With seating for 8, Kirkendoll’s Eats & Treats (280 E. 70th Street, Shreveport) may be Shreveport’s tiniest restaurant. But the dining room is the only small aspect of this friendly Cedar Grove eatery. The menu is big, with daily plate lunches, barbecue, and country cooking staples like beef tips, smothered pork chops, and pig feet. The restaurant’s personality is even bigger than the menu. During my recent visit, the customers and staff were warm and welcoming, and a jukebox filled the room with classic R&B.
I’d stopped by Kirkendoll’s Eats & Treats to try their new burger, “The Game Changer.” A Facebook post made on July 9 describes the burger like this:
“A 1/2 pound of Angus Beef, Hickory Smoked Brisket, Maplewood Bacon, Hand battered Onion Rings, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Pickles, all over Kirkendoll’s Special Sauce. All this for only $7.”
My question going in was: Is The Game Changer ($7) going to be a gigantic monstrosity of a burger that looks awesome on Instagram, but tastes like a mountain of mush? Or can a burger topped with smoked brisket, bacon, onion rings, and a half dozen other things be delicious? The Game Changer, I’m happy to report, is the latter: a big, unruly burger with awe-inspiring looks and the taste to match. For burger aficionados, it is a must-try.
But, to be honest, I may never order The Game Changer again. It would be difficult to order the same meal twice until I’ve had the chance to taste the oxtail, fried chicken livers, beef tips, honeybun cake, and everything else. Like a thumbnail-sized version of The Cotton Boll Grill across town, I could easily see Kirkendoll’s Eats & Treats becoming the kind of place where half of the city has memorized the daily specials by heart.
Something worth considering: Kirkendoll’s also serves great-looking homemade breakfast platters (see this post for details), and the restaurant would make a convenient breakfast stop for anyone commuting from South Shreveport.
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