Shining in Sunshine

Located on River Road (Highway 75), 3 miles south of Gardere Lane and a quarter mile north of Bayou Paul Lane

Open: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Thursday, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Major credit cards accepted

(225) 642-9999

robertosrestaurant.net

It’s not that far. Really.

That’s what Roberto Sandoval said six years ago when he moved from downtown Baton Rouge to an old general store in Sunshine. Apparently the message got through because today Roberto’s River Road Restaurant has secured a firm spot among beloved rural road haunts.

This time of year, it’s pitch black when you turn off Nicholson Drive near Bayou Paul and head back north on River Road. There it is, rickety and charming, with all the cache of trip-worthy bellwethers like Varnedoe’s in St. Francisville or Café des Amis in Breaux

Bridge. At Roberto’s, the crowds hum and the plates clang because amid all that tongue-and-groove cypress and yard sale eclecticism, there’s some fine food going on.

By fine, we’re not talking about white tablecloths or highbrow new American fare. This is let-your-hair-down fine: deftly fried seafood; fragrant, roasted meats; and sturdy French Creole with a tiny bit of Latin. Sandoval’s lengthy career at Baton Rouge restaurants like Mike Anderson’s, Mansur’s and Juban’s emerges throughout the menu. To wit: A hurt-yourself seven-item fried seafood platter is on one end of the spectrum, while berry-glazed roast duck with mashed sweet potatoes is on the other.

And plentiful seafood choices include items like étouffée-smothered fried catfish, seafood pasta primavera and a fresh catch of the day topped with sautéed shrimp, almonds and Hollandaise sauce.

At dinner, we started with the noteworthy eggplant crab cakes ($9).

Here, soft, fine eggplant supplants breadcrumbs as the main binder for crabmeat. The flat patties are set in beurre blanc and topped with dill Hollandaise, creating super-rich, ever-so-crispy bites. The brothy baked oysters Laneaux, tiny enough to sit in mushroom caps, didn’t offer much in the way of flavor ($9). But the nicely done River Road shrimp, sautéed with peppers and onions tossed in brandy butter and served in a French bread bowl were aromatic and surprisingly spicy ($9).

That night’s stuffed catch of the day, flounder, proved a nice choice ($20). The fish’s texture was juicy and flaky, and the accompanying white wine and shallot butter sauce was elegant. The only drawback was that the flavor of crawfish overpowered the crab and shrimp in the seafood stuffing.

We also loved the in-your-face flavors of the juicy, rosemary-infused pork tenderloin topped with apple brandy demi-glace. Homey mashed potatoes were a perfect belt-loosening, wintry side dish, the kind that screams to have meat dragged through it ($16). Finally, the Marsala-tossed crab, shrimp and crawfish in puff pastry (the seafood vol au vent) was sumptuous and memorable ($20).

For dessert, Roberto’s features bread pudding with rum sauce that’s loosely formed, not tightly packed, which is the best kind, if you ask me, but the real stand out among desserts is the righteous flan ($4, $5). Crčme caramels can feel too gelatinous, but this one is soft, creamy and mellow.

At lunch, Roberto’s draws crowds of nearby plant employees and Baton Rougeans who remember the flaky po-boys from Roberto’s on Third. The bread is still shipped daily from a Lafayette baker, but this time you can order it stuffed with everything from fried oysters, crawfish, shrimp or catfish, to barbecued roast pork, marinated chicken or hot roast beef. Lunch is also the only time you can order the restaurant’s signature sweet potato chips.

If Roberto’s sounds date-worthy at night, it is. Just don’t make the mistake of schlepping your honey down here for a mid-week dinner.

While lunch is served Monday through Friday, dinner is featured Thursday through Saturday only.