Totally worth the wait

Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro was well worth the two-year wait.

Instead of having to crowd the restaurant on Friday, July 27, when the restaurant officially opens. I got to attend an invitation-only night today.

The restaurant, which is housed at The Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City, was packed. And though the wait staff and others are technically still in training, everyone was extremely professional and the food was very, very, very, good.

I loved it.

Attendees could only order from a pre-selected menu, meaning you could only order a few things from the restaurant's large menu. Everything was free. But if you knew somebody, as my date did (it seemed as if he knew almost everyone who worked there), you could order almost anything. And, we did.

For starters, we dinned on spinach and artichoke dip and salsa and I ordered a $10 Appletini (we had to pay for alcohol)--it was the best $10 I'd ever spent on a drink.

I ordered a catfish platter for my entree. It was so much food that I couldn't even finish half. The platter came with fried onions, french fries, toasted bread and of course, several pieces of catfish. Those who know me well, know that I never pass up a chance to eat fish or ribs. My date ordered an 8-ounce fillet with garlic mashed potatoes. I tasted his food and I love it. I'm going to order that exact meal the next time I go, although my friend said he wasn't sure about the steak since he had to use A-1 sauce.

He didn't know what he was talking about.

Our waiter, Matt, was so accommodating and friendly to us. He checked on us regularly and he never let my water or my friend's sweet tea dwindle. Ask to sit with him if you go.

For dessert, we both got cheesecake. Delicious cheesecake. What's the point of going to a cheesecake bistro and not getting the yummy stuff? I got a strawberry piece and he got a Snickers candy bar-flavored piece. We both enjoyed the other's pieces. They were so, so good.

I mean, that cheesecake was so good that we got to take some to-go.

Though we didn't have to pay for our food, Matt brought us our ticket to see what we racked up. Including the Appletini and dessert, we would have spent about $93--excluding the $23-tip we left for Matt.

I won't see you guys there on Friday because it'll be my birthday week (YAY!). But, because it is my special week I may go back to Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro at some point during the weekend.

See ya'll there.