Very tricky footing when you first step in the side door, at the stairs leading up to Planters.

Awesome atmosphere and decor. It was pretty hot the evening we went, but there were large fans running on the balcony on the back of Planters so that helped for those wanted to take in the views. Our bartender was a super nice fellow.. tall, short beard, smiling from ear to ear with every upbeat word he said. This guy truly is a national treasure for the food service industry.

We arrived a bIt early to get drinks prior to our reservation at 7:45pm. Unfortunately, the existing party at our table lingered for a bit longer which delayed our seating until maybe 8:30pm. I think I know why.

The chef came out and chatted with us a least 2 or 3 times while we were having drinks at Planters, but the scene got stale the longer we waited.

They offered us some free apps while we waited which didn't come until we sat at about 8:30pm, so that was appreciated.

There were maybe 5 other tables scattered throughout the main ground floor dining area, all were much smaller than our party of ~16, and it felt like our drinks and entrée order taking was a bit more prolonged than it should have. If a party this large was problematic, it should've been tag teamed with a second person.

Food came, and my crawfish pasta's sauce was skinned over as if it was sitting in the window. It's a big party order, I get it. Flavor was very nice. The crawfish were incredibly small, possibly from frozen like you see in Costco, because the recent crop we've seen in the Little Rock (AR) area was enormous. So, a little odd for me. But very heavy with the sauce and noodles - I could barely eat half of a moderate sized portion of this very nice dish. Everyone else seemed to like their food.

Once we were done and chatting, I was able to better appreciate the woodwork on the ceiling and the general ambiance. It's very cozy.

For the price, not sure if we'll be back when visiting our niece at ULM. It was our first time in Monroe, so would be great for us to try other places.