.

If you are traveling through eastern Louisiana and want some good Acadian food, pull off exit 28 on I-55 at Hammond.

Don's has a lunch menu with entrees between $8 and $10. The dinner menu's entrees range from $10 to $20. At dinner, the portions are larger and the selection wider.

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Photos

Don's sign
My wife at Don's