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Coast Cuisine - June/July 2018
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- story by Lisa Monti
It’s safe to say Rickey Peters has a following. Fans have followed him over the years from one location to the next, and waited out the times when Rickey was in between kitchens.
His self-named restaurant on Coleman Avenue in Waveland was generally packed with customers enjoying the chef’s fare but then Katrina swept through and it was a long while before Rickey’s restaurant was reconstituted in the Zuppardo Shopping Center. Once again fans filled the booths and tables to order their favorites. (Mine regular order was gumbo and the stuffed shrimp.) |
Coast Cuisine
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These days, Rickey is running the kitchen inside Bodega’s on Court Street, another Kevin Jordan production, where the Parrot Head Bar has tacked on “Grill” to its name. Doors opened March 15 and fans, along with visitors, quickly found their way to the tropical themed Bodega venture that includes a liquor store, yoga studio loft and bike, golf cart and water sports rentals.
The menu is abbreviated compared to the Waveland and Zuppardo kitchens where Chef Rickey presided. It has just three categories: the Krewe of Sandwiches, Hola Tapas and A Bite of Cultcha.
Witness the rich Gumbo Ya-Ya, Cochon deLait and Chicken and Boudin sandwiches and the Banana Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, along with the Shrimp Remoulade Salad with Cajun Remy Sauce, Rickey’s Potato Salad and Mardi Gras Slaw.
The Cubano - roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese and honey mustard - is a swirl of salty/sweet goodness. And there’s a reason the homemade dressed meatloaf sandwich tops the list of signature sandwiches. Fans say it’s the best they have tasted. Sandwiches come with the classic casual sides: chips and a pickle spear, dressed with lettuce, tomato and mayo.
Rickey has added some new menu items in the Bodega location. Tapas fans are enjoying the flavors of the Dollar Taco, the 3-to-an- order Cheese Burger Sliders and the Shrimp Salad Rolls (boiled shrimp mixed with Cajun dressing), also three to an order. French Pizza Bread, Wings of Fire and Chili Cheese Nachos round out the bites.
Soon, the outdoor eating space will be expanded. The addition of a large balcony in the rear of the building will cover the bricked courtyard. Look for Rickey to be happily minding the new brick oven and grill there that will be expanding his kitchen – and the delicious possibilities.
Parrot Head Bar and Grill
Bodega
111 Court Street
228-363-1290
Bar & Grill hours: Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to closing
Closed Monday-Tuesday