I felt it was only fair that I call this part 1.5 because this episode does not consist of Feeding on Asphalt eating. Although I wish it had, it did not. How about a few pointers?
You may have asked, 'why didn't you go to Dallas?'...been there, did that, quite a few day trips in the last year and a half. Some mandatory some not. And great hotel rooms were horrendous in price. What you need to think about is the area in Shreveport. Bustling city with many a casino and gambling.
We don't particularly care for the Casino's but you can get a great room at a nice hotel for a cheap price because the establishment can afford to make it cheap, they are making money hand over fist with the gambling. Our room was probably twice to three times more expensive in Dallas for the equivalent of what we got in Shreveport.
(a little side note just in case you want to take your dollar and play a penny machine 'just one time for the fun of it' remember Shreveport doesn't have those smoking rules...so if you don't like stuffy, club-like atmospheres...or your a former smoker I would suggest you forgo your 'just for fun one time' trial period)Unless you want 'all you can eat greasy home style food' or not-so-international International Buffet I would not suggest eating in the actual hotel. We had about 4 or 5 options in the hotel that broke down as follows:
- Coffee Place - ok for coffee but not quite equipped as you would think, pastries were good but they failed to change out the crusty displays of everything they sold...so I was actually scared they were going to pull one of the pastries from the glass display case and try to give it to me. Seriously these were baked goods that had been in the window at least 3 days that I know of...not sure they were even changed when I left.
- Some kind of restaurant that tried to be a blend of Applebees, Ruby Tuesday's, and TGIF all rolled in one with a cajun injection on the menu to boot. Usually you don't want your cajun food from a national chain, and you don't want your national chain from a local cajun place...personal opinion is - make it one or the other. But food wise it was the usual.
- Of course there was the 'International Buffet' that I spoke of previously...in addition to what I said above about 'all you can eat greasy home style food or not-so-international International Buffet' I would like to add that I really can't seem to stuff more than 1 plate (or even a half) of greasy food down my throat at a sitting so I couldn't even attempt to eat enough to make it worth the price $16 a person. Sadly we tried. Overcooked, gravied up, watered down...
- Expensive Restaurant with a wine list that won 2 prior awards...but I suspect it was an award in the casino-restaurant-wine-selection category which probably only runs in casino classifications. But at any rate after looking at the menu and the prices and having prior experience with the others...just couldn't take that chance. I like to cook with wine and occasionally drink a glass but most places I go to I drink water, no lemon. Because I just want something to cleanse the palate between bites or eating especially when trying new places...I like to play the "Critic at Large or the ingredient-technique-flavor-guessing-game" with my food. Sometimes I get real good and detect a recipe change in menu items that I eat frequently at certain places so you know they had to substitute an ingredient in a pinch.
- Room Service? Didn't see the use...they want you out of the rooms gambling. And to pay extra for all that I already saw just to have it delivered to the room? No thank you!
Now, all that being said...I don't think this would hold true for the 'BIG BOYS' in Las Vegas. Actually I would hope it would be quite the opposite with all the big names they moved out there. I know down in Biloxi (Mississippi) their is an excellent buffet at the
Beau Rivage that my good friend Bill took me to, and we took our time grazing for about 3 hours...hey! It takes time to crack them Alaskan King Crab Legs open!
This was just my (and my wifes) opinion of the food choices at the Hotel, but I still recommend the great rooms at these low prices. (use Expedia or something like that to review them and get the best price). We were close to the River Walk which is a nice place of outlet stores and restaurants with a big movie cinema as well (where we saw 2 good movies!). So there were better food choices for the same price like Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro...which eerily reminded you of what it would look like if Copeland mashed together one of its seafood restaurants with a cheesecake factory, funny huh?
It had good food and it was enough to carry leftovers back to the hotel to put in our refrigerator but it didn't really meet the Feeding on Asphalt criteria did it?
