The soul food center of the Garden District has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Known for pancake breakfasts on weekends and plate lunches of slow-cooked pot roast and white beans over rice, Zeeland Street Market might not be your go-to for a fresh salad—but the kitchen’s offering of colorful salads begs a second look.
As always, meal service at Zeeland Street makes you feel right at home as soon as you walk through the door. Surrounded by the old porch swing-style wooden booths and a dozen chattering diners, when the cashier takes your order and calls you “baby,” it’s hard not to feel like part of the family, even though I’m forgoing Mama’s Pot Roast for a salad.
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For lunch, I sampled the seared tuna salad, made with fresh mixed greens and piled with six ounces of seared yellowfin tuna, grapefruit, avocado, blue cheese and walnuts, all tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette. Mixing sweet, tart, rich and refreshing, this complex salad adds some much-needed brightness and texture to the lunch break monotony.
A strong salad selection isn’t the only surprise Zeeland is bringing to the neighborhood. Following the closure of Chelsea’s Cafe, Zeeland has stepped up to help fill the block’s nighttime void by recently extending hours, making renovations and obtaining a liquor license.
Earlier this month, Daily Report reported that owner Stephanie Phares had undertaken construction at the restaurant to add a bar, new interior floors and fixtures and a deck to broaden its appeal in the neighborhood. After completion this summer, Zeeland will also add brunch and dinner service and expand its menu.
Phares is also considering a to-go option to cater to families in the area.
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“I get a lot of moms telling me that by Wednesday and Thursday they need help on dinner, so I have decided to come up with a four-person to-go order,” she told Daily Report. “You can eat just like you’re at home.”
Read 225‘s interview with Phares from the December 2015 issue.
Fast Break is a 225 Dine series that celebrates lunch in Baton Rouge. Follow along as we tour different lunch spots around the city.