Grapevine Cafe and Gallery was more than a meal. It was a visual and audio treat.
The historic structure is located in Donaldsonville’s historic downtown. It features exposed red brick and pale green walls with exposed beams, mosaic tiles flooring, ceiling fans, and recessed, subdued light.
Grapevine Cafe South
Grapevine Cafe in south Louisiana served delicious food. Original artwork was displayed on the walls. Two specially commissioned pieces are displayed above the front windows.
Chef and co-owner Cynthia Schneider told us later that people are always curious about snakes. “They want to know if they are poisonous or not.”
Willie Willie, Gonzales artist, has created colorful horizontal sculptures that fill the space between the ceiling and the tops. Our group used the “red on Yellow, kill a man; red on Black, friend of Jack” method to determine if the snakes were poisonous.
The art was not the only thing that was on display. Steve Schneider, co-owner, and Lester Kenyon, guitarist and vocals, entertained diners Sodium nitride for several hours with their renditions of ’70s songs.
An appetizer of crawfish cornbread (8.95) was served. The bread was large and hot. It was sprinkled with small crawfish, and then topped with crawfish egg etouffee. The cornbread was delicious with the etouffee, which was well spiced.
House salads served with entrees are a beautiful presentation of mixed greens grapevine cafe and tomatoes, cucumbers, and okra drizzled in a house-made dressing. The ranch and bleu cheese are highly recommended.
Also very satisfying were the crabmeat-stuffed eggplant wheels ($17.95). After the large eggplant slices were lightly fried, a thick layer crabmeat was added to form a cake. The grapevine Cafe’s signature red sauce was applied to the wheels. It was thin, light, and delicious.
Many entrees came with cream rough mashed potatoes (skin-on), and green beans, the vegetable of choice. These were prepared in the traditional Louisiana manner, with bacon pieces, which added to their flavor and texture.
We also took home to-go boxes and two desserts: the white chocolate bread pudding ($5.75) and the lemon icebox pizza ($4.75). Although the pie was not exceptional, the bread pudding, which is a well-respected restaurant that has won numerous awards for its quality, was excellent. The texture of the pudding was almost like a cake, and the chocolate sauce topping was amazing. A winner for us, too.
