I did not expect to find a little piece of New Orleans in downtown Lakeland, Florida, but that I what I found with Harry’s. I was given a big “Crescent City” welcome when I walked through the door. I took a seat at the bar which was clearly the hot spot.
I started off with one of Harry’s signature cocktails. They had several options that sounded good but I went for the “Big Easy”. It was a combination of spiced rum, whiskey, amaretto, banana liquor, Midori, and pineapple juice. It was sweet and the flavors of banana and pineapple are what shinned through.
I glanced over the entire menu and they had all the classic dishes you would find in New Orleans: gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish Étouffée. I saw the boudin balls and knew I had to start with these. For those not familiar with this dish, boudin balls are ground sausage, rice, and Cajun seasonings rolled up in breadcrumbs and fried. These were delicious. The Cajun spice was perfect; they had nice heat that was calmed with the homemade remoulade dipping sauce.
I was going to get another traditional dish, however, I changed my mind when I read about the Crab and Eggplant Napoleon on the menu. I have never seen this dish before. The slices of eggplant were covered in panko breadcrumbs and layered with fresh lump crabmeat. Then it was topped with a creamy parmesan basil sauce.
Each component was perfect on their own. The eggplant was thinly sliced and only dusted with the breadcrumbs so that there was a slight crunch. The crabmeat was sweet and moist, extremely fresh. Now to combine both with that decadent cream sauce, the taste was magnificent. Because of the cream sauce the dish is a little rich, so I would recommend sharing this with someone.
The other callout that I had to make about Harry’s is their fresh, homemade bread. It is light and fluffy on the inside with a crispy crust. It comes out hot which makes it tasty. Be sure to try their garlic butter too. Smother the butter on the bread while it is still hot. You will not be disappointed.
Harry’s has a few locations around central Florida. Find a location at www.hookedonharrys.com
Enjoy!
T
