There is a place in Harahan that is tucked away in a neighborhood just off of Central Avenue, and it is making its mark on the local culinary scene by owning lunch.
Parenton’s is a tiny spot located on Ellen Street (just a block off of Central Ave.) that might be small in stature, but it’s big on flavor and value. Owner, Brenda Castillo swung open the doors and gave us a look at a couple of dishes that Parenton’s just had to show off.
The fine folks at Parenton’s offered up not only a great fried oyster poboy, but they also served us a fried chicken platter that was a meal and more.
At Parenton’s Tuesday is Fried Chicken Day. Brenda tells us that she could serve their fried chicken every day but doing it just once a week ensures that the quality of the meal stays consistent.
You can order the chicken as a two, three or four piece meal including two sides.
We tried a four piece with mashed potatoes and gravy (WOW!) and corn.
The first thing that strikes you about this platter is the portion of chicken and the light golden batter. Brenda says that they lightly batter their chicken to ensure that you actually taste the chicken.
That fact is true. The bird was tender and juicy and just plain delightful. When you consider that you get four pieces and two sides for around ten bucks, the deal gets even better.
As for the poboy, Parenton’s serves up a generously loaded sandwich dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles and all the usual suspects.
The oysters were plump with a crispy batter and were an awesome contrast to the crunch of the lettuce and pickles. If the other poboy offering at Parenton’s are anything like our oyster poboy, look out!
Parenton’s is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
When we talked about Parenton’s lunch-only approach to business, Brenda said that the key was by just focusing on a lunch menu it helps the good folks at Parenton’s concentrate on quality and ensuring each item on their menu is it’s very best. Sounds good to us.