Gallagher's on Front Street — Restaurant in Slidell

Some meals feed you. Some meals fill you. But every now and then, a meal grabs you by the taste buds, smacks you across the face with flavor, and makes you say, "Lawd have mercy, this is what eating in Louisiana is all about." That was our night at Gallagher's in Slidell.

We started like locals do: I had the chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, while my grandmother went straight for the turtle soup. Both bowls hit the table with the kind of depth you only get when somebody's been stirring that pot with love, patience, and a wooden spoon seasoned by a hundred Sundays. That gumbo had the holy trinity preaching, and that turtle soup could have converted a non-believer.

Then came the knockout round. For me: an 11 oz filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes. For my grandmother: pampano fish with mirliton stuffing. Now listen, I've had a lot of steaks in my life. But this filet? This filet was different. This filet was butter-kissed, seared on a 500-degree plate, and cooked so perfectly it practically sang "When the Saints Go Marching In" with every bite. Melt-in-your-mouth good, eyes-roll-back-in-your-head good. I would've licked the plate clean, but with 500 degrees of molten butter, I'd have left Gallagher's looking like a crawfish boil accident victim. Worth it? Maybe.

The pampano and mirliton stuffing? Out. Of. This. World. Seasoned like somebody's MawMaw was back there in the kitchen making sure you didn't leave without remembering what real Louisiana food is supposed to taste like.

And then there was Desiree Faith. Let me be clear: the food at Gallagher's was phenomenal, but she was the reason the night became unforgettable. Desiree doesn't just serve. She elevates. She embodies. She executes at a level that turns dinner into an experience and guests into family.

Serving, when it's done with this much purpose and precision, is not a job. It's a calling. And Desiree is the benchmark. The gold standard. The one every other server in Louisiana should be taking notes from. She read the table like a seasoned conductor leading an orchestra. Every move, every check-in, perfectly timed. She anticipated needs before they became requests, delivered everything with warmth and grace, and carried herself with the kind of presence that makes you feel cared for, seen, and valued.

She wasn't just part of the meal. She was the heart of it. Exceptional doesn't even begin to describe it. She made such an impression on me that when the check was signed and the plates cleared, I hugged her. That is the kind of impact she leaves. Gallagher's should be proud beyond words to have her. She is not just a rock star, she is the lighthouse, the benchmark, the living definition of impeccable service.

Gallagher's isn't just a restaurant. It's a front-row ticket to Louisiana flavor, hospitality, and soul. You leave full, you leave happy, and you leave knowing you've just been part of...

So here was my rather unpleasant experience with Gallagher's that my wife and I had the misfortune of encountering on 20MAR2021. We had made dinner reservations for this restaurant that were set up several weeks in advance for our rare date nights, as we are both busy with our jobs and family. Our table was ready as promised, but that's where things begin to go downhill fast.

We ordered calamari as our appetizer, which was very tasty, but when we ordered our entrees (blackened fish with potatoes, 14oz bone-in pork chop with pepper jelly, and a side dish of Brussel sprouts), it went straight to h3ll. We waited nearly 80 minutes between our order being taken and receiving our food (yes, y'all read that right, 80 flipping minutes!) and during that time our waitress barely came by to see if we needed anything (such as a alcoholic beverage to calm our nerves and growling stomachs). And when the food came out after what seemed like an eternity (because when you're hungry, it should not take 80 minutes for a main course to arrive), the food was not good, as summarized below:

Blackened fish with potatoes: overcooked and dry with the appearance of being burnt (I guess in this establishment's eyes, blackened does not represent seasoning but level of char on the food) and the potatoes were bland (is it too much to ask to use some sort of flavor if you're paying $25 for an entrée?). Bone-in pork chop with pepper jelly: came out piping hot and was cooked to a good temp but lacked any defining flavor other than the pepper jelly that was practically slathered over the meat. For $24 I expected a bit more, and that made me sad. Brussel sprouts: by far the worst I've ever had at a fine dining establishment. Totally unseasoned and just not satiating. I've had better cooked Brussel sprouts on a Navy warship floating in the middle of the Atlantic that hasn't had a resupply via Underway Replenishment in over a month.

For the price that we paid for a special date night out coupled with the food that was beyond subpar I was extremely displeased to say the least. The general impression that I received is that this establishment caters to alot of the "old money" in the area that, for some reason, feels they are too good to eat at other places that may seem a bit more "blue collar" and that if they're not paying high prices for the food, they won't eat there, even if the food is downright lacking in flavor or not properly cooked (and by that I mean overcooked) This restaurant came recommended by many of our friends in the Greater New Orleans area, so for them to say it's good when we experienced the total opposite makes me question people's credibility.

I don't know if we came on an off night but I will not be returning to this...

Knowing we were coming in with a party of 5, we called ahead to make a reservation. The gentleman on the phone was very polite, and we made a reservation for 8 PM. We arrived right on time and had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated, which was fine - we were told guests were just lingering a bit longer than usual, which is completely understandable. We waited an additional 10 minutes after being seated to receive water glasses (for 4 out of 5 members of our party) and menus (for all 5 of us), which were not filled with water until several more minutes had passed.

The waiter we had was very cold to us and never offered a wine menu. He was incredibly inattentive, despite only having 1-2 other tables for the duration of our experience. For the vast majority of our nearly 2-hour experience, he did not speak to us. Everything took a long, long time, including the complimentary bread and butter, the salads, and especially the meal itself (over an hour from being seated at our table). The plating of the food was unimpressive at best and baffling at worst, including one salad at our table being served on a cheap-looking, round clear glass plate that visibly did not match the rest of the dishes in service.

Considering the price point for the restaurant ($8 for meager salads, $18 for our cheapest entree, and $8 sides a la carte), which resulted in a total check of nearly $200 for our table before tip, we were all extremely disappointed in the experience. We will not be returning to this restaurant, nor can we in good conscience recommend anyone else try it either. The taste of the food was, mostly though with exceptions, good, but the plating was sloppy and/or and there were elements of many dishes that were off in some way or another. Overall, there are many restaurants in Slidell with a much lower cost and a much more attentive waitstaff where food that is just as tasty (or better) can be acquired in a much more reasonable time frame.

As for meeting a chef or a manager... not a thing, even on a Saturday night.

I sincerely hope, based on the reviews we read that led us to walking through the doors of this restaurant, that our experience was a huge fluke. However, based on a good, long period of observing other tables around us, I can't personally claim to have any...