As hard as times are currently around the country, there’s a couple located in Ragley, Louisiana that still believes in the American dream. This couple has been feeding their community for over 20 years—from roadside food trucks to catering for businesses and now to their very own place, which Doug and Jenifer built from the ground up. This establishment is the prime example of what resilience truly is. Only open now for a year, this place has become a staple in the community and is jammed-packed nightly. They are famous for their seafood, but their menu has a wide variety of mouth-watering options. If you are not a fan of seafood, do not let that deter you from visiting. They also have some of the best steaks around. The restaurant uses nothing but fresh ingredients. Everything you eat is made from scratch or a fresh catch. During our visit, Doug was able to give us a tour and a run down on how things are prepared. Doug and Jenifer spoiled us with numerous food options while we dined with them. We started with a crab and shrimp platter. Admittedly the 517 team has a bunch of seafood rookies, so our man Doug was on shell cracking duties. He literally went the extra mile to make sure we got the best parts. The man is a seafood scientist. He convinced me to try the Atchafalaya—which isn't an easy thing to say out loud. This dish made me think twice about my usual seafood aversion. It came blackened over a bed of rice with a gravy sauce and a fried roll. Somehow you read right over the words "FRIED ROLL", didn’t you? Let's just take a moment to understand that a fried roll is probably one of the most underrated sides of all time. To complete my meal, bread pudding is a must everywhere I visit in the south. Bread pudding is typically served with ice cream but not when you sit down for a meal created by Jenifer at T-Doug's. We were blessed to destroy their last piece of bread pudding which was topped with a special rum-sauce icing. There are no words for the taste bud spectacle that occurred within my mouth on this one. If I could describe the pudding, it would be four words: “Christmas in my mouth.”
This establishment is a 5 out of 5. We would return here anytime and we highly recommend. Whether it's a first date to a family night. This is the spot.
