For a Fifties fix we head to Danny's Place

I grew up in the 1940s and 1950s eating Triple XXX hamburgers and Greco’s Grecoburgers, so every hamburger I ever eat is measured by them.

When I bit Wednesday into the one-fourth pound hamburger at Danny’s Place, it measured up.
Chef Danny Beavers and wife Carrie. took over the 1950s-themed Danny’s Place, 9006 Mansfield Road, in January. On Wednesday, Chef Tim Cullen, a former student of Danny’s, who has been at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, was working his first day at the place.

They are proud to say that it is a family oriented eatery. And the southwest Shreveport neighborhood is embracing it.

Danny, as you might know, was chef instructor at Louisiana Technical College — which everyone still calls Vo-Tech — for 10 years. Before that, he was executive chef at the Petroleum Club.

Through the years, I’ve covered a lot of things Danny has been involved in and he is also a neighbor, so it was fun visiting with him and Carrie.

Commenting on the hamburger, Danny said, "We want the hamburgers to be a cross between Triple XXX and Tic Toc Grill and the onion rings to be close to Ko Ko Mo. We are almost there!"

"We want our blue plates to be based on Wiseman’s. When I was a kid, we went every Friday for turnip greens, black-eyed peas and fried catfish. Remember they were the first to have catfish steaks, rather than whole steaks," said Danny. (Talking about goin’ down memory lane!)

I chose as a "side" for my hamburger, turnips and greens. Ummm. "These are not greasy and they are perfectly cook," I commented.

"They are not greasy, because we use a ham hock for flavoring and we don’t cook them mushy. I don’t like overcooked vegetable," said Danny.

Anyway, Danny’s Place is styled after a ‘50s cafe. It is done up in Coca-Cola-inspired decor. Everything is red and white, black and white checked floors.

There is a Bel Air Chevy mock up on a wall and standing statues of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
The menu is extensive — from chili and sandwiches to a blue plate special every day. And, an unusual touch — a greens special daily. That might also be cabbage or mustard greens.

The regular veggies: black-eyed peas, white rice, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and buttered whole kernel corn. Wednesday’s special was chicken fried steak.

There are ice cream, shakes and malts, sundaes and floats.

And, we didn’t try any, but the oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies from the eatery’s bakery looked absolutely delicious.

For "Kiddie’s Kravings," there are such goodies as "grilled peanut butter and banana sammitch" and "Frito pie."

There is also live entertainment Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and people get up and dance! (I want to go back for that.)

Anyway, it was fun seeing Danny and Carrie and what they are up to.