Each week, the Rapides Parish Journal’s always-hungry reporter visits a different restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS
In the mood for a good burger, I invited a friend to join me for lunch at the MacArthur Drive location of Darrell’s Restaurant. The restaurant itself is nothing special to look at but the employees are very friendly. In addition to burgers and other sandwiches, Darrell’s also offers fried chicken and seafood.
On this particular day, Darrell’s appeared to be having a really good lunch crowd as the parking lot was full and there was a steady line in the drive-through. I ordered the hamburger minus the onions and decided to get a side of mashed potatoes instead of fries. My friend settled on the ham and cheese sandwich and seasoned fries. We did not have to wait very long for our food but when it arrived, we were surprised to see that the staff had gotten the order wrong. My hamburger came fully dressed, including the onions. Fortunately, they were sliced onions so they were easy to take off. Unfortunately, the burger was lukewarm, which surprised me since Darrell’s is known for its burgers. I enjoyed the mashed potatoes, especially since they came with brown gravy as I am not a big fan of white gravy.
Instead of the ham sandwich that my friend ordered, he was given a BLT. I found the mix-up funny since, no matter where we go, he always orders a BLT and I was surprised when he chose the ham & cheese sandwich instead. He was happy to report that the sandwich tasted just as good as it looked so he was not going to complain about the mix-up. His fries were well-seasoned and hot.
Darrell’s offers milkshakes, ice cream and an apple fritter on its dessert menu. Although I did not get one on this visit, I highly recommend the chocolate milkshake.
For this particular visit, I give Darrell’s Restaurant two forks. The lukewarm burger really was disappointing. On previous visits, Darrell’s would have garnered three forks. In today’s economy, Darrell’s is still a budget-friendly option for families. The total for our order was $22.50, which included drinks for both of us and tax. If you want to order catfish or the 1/2 fish & shrimp, be prepared to spend between $12.99 – 16.99, which is not bad considering that you get hush puppies and one side with your order.
Location: 1200 MacArthur Dr., Alexandria, Louisiana
Price: $20-$40 – Diner
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit? Email: Anon E. Muss
1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
