Editor's Note: The Dining Duo is a foodie couple who enjoys eating out and sampling local Mid-South cuisine. To keep the reviews impartial and to maintain their anonymity, their identities are hidden behind their favorite comic book heroes.
Lucky Dog Music Hall and Bar
6460 Silo Square Lane
Southaven, Mississippi
(662) 510-8332
2 prisoners
I'm a fan of live music. Before things got this dangerous on Beale Street, I was at Alfred's and Blues City, listening to great music by all my favorites like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and early rock. I was listening to my favorite local band playing music. “n' Roll” music made Memphis famous. I have to admit I was excited when I heard there was going to be a music room at Silo Square. And it was pretty much the icing on the cake when it was announced that there would be a menu with Cajun and seafood flavors.
I was so excited when the location opened in Silo last month. I had been wanting to try the place but had a few things in front of it on my list and to be honest, I wasn't sold on the dining duo. They were willing to try the place just to see what it was like, but weren't too keen on the menu, especially when they saw the prices. Unfortunately, Lucky Dog might be his second worst dining experience ever for his duo.
The Joker is our in-house Cajun. He's always aiming for a good po-boy. The Clown Prince of Crime ordered the shrimp po-boy ($15). The New Orleans-style sandwich was supposed to come with fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and remoulade sauce on Gambino bread. After Joker said that the place looked great and felt very relaxing, it didn't take long for him to lose his smile when his sandwich arrived. The lettuce was wilted and stale. There was no remoulade sauce. And there were only 5 shrimp – yes, 5 – in the po' boy. “Most of the shrimp po-boys I've ever had have so much shrimp that it falls off the bun when you take a bite. But this one is different,” Joker said. “So how can you serve a shrimp po'boy without remoulade sauce?” Joker thought the sandwich had no taste. He had to take out a packet of Freddy's fry sauce to add flavor to it. He thought his fries were different, but undercooked. “Maybe next time you'll give me a tip,” Joker said. “But there probably won't be a next time.'' He gives the shrimp po boy at Lucky Dog One Paw. “This was the worst shrimp po' boy I've ever had,” he said. “The only reason I gave bread once was the bread. It was toasted. It was buttered. But it wasn't Gambino's.”
Livewire wasn't that hungry because Alfred, his always faithful butler, brought him something filling for breakfast. She doesn't like seafood at all thanks to food allergies, and she absolutely refused to pay $17 for the DR Cattle Co. Dog House Burger. But in addition to being an expert on Dining Her Duo's Buffalo and Her Chicken, she's also a macaroni and cheese connoisseur. So she wanted to be part of the team and ordered a side of Three Cheese Her Mac ($5). She was expecting something different, but she thought it tasted like Kentucky Fried Chicken mac and cheese instead. “It was pretty cheesy stuff,” the supervillain said. “I couldn't tell the three cheeses apart. I could have mixed them all together. But to me, it was just macaroni and cheese.” Livewire thought it was just “meh.” Ta. It's not bad, but it's not great either. “It didn’t have much flavor,” she said. Live Wire gives her two captives to Lucky Dog.
White Rabbit also had a “so-so” experience eating at Lucky Dog. She ordered the lobster bisque ($9), which also wasn't overwhelming. It was nice, rich and creamy, with lots of lobster – they don't skimp on lobster, that's for sure – but she thought it was a bit bland. “It was thick with a lot of lobster in it,” she said. “I don't like my bisque to be soupy. It was delicious, but honestly, I think you can buy a better lobster bisque at Walmart.” But what really made her ears stand out was how good the lobster bisque was. It wasn't the meaning, but the fact that it didn't have Hushpuppies in it. She says on the menu it comes with hushpuppies. Perhaps hushpuppies only come with a bowl of lobster bisque, but the menu doesn't say so. “I was very disappointed,” the villain said. “I was really looking forward to them. There was nothing falling apart in the lobster bisque.” She also gave Lucky Dog two captives.
I think we had the best experience in our small group. I couldn't decide between DR Cattle Co.'s Dog House Burger or Jerk Chicken Sandwich. I don't usually order grilled food, but after looking at the menu description, I was recommended the Jerk Chicken Sandwich ($15). The menu states that the chicken comes from DR Cattle Co., which is locally sourced from Dyersburg, Tennessee. So I'm glad that they use locally sourced ingredients. The menu also says the chicken is sprinkled with Walker's Wood Jerk seasoning and topped with homemade aioli. Well, you wouldn't know it by just eating a little bit. I think we over-promised and under-delivered here. The chicken breast itself was a decent size and had a grilled charred taste, which I liked on the sweet sourdough bread. But to be honest, I couldn't really taste the Walker's Wood Jerk flavor at all, and I could hardly taste the garlic aioli either. I liked the Doghouse Seasoned Sidewinder fries, but again, I could see the seasoning but couldn't taste it. And like Joker said, they were definitely undercooked. I was also very disgusted by the wilted lettuce.
The jerk chicken sandwich wasn't a complete failure, but I expected something better from Lucky Dog. I'm going to give this expedition three prisoners and blame it on growing pains. But the kitchen should be fixed. Unlike his colleagues, DR Cattle Co.'s Dog House Burger and catfish chips and coconut shrimp appetizer look so delicious that we'll definitely be back.
Overall, Lucky Dog was a huge failure for us. The overall concept, including design, decoration, and decking, has been highly praised. I haven't gone to listen to the music yet, so I can't give an opinion yet. There are several members of the Bat Family that I would like to bring to Lucky Dog. But the food needs to get better for me to keep coming back.
2 out of 5 prisoners
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