Why the growing neighborhood of Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn don't have more food options is a mystery. One would think that the cheap rents, verdant streets, and close proximity to freeways and Metroparks would have sown the seeds of eateries up and down lengthy Memphis Avenue. With a few notable exceptions, that's not the case. Sources of food are to be found on the east end of Brooklyn, where I-480 meets Tiedeman Road and strip mall sprawl lives alongside the Plain Dealer's monstrous newspaper factory.  Here lie such places as Carrabas, Wild Ginger, and late-night favorite Steak 'n Shake, a hubcab's throw from the busy freeway.  These places, serving the Brooklyn communities, as well as Parma and Brookpark, now have a new member in their ranks, by the name of New Orleans Showboat.

 

Yes, you can start the "I'm On A Boat" jokes now; the tacky suburban parking lot feel doesn't help with the comedy. But think about it this way: how many places in town are even attempting to serve New Orleans-style food throughout the day? And how many of them have the ambition to offer live, Vegas-style entertainment complete with dinner packages? Those are tall orders in our town, but it seems that New Orleans Showboat's ambition is as big as its sprawling, family-style banquet hall. The scope of this entire operation—this must have been a Macaroni Grill or something before it became the Showboat—is actually rather daunting. Big spaces can seem a bit lonely for such down-home food. An examination of their lunch menu, however, alleviated those concerns while filling bellies with good Southern cooking.

 

While New Orleans Showboat might have trouble filling up when there are no live dinner performances (more on that in a bit), it's wisely chosen to offer as much food as possible at all times. Not unlike a cruiseship, really. Breakfast is served Monday through Friday, offering straight-up egg and pancake meals, all with the added twist of New Orleans beignet sticks and ever-popular andouille sausage on certain dishes. Dinners are served every day the Showboat is opened. Steak dinners start at $18.99; burger dinners are $9.99. The highlight is obviously on the New Orleans-themed dishes, such as shrimp and crab cakes with black bean salsa, cilantro sour cream and jalapeno sauce ($12.99); a build-your-own jambalaya option ($5.99), and other goodies like Cajun pan-seared ribeye with a tri-color potato-corn-tomato hash ($19.99) or the scallop paella that features risotto, chicken, Cajun sausage, shrimp and bacon ($20).  If you think the menu's exhaustive at the Showboat, you may be right.

 

Lunch is no slouch when it comes to options. The New Orleans Showboat Platter features fried oysters, chicken wings and rib tips with remoulade sauce for $14.99 and that's an appetizer. That probable mountain of food was passed over during our taste-testing in favor of a southern standard: a fried shrimp and catfish basket, served with sweet potato fries ($9.95). That essential staple of New Orleans grub, the po' boy sandwich, came full of fried oysters served with a side of regular fries. It's clear that Showboat is going for the subtle nuances of foodies; it's after big eaters, plain and simple. Yet the sizeable po' boy oysters had a full-bodied flavor, not unlike the big slab of catfish and thick shrimp. The spices weren't overwhelming, and nothing was overly fried. All seafood eaten tasted light and fresh, taking on a bit of zing with a choice of the house's chipotle mayo, tartar sauce or marinara sauce. Even the neon-colored sweet potato fries were filling, devoid of nasty greasiness. On the other hand, Showboat's regular fries were dull, and the Beignet sticks (deep fried donut sticks, essentially) got 86'd that day.

 

As if all that weren't enough, New Orleans Showboat offers "dinner and show" packages all weekend that run a little bit under $60 a person. That's nothin'. The Showboat tries to top 'em all with shows during lunchtime. Monday lunches run $5.99 all inclusive with Ronnie Fiorentino (we're assuming he's a singer). But Tuesday lunches feature "The Dancing Grandma," while Friday nights currently feature a Patrick Swayze Tribute Dance show. Yep. That's ridiculous, right? But also, after some jambalaya and some bourbon (the Showboat has a bar, of course!), you know you'll be singing along to those "Dirty Dancing" numbers.

 

And if that's not your thing, there's plenty of Cajun sausage and seafood to go around. In accord with their penchant for big food and a big space, New Orleans Showboat apparently wants to be the biggest name in family entertainment (think wedding reception, people) on Cleveland's southeastern side.