Restaurant Review of Bar Louie

By:  Lanie Blaze
lanieblaze@eXcapethematrix.com

 Smokey bars are definitely not my cup of tea, but cheesy Christmas music stations are.  So when I won a $50 gift card to Bar Louie by being the tenth caller on WNIC during the holiday season, I had some bittersweet feelings.  The unemployed, broke and totally humbled by the jacked up Michigan economy part of me was like…”YEAH!  FREE FOOD!” while the married mama who can’t stand singles bars and washing residual cigarette smoke out of my locs part of me was like…”Bar Whouie?  What’s that?  I’ve never heard of it.  It’s got to be the typical smoke filled meat market.  Well it is Christmas time, dang…who can I give this to?”

I reasoned with mama side by reminding her that I have plenty of shampoo.  After listening to my grumbling gut, my broke side won.  I grabbed my husband and we headed out to Bar Louie to get our free eat on.

My first impression was just as I’d expected it.  In the center of the room was a massive bar stocked with hot young bartenders, top shelf liquor, middle aged chain smoking men and ridiculously cosmetically enhanced women.  But what surprised me was how vast and open aired the rest of the room was.  There were spacious booths along the walls and a collection of tables in the back far away from the hustle and bustle of the bar.

We were greeted and given an open selection of seating.  I headed toward a booth near the back until I heard the “oh my gawd, Becky” laden chatter in the adjacent booth.  I knew I couldn’t eat in peace with that buzzing in my ear.  So we ended up sitting closer to the bar than I would have liked.

In a rush to get to a movie starting in forty minutes, we immediately cracked open the menus on the table expecting to see nachos and chili cheese fries.  Much to my amazement, the menu featured some of my absolute favorites including fresh grilled fish and jambalaya.  There were offerings for sandwiches, burgers and other popular appetizers such as nachos and quesadillas.   They even had tater tots.  Who has tater tots these days?  I was thoroughly impressed.

We ordered the fish tacos, crispy calamari and sweet and spicy tempura shrimp.  The fish tacos were amazing!  They were filled with well seasoned tilapia and cool crisp shredded cabbage.  I’m a pretty particular eater, so I ordered the accompanying mango salsa, guacamole and chipotle mayo on the side.  The mango salsa and guacamole were fresh and flavorful.  I tasted the chipotle mayo and couldn’t get with it.  But that’s definitely more of a personal preference than a slight to the topping.

A hefty portion of calamari was served piping hot in a fifties style French fry cone.  Though overly salty, it was seasoned with Italian spices which was a relief from the bland flour dusted calamari I’ve been encountering lately.

My husband thoroughly enjoyed the spicy tempura shrimp which was served tossed in a spicy, tangy, citrus sauce over fried wonton squares.  It was more spicy and tangy than I care for though.

All in all, it was a pleasurable experience.  Bar Louie is spacious, and the smoke was well managed.  The food was delicious, the portions ample and the prices right.  We dined sufficiently; had leftovers and our bill, including tip, was only $33.  Yep…that’s right, I still have $17 of free food to eat.

Bar Louie has locations in fourteen states including Michigan, Illinois and the District of Columbia.  For more information, please check out www.barlouieamerica.com.

o