I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a crew as happy, friendly, and focused on a non-game day Saturday as I did at Drago’s last Saturday. That’s a good sign for a couple of reasons. First, they all expect to make good money on what is normally a not so busy shift. Second, they feel confident they will make that money without being hassled by customers or harangued by management. They’re confident there won’t be any problems with the food and that it will arrive in a quick and timely manner. They’re also on good terms with management. Just like any other team, restaurant staff is pretty easy to read. Signs of high morale should make you more confident things are going to go well when you visit. Now this Drago’s location is brand new, but believe me, it takes no time at all to trash a facility. The space was immaculate, and I was really intrigued and impressed with the lighting fixtures they employed throughout the store, and of course reassured by the heavy duty silverware, classic glassware and dinnerware, and linen napkins.
What I’m really looking for when I visit a place that’s just opened is evidence that they are going to deliver on the implied promises they’ve made that they know what they are doing and that they are better than everyone else. In this particular case, I wanted to scout them out and make sure this was a place that fell in between Ruth’s Chris and Red Lobster for getting an outstanding lobster dinner. Not to knock Ruth’s Chris or applaud Red Lobster, but I’m always looking for a place where it’s worth the money and the atmosphere is relaxed and casual and the space is comfortable and interesting. So I took the opportunity of this Saturday lunch at the bar to check out the basics. A half dozen raw oysters, a half dozen charbroiled, and a cup of seafood gumbo just to see how they did. I was more than pleased with the results of my experiment, and I’m confident that this is the place I will visit next when I’m ready to do a whole Maine lobster. But before that, I’d really like to check out their oyster tacos. I saw a plate of tacos when I was walking through the dining room, and they looked great. There are a lot of interesting items on the menu, and an obvious commitment to being the best seafood restaurant in Baton Rouge. Yes, there’s competition, but isn’t that good for all of us?
