When I asked Duc Duong, the friendly owner of Kim’s Seafood & Po’ Boy, to name his favorite thing about the restaurant’s new, second location at 4456 Youree Drive in Shreveport, he just gestured to the sprawling dining room. He’s right. It’s a big dining room, and – come crawfish season – it’s going to be an impressive sight to see it filled with diners. The huge parking lot, which wraps around the building, is also a great asset. But the outstanding po’ boys at Kim’s are the only reason I need to be excited about this new location.
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As has been documented in a story broadcast nationally on NPR, Duong and his family are former New Orleanians whose first restaurant, a po’ boy shop located in the Lower Ninth Ward, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Kim’s Seafood and Po’ Boy location in Bossier City has established a dedicated fan base with their simple but delicious versions of fried seafood platters, po’ boys, and seasonal boiled crawfish and crabs.
While Duong and his family are Vietnamese American, it warrants mention that you will not meet a man more dedicated to Louisiana and Gulf seafood. Duong’s family came to America as refugees when he was nine, and his father immediately found work in the Louisiana shrimp industry. Get him wound up about the perils of cheap, imported shrimp, and you’re likely to be stuck listening for a while. I only mention this because online reviews occasionally question the source of the seafood here. I would bet my right arm on it; the seafood served at Kim’s Seafood is Gulf seafood, with few exceptions (the snow crab clusters, for example).
Having said all of that, my favorite po’ boy here is the Patton’s Hot Sausage, made with several thin patties of Patton’s unmistakable sausage, dressed, and topped with melty American cheese. The crawfish eggrolls, which are seasonal, are killer. I, personally, have not enjoyed the gumbo or fried rice, but I know that others do. Whenever blue crabs are available, they’re fantastic here, as well. Beer and wine are served, and nothing goes better with a platter of boiled crawfish.
Not that long ago, there were far fewer spots for boiled crawfish in Shreveport-Bossier than there are today. Kim’s has been around for a while, but they’ve always been one of my top places for boiled crawfish, cold beer, and good company during crawfish season. Now, I guess Kim’s is two of my favorite places.
Read an article from Louisiana Life magazine about Kim’s Seafood and Po’ Boy.
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