REVIEW: Bear's Grill and Spirits (Take-Out)

550 Gause Blvd.
Slidell, LA

View the website

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Overall:
Service:	It was take-out!
Atmosphere:	It was take-out!
Food:
Price:

Pros: Good tasting roast beef and barbecue beef po-boys.
Cons: A little pricey for sandwiches.
Bottom Line: Good flavors, but the po-boys don’t travel well.

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We’ve heard nothing but good about Bear’s Grill and Spirits, so we decided to give their new location in Slidell a try (the original is in Mandeville). They especially have a reputation for really good roast beef po-boys, and that's what the Hippos were craving. Unfortunately, we weren't feeling well at the time, so we had to go with take-out over dining in. When we ordered, we were told that our food would be ready in 10-15 minutes, but it was coming out of the kitchen by the time we got there 5 minutes later. From our quick glance around, the restaurant itself was exactly what you would expect from a bar and grill – a casual atmosphere with TVs everywhere you look.

We ordered two small po-boys - one classic roast beef and one BBQ beef - both with sweet potato fries. The total came to about $25, which seemed a little steep for a couple of small po-boys and sides...we were expecting a little less than $20, especially since that price didn't include drinks or a tip. (The large po-boys will run you about $11 or $12 and don't include a side of fries.) By the time we got home 10-15 minutes later and opened the sandwiches, they were already soggy from all the juices in the meats. This was disappointing. Maybe we should have known better than to get roast beef po-boys for takeout, but hey, it sounded good at the time! The sweet potato fries were lukewarm, but at least they were not too mushy – they still had a slight bit of a crunch to them. The taste of the fries was good, but nothing too spectacular.

As for the flavors of the sandwiches, the classic roast beef po-boy was delicious. The meat was tender, well-seasoned, and not at all dried out like many roast beef sandwiches can be. Another plus was that po-boy had a very generous amount of meat on it. The soggy bread wasn't ideal, but the sandwich was great despite that.

The BBQ beef sandwich contained the same roast beef as the first sandwich, just with the addition of barbecue sauce. This sandwich, like the first, was loaded with meat. The barbecue sauce had a good flavor and wasn't greasy. There was also the perfect amount of sauce for the sandwich. The beef itself seemed like it may be a little dry, but the barbecue sauce made it difficult to tell and covered up any possible flaws in the meat. Between the soggy bread and the sauce, this sandwich had to be eaten with a fork and knife, which kind of takes the fun out of po-boys.

All in all, Bear’s delivered on flavor. The roast beef lived up to it's "world famous" status (as stated on the menu) and has us excited to try out a real dining-in experience there. We would not, however, recommend Bear's roast beef po-boys for takeout, unless you're into soggy, mushy sandwiches!