Atchafalaya Restaurant At Idlewild

I brought my family and a friend to Atchafalaya at Idlewild. I made a reservation, so being seated took a very short time. There wasn't an empty table in the room. No special dress code. Some formal while others were wearing blue jeans. Nice cabin style indoor decor with high vaulted ceilings in the dining area. Dining area was large with a nice bar, but still not overly noisy. Dining area probably comfortably sat 75 people with plenty space. Nice mellow atmosphere. Wide price range of dishes, but nothing overly expensive. Everything from $5 kids meals to $25 beef tenderloin. The drinks came out. I had tea. The lemon was slimey, but it seems like this is the case more often than not, just about anywheres I eat. Because of this, I completely avoid resaurant lemons/limes. Once ordered, it was no time before the food was coming. I lost track of time, but it seemed like 5-10 minutes. I had fried onion rings with beef tenderloin medallions and a avocado/tomato salad (kinda like guacamole add tomatoes without the cumin flavor.) It also came with canteloupe. The combination of the marinated beef, salad, and onion rings made it a little salty, but the canteloupe helped balance that out. My girlfriend had the hamburger steak, green onions, and mashed potatoes. She liked it and I also took a bite of each and it was spot on. My daughter had a fried shrimp kids meal. She liked it, but said the fries were salty. I tried them and she was right. I asked for a 1/2 order of replacement fries without salt and they promptly hooked her up, with a smile. A friend also had the fried shrimp. Tried one and it was good. She agreed. For dessert, I had the white chocolate Creme Brule. I love Creme Brule and have had bad experiences with people taking a traditional dish like this and completely changing it with chocolate or other additions. I ordered it and to my delight, the white chocolate flavor was very delicate and subtle. The consistency was as creme brule should be. I ate the whole dish. Everyone else who had dessert had the cheese cake. The dessert had a strong cream cheese flavor. No one ate more than 1/2 because of how rich and cheesy it was. I suggest more fluff, less cheese. Not drastic, just a subtle change. So, all in all, we were pleased with our dining experience, the staff's pleasant nature, and the food. I live about 20 minutes away, so I would say that you are unlikely to find more than a couple restaurants in a 30 mile radius as good as this. Maybe one in Morgan City, one in Franklin, and some in New Iberia. For a nice place to take your family, I would go here, if in the area. The hidden Pearl of Patterson, LA.