About Palmettos

	(985) 643-0050 1901 Bayou Lane, Slidell La 70458
Welcome to the Palmettos about page. Nestled on beautiful Bayou Bonfouca in Slidell, Louisiana, Palmettos is a charming Acadian style restaurant serving Creole food in a relaxed waterfront setting.

	We invite you to visit Palmettos for a true Louisiana experience! Enjoy authentic Creole cuisine, Cajun dance lessons with a live Cajun band, cooking demonstrations, and bayou boat tours. Our charming Acadian style restaurant, nestled in a lush cypress marsh and surround by moss laden oak trees, is conveniently located 35 miles northeast of New Orleans in historic Old Towne Slidell. We have it all – great food and music, wildlife, birding, scenery, culture, history, and adventure!
	Besides managing Palmettos on the Bayou, Duffy Ramirez, lends a hand in the kitchen adding his own unique creations to the menu.
	Our celebrated menu includes Creole dishes created by Chef Kirk Dunbar. Some recipes are contemporary interpretations of classic Louisiana recipes and others are tried and true dishes that remain faithful to the Cajun Creole tradition. Our Sunday Cajun brunch features seafood gumbo, crawfish Etouffe, alligator sauce piquant, jambalaya, fried catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, and Bananas foster in addition to steak and eggs and omelets to order.
	Try Chef Kirk’s favorite crayfish omelet with sautéed mushrooms and scallions or grillades and grits!

	Palmettos sits on Bayou Bonfouca on the historic site of Robert’s Landing. In 1881 the original settlers of the area, French and Spanish Creoles and Choctaw Indians, caught the ferry at Robert’s Landing and sailed across Lake Ponchartrain to sell and trade their wares at the French Market in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter. Heritage Park (picture) is just up the bayou from Palmettos .
	Robert’s Landing, as well as the original train depot (picture) located directly in front of the current Palmettos, became a hub of commerce and activity leading to the establishment of the town of Slidell. By 1900 Slidell boasted a population of 1,129. Today Slidell's Old Towne Slidell is recovering from Katrina, restoring the charm and architecture of the original settlement.
	Surrounded by wildlife: In addition to being the neighbor of Heritage Park, a recreation area with children’s playground, walking/jogging trails, picnic benches, and boat launch, Palmettos is uniquely situated between three National Wildlife Refuges, all representative of the rich and varied wildlife and habitats of this coastal region.
	Just west of Slidell is the 13,000 acre Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge, one of the newest refuges in the country. According to the U.S. Wildlife Service, “The winding bayous thread their way through pine forests, cypress swamps, and fresh salt marshes on their way to the lake (Ponchartrain). Wood ducks, egrets, herons, and even the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and bald eagle can be spotted along the bayou banks.”
	To Palmettos south, between Slidell and New Orleans is the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge with 23,000 acres of fresh and brackish marshes. It is a haven for tens of thousands of waterfowl in the winter, as well as home to otters, alligators, and other wetland inhabitants.
	Just north of Palmettos is the 36,000 acre Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge located in the Pearl River basin. Deer, ducks, turkey, migrating songbirds, alligators, and many endangered creatures call this mix of swamp and hard wood forest home.

	In Louisiana, and in particular in the Slidell area, we are spoiled by a variety and depth of musical talent other areas of the country envy! We are proud to support and showcase local talent. Please sign up to receive our weekly emails and monthly mailed calendars for details on music and food specials.
	Our good friend, Clarence Gatemouth Brown was an internationally known musical pioneer (both a Grammy recipient and inductee to the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame) and played regularly at Palmettos. Before Gate passed on shortly after Katrina, we named our new party room “Gate’s Bayou room and named his favorite catfish dish after him!
	On Fridays, Palmettos is proud to host the jazz duo, “Just the Two of Us” with organ player, John Brinson, and saxophonist, Kirk Ford. Kirk is an inductee in the Jazz Hall of Fame and has played with the Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, the Four Tops, and New Orleans’s own Irma Thomas and Ernie K-Doe. When Kirk isn’t wowing the crowds at Palmettos he teaches music in the New Orleans Public Schools. John, who served in the Air Force and played in the Air Force Band, has traveled extensively in the Far East and even starred in two movies while there. He has played with Sam and Dave, Wayne Newton, Meatloaf, and several national gospel groups.
	Chris Cortez plays solo frequently with his band, Planet X on Saturday nights. Chris and his band are very accomplished musicians. Playing classic rock with a twist, the band members have all distinguished themselves on the national stage as recording artists and back up musicians for some of the biggest names in the music business (Bo Diddley, Lou Rawls, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ron Wood, Joe Walsh, and Neil Young among others). They regularly perform together in the Louisiana and Mississippi casinos and clubs. Chris Cortez, guitar and vocals, Harrell "Boomer" Bosarge on drums, David Hyde on bass, and Sam Bruton on keyboards.
	Palmettos (featured in the October 2004 issue of Southern Living is the perfect setting for weddings or other private events! (Picture of wedding) If you’re planning a party for family, friends, or employees, please contact us. We have several different party packages available that can accommodate private parties as small as 25 or as large as 250
	Or join us any weeknight or weekend evening for a delightful dining experience. Please sign up for our update list to receive weekly emails and/or our monthly mailed calendar of events for dining and music specials.

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