The Best Place to Eat in Mandeville, Louisiana

On a recent trip to New Orleans, my brother and his sweet wife treated my family and me to lunch at one of their favorite restaurants, Rips On The Lake.

Located north of The Big Easy in Mandeville, Louisiana, Rips overlooks Lake Pontchartrain and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The sky was a deep shade of blue and a few white puffy clouds floated by - it was a perfect day for us to dine al fresco on the deck.

The friendly waiter came to our table and took our drink order. My brother ordered us some fried green tomatoes. I have eaten them in the past, but never like they were served at Rips. A creamy sauce with little shrimp smothered the crispy tomatoes which had been fried to perfection. Would I order this again or recommend it? Yes!

Fried Green Tomatoes - topped with boiled shrimp and remoulade.

My brother ordered soup and salad. Because I did not try them, I cannot attest to them, but here are a couple of pictures of his meal:

Crab & Brie Soup

Roslyn's New Spinach Salad

My husband already had ideas of eating crawfish while we were in Louisiana. He ordered Fried Catfish with Crawfish Étouffée. While I was eating my lunch, he let me have a bite and I was blown away by how delicious it was. In fact, he had a little bit left over at the end of his meal and I finished it off.

Rips On the Lake in Mandeville, Louisiana

Catfish with Crawfish Étouffée

My sister-in-law also ordered fried catfish, but had hers with fried oysters. (Sorry, but I like to stay away from oysters.) Look how beautifully plated her lunch was:

Catfish with Fried Oysters and Bordelaise Sauce

My son - well, he is not like normal kids. He took a walk on the wild side and ordered Turtle Soup. He loved it and devoured it, not leaving a drop.

Turtle Soup

I felt like it would only be proper for me to order gumbo while in Louisiana. I, too, left not a single drop.

Gumbo

And if all of that was not enough, my brother ordered us bread pudding to top it all off. BREAD PUDDING.

Bread Pudding

We finished, the waiter only had empty plates and bowls to pick up. It was the best meal that I had while in the New Orleans area.

About Rips

Rips On The Lake was originally founded nearly 80 years ago. It was gutted after Hurricane Katrina. It was rebuilt on 17-foot tall pilings and reopened in October 2006. The front porch accommodates 70 people and is the perfect spot for al fresco dining. To reach the restaurant, you can take either the stairs up the front or the elevator.

Roslyn and Clay Prieto are the owners and there is a good chance you will see them there. Roslyn is the chef and has created the recipes that you see on the menu. I was lucky enough to be able to meet Roslyn, who is the epitome of Louisiana charm.

Tile flooring inside Rips.

After eating at Rips, I recommend taking a nice stroll along the lakefront right across the street or a trip to the French Quarter to burn off a few of the calories.