By Jeanni Ritchie
There’s a new place to pull up a chair in Pineville, and it has been long-awaited.
Cormane’s Lou & Laura’s celebrated the grand opening of its new restaurant in Pineville on Tuesday, October 27, bringing an elevated menu to an already well-loved restaurant.
My dad and I have been eating at Lou & Laura’s on Jackson Street since I was a child, and loved that the menu and same great taste didn’t change when the Cormanes bought the restaurant a few years ago.
They have the best broasted chicken I’ve ever tasted.
While the Alexandria store has been our family’s go-to for chicken and Philly cheesesteaks, their new Pineville location takes our favorites and adds even more.
We stopped by on opening day in Pineville. We ordered the spinach dip appetizer, served with fried bowtie pasta, and it was loaded with so much cheesy goodness I didn’t mind the green!
Dad got the country fried chicken with grilled mixed vegetables—zucchini and squash—and a side salad with Cormane’s own homemade ranch.
I tasted the ranch—it was delicious!
I ordered a cup of shrimp & corn bisque.
The menu was large and varied. We had a hard time choosing and selected several items to try on return visits. But there’s one caveat: Since our visit, the Pineville location has decided to separate its lunch and dinner menus.
Same food you’ve always loved—burgers, po-boys, and chicken—during lunch hours, and the full expanded menu available during the evening service.
On our collective to-try list: Boom Boom Shrimp, Chicken and Dumplings, Fried Oysters, Cane & Pepper Chicken, Hamburger Steak, Redfish Pontchartrain, Southern Glazed Salmon, Slow Cooked St. Louis Ribs, Pork Ribeye and Lemon Blueberry Cake.
Looks like I’ll get a reprieve from cooking for a while until we’ve sampled them all!
Other menu items include a wide selection of po’boys, their famous broasted chicken, burgers and sandwiches, along with entrées like Catfish with Etouffee, Chicken Pomodoro, Bayou Tuna, Prime Rib and Filet Mignon.
Their dessert specialty is a bowl of house-made bread pudding dripping with vanilla glaze.
Little tidbit you may not know: Owners John and Paula Cormane also own Mr. Green Jeans Tree Service and one of my favorite pastimes with the grandchildren, Gone Wild Safari in Ball!
We had a nice visit with them after our meal, an easy conversation that turned them from strangers to friends. That’s exactly the kind of environment the Pineville location is—a place so inviting you feel like you shared a meal with an entire restaurant.
In fact, within five minutes I’d texted my friend Glenda to tell her the restaurant would be perfect for our next women’s birthday luncheon. They have multiple spaces to host large groups.
The Cormanes’ obvious commitment to the community continues to grow with the new Pineville Lou & Laura’s, and we will be there to support them right back.
Cormane’s Lou & Laura’s
3328 Military Highway
Pineville, LA 71360
Phone: (318) 500-9598
Current Hours (subject to change):
Monday– CLOSED
Tuesday–Thursday: 11 AM–2 PM and 5–9 PM
Friday–Saturday: 11 AM–2 PM and 5–10 PM
Sunday: 11 AM–2 PM and 5–9 PM
Takeout service will be available soon. For now, the restaurant offers dine-in service only.
(But why wouldn’t you want to stay there? The new restaurant is so bright and lively, it’s the perfect place to spend, for example, a midweek lunch with your dad or a celebratory dinner with friends.)
