Diners discover good cooking at Ponchatoula’s Mi Patio
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Aside from a burger joint or two, Ponchatoula was devoid of restaurants when I was growing up there in the ’60s and ’70s. My family laughs when I tell them we had to go to Hammond (the next town to the north) just to get a bucket of chicken. So it’s a real treat when I learn that yet another restaurant has popped up in my now booming hometown, as many have in recent years.
We made our first trip to Mi Patio on a recent Friday night. The building in which it’s housed, however, is quite familiar. It’s had many incarnations over the years, from steak house to reception hall. The cavernous restaurant has a main dining room downstairs, with some seating upstairs overlooking the lower floor. What was once the stage area is now a massive bar on the building’s opposite end. The wall colors, deep gold and orange, and the rest of the décor speak to a south-of-the-border theme without overdoing it.
The open-air feeling of the structure would be a positive were it for better acoustics. As it was, we had difficulty carrying on a normal conversation because of the noise level in the filled room. Next time, if weather permits, we might opt to dine outside on the patio.
We started things off with a chorizo fondeaux appetizer ($5.25). Bits of spicy chorizo (Mexican sausage) were stirred into a bowl of warm nacho cheese dip. Flour tortillas were provided for tearing and dipping. This dip, with a touch of a fiery kick, was delicious and a hit all around the table, including with the kids.
Mi Patio’s menu is extensive, from fajitas, salads and vegetarian dishes, to pastas, dinner plates and children’s selections.
I tried the wheat burrito ($7.50). The wheat factor added a little more texture to the large, well-stuffed burrito, which was packed with small chunks of grilled chicken, refried beans, romaine lettuce, cheese and avocado. On top were pico de gallo and cheese sauce. All of the elements blending together nicely in this one and the chicken was tender and nicely seasoned.
The tamal Mexicano plate ($7.75) featured one hot tamale with enchilada sauce, one taquito and one chili relleno topped with nacho cheese dip. All three items were generously sized and their taste satisfying, with the exception of the hot tamale, which was on the bland side.
The Mexican grill ($11.75) tossed thin slices of grilled steak with sautéed onions. All were sprinkled with shredded cheese. On the side were a bowl of Mexican cowboy’s bean soup and flour tortillas. The steak was grilled to tenderness, its robust flavor complemented by the onions. The hearty bean soup also had a kick, thanks to bits of chorizo and cilantro. Beans and bacon were mixed in as well.
The chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas ($11.75) made a colorful display, with brightly hued bell peppers sautéed with onions and tossed in with the grilled items and tomatoes. With it to help fill the three flour tortillas were shredded lettuce, chunky pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. This dish also arrived with refried beans and Spanish rice. The beans were creamy and cheesy and the rice moist, fluffy and flavorful.
The Mi Patio pasta ($8.50) was a hit with our younger daughter. Strips of chicken, grilled but still moist, sat atop a plentiful amount of fettuccine tossed with yellow corn and covered in a spicy cream sauce. Quite tasty, rich and filling, there was plenty left over for a to-go box.
For dessert, we sampled the sopapillas and the strawberry flan cake (after all, this is Ponchatoula). The half-dozen fried sopapillas ($3.70) were dusted with cinnamon, drizzled with honey and topped off with whipped cream and a cherry. The flan cake ($3.70) featured a layer of moist strawberry cake on the bottom and a layer of creamy flan on top, also finished off with whipped cream and a cherry. Both were delightful.
There were a couple other references to Ponchatoula on the menu in the forms of Greenwave nachos and ’Toula steak. Maybe next time.
We made our first trip to Mi Patio on a recent Friday night. The building in which it’s housed, however, is quite familiar. It’s had many incarnations over the years, from steak house to reception hall. The cavernous restaurant has a main dining room downstairs, with some seating upstairs overlooking the lower floor. What was once the stage area is now a massive bar on the building’s opposite end. The wall colors, deep gold and orange, and the rest of the décor speak to a south-of-the-border theme without overdoing it.
The open-air feeling of the structure would be a positive were it for better acoustics. As it was, we had difficulty carrying on a normal conversation because of the noise level in the filled room. Next time, if weather permits, we might opt to dine outside on the patio.
We started things off with a chorizo fondeaux appetizer ($5.25). Bits of spicy chorizo (Mexican sausage) were stirred into a bowl of warm nacho cheese dip. Flour tortillas were provided for tearing and dipping. This dip, with a touch of a fiery kick, was delicious and a hit all around the table, including with the kids.
Mi Patio’s menu is extensive, from fajitas, salads and vegetarian dishes, to pastas, dinner plates and children’s selections.
I tried the wheat burrito ($7.50). The wheat factor added a little more texture to the large, well-stuffed burrito, which was packed with small chunks of grilled chicken, refried beans, romaine lettuce, cheese and avocado. On top were pico de gallo and cheese sauce. All of the elements blending together nicely in this one and the chicken was tender and nicely seasoned.
The tamal Mexicano plate ($7.75) featured one hot tamale with enchilada sauce, one taquito and one chili relleno topped with nacho cheese dip. All three items were generously sized and their taste satisfying, with the exception of the hot tamale, which was on the bland side.
The Mexican grill ($11.75) tossed thin slices of grilled steak with sautéed onions. All were sprinkled with shredded cheese. On the side were a bowl of Mexican cowboy’s bean soup and flour tortillas. The steak was grilled to tenderness, its robust flavor complemented by the onions. The hearty bean soup also had a kick, thanks to bits of chorizo and cilantro. Beans and bacon were mixed in as well.
The chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas ($11.75) made a colorful display, with brightly hued bell peppers sautéed with onions and tossed in with the grilled items and tomatoes. With it to help fill the three flour tortillas were shredded lettuce, chunky pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. This dish also arrived with refried beans and Spanish rice. The beans were creamy and cheesy and the rice moist, fluffy and flavorful.
The Mi Patio pasta ($8.50) was a hit with our younger daughter. Strips of chicken, grilled but still moist, sat atop a plentiful amount of fettuccine tossed with yellow corn and covered in a spicy cream sauce. Quite tasty, rich and filling, there was plenty left over for a to-go box.
For dessert, we sampled the sopapillas and the strawberry flan cake (after all, this is Ponchatoula). The half-dozen fried sopapillas ($3.70) were dusted with cinnamon, drizzled with honey and topped off with whipped cream and a cherry. The flan cake ($3.70) featured a layer of moist strawberry cake on the bottom and a layer of creamy flan on top, also finished off with whipped cream and a cherry. Both were delightful.
There were a couple other references to Ponchatoula on the menu in the forms of Greenwave nachos and ’Toula steak. Maybe next time.
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