A Nap to Clear Pallet

Rediscovering an Old Friend

By Brad "Scoop Daniels" Thibodaux

I woke up from a well earned nap the other day satisfied in the notion that I had dined well on a plethora of delicious food. The visions of lightly batter Louisiana Gulf shrimp and exquisite taste of baked sweet potato continued to dance across my mind, so much so, that my stomach began to growl. But I resisted the call and fell back into slumber and dreamed once more of fried Mississippi catfish and colossal mushrooms.

My journey toward unconsciousness began innocently enough as I and a couple of friends decided to have dinner at Ground Pati on Bayou Garden’s Blvd. in Houma. We had all heard of the ownership change, the adjustment to the menu, and the restored focus on the taste and presentation of the food. We were eager to give this “ole” hamburger joint another try.

I can honestly say that I was shocked by the changes that had occurred over the past few months. Gone were the old sticky wooded tables and dark secluded booths and in their place stood beautiful hand craft cypress tables evenly spaced throughout the dining room. The lighting was also improved, and with the addition of four flat screen TVs, we knew that we were in for a treat. The traditional circular fireplace still sat in its familiar place in the middle of the restaurant and gave the whole area a nostalgic feel. Old and new surrounds blended together perfectly.

We were seated with little wait and approached immediately by our waitress who promptly took our drink orders. As she headed to the drink station, we were approached by another employee who brought the traditional complementary Ground Pati peanuts.

The drinks arrived quickly along with the menu. A menu with so much variety that choosing between surf and turf or hamburger or chicken proved difficult, and my group decided the best approach was to sample as much off the menu as we could.

We started with the appetizers. An order of Colossal Mushrooms, Southwest Eggrolls, and Buffalo Wings. Each of us not a fan of one of the selections made. That was until our order arrived. The wings were tender and seasoned well with the Buffalo sauce on the side. The Colossal Mushrooms were large and hand battered at the restaurant, and the Southwest Eggrolls were as good, if not better, than other restaurants with similar fare. To put it simply, the Southwest Eggrolls were not greasy nor over cooked. There enough said.

The other cool part of the appetizers was that server. Why? The server was the owner, Mrs. Linda Aires, who personally placed them in front of us. She then went on to explain why the food at Ground Pati taste better than those “cookie cutter, box” restaurants. Her reasoning was because everything served at the Ground Pati in Houma is as fresh as possible. The produce is local, the seafood is local (or close to it), and the beef is from Louisiana. The furthest any food served at the Ground Pati travels is the farm raised catfish from Mississippi.

She continued to explain how she’s changed venders to insure that the food you order is as close to market as possible. The other reason is that they batter all of their fried items in house. Nothing comes to Ground Pati pre-battered. This insures that the taste is consistent and in a word awesome.

Needless to say, we are all fans of the appetizers now, and no need to say who didn’t like what.

With this simple, rational explanation of the foods origins and preparation our entree orders were easy.

"Just bring us seafood!"

And boy did they…fried crab claws, lightly batter large gulf shrimp, breaded farm raised Mississippi catfish, and grilled shrimp. All were excellent. The grilled shrimp were exceptional. Cooked and served on a wooded skewer after marinating in Ground Pati of Houma’s own secret recipe marinade. The shrimp were tender and not over cooked, as can sometimes happen when grilling. Any description of the taste would never totally describe the experience, so trust me when I tell you it is a must order.

We also sampled the grilled Tuna, Mahi Mahi, and Salmon. All grilled and seasoned to perfection. I have found that most restaurants substitute spices for actual seasoning. Not at Ground Pati! The flavor or the fish was never hidden but enhanced by the seasonings applied during preparation.

The biggest surprise was the Tuna. I don’t like Tuna. There I said it. However, the tuna I sampled that day has softened my objection for the “fish in a can.” The tuna steak was really good. It was not dry and did not have that overtly fishy taste. It was seasoned well and actually had me asking for more. Quite an accomplishment.

Believe it or not, my friends and I had room for dessert and we were treated to the Banana Caramel Xango. A funny name but some serious taste.

So, you can see after all that good food how a nap was unavoidable, and honestly, it was necessary. That is why I and my companions have no problems awarding the Ground Pati in Houma Five out of Five Sunbursts. It was truly a dining experience I will repeat often with friends and family, and I highly recommend that you do the same.

What to order: