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Louie's Place, also known more formally as Louie's Place Saloon and Grill serves delicious burgers, sandwiches, beer, wine and more, in an "1890's" vintage, "gold rush era" building, located in La Grange, CA, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's early afternoon on Sunday, August 28, 2022, and I've arrived at Louie's Place Saloon and Grill, located in La Grange, CA, to enjoy an amazing lunch, along with rural Stanislaus County, and "Gold Country" atmosphere. The town of La Grange was founded by French miners in the early 1850's and the name of the town is anchored in French, and means something like "the barn" or "the farm," depending how you look at it. Gold mining along the Tuolumne River was prosperous but mostly ceased by the 1880's, but gold dredging continued into the early 1950's. Like many mining towns, during it's heyday, La Grange was a Sierra Nevada foothills metropolis. As of August 2022, the population is around 400 people, and much of the area is "registered," and regarded as historic.
Photo: As you walk in the restaurant, you'll notice the bar, which defines the dining room. On this early Sunday afternoon, the dining room was busy, with mostly patrons from an area bike club, riding beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycles, and enjoying the great cuisine that Louie's Place has to offer.
Photo: The dining room is open, friendly, and offers lots of "gold rush" atmosphere and charm. The dining room furniture - aside from the bar - offers mostly tables, with one large table in the middle that offers "bar style" seating.
Photo: The ceiling and much are the upper walls are decorated with dollar bills, which many are autographed. Decorations include many mounted trophies, but Mr. Bison, although he may be the centerpiece of the dining room decor, is not native to the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Photo: Louie's Place features several television monitors, and on this early Sunday afternoon in late August, the sport was NFL football, and it was all about New York, as the Giants and the Jets were battling it out in a pre-season game, on the gridiron. It's not all about football, as La Grange is truly a "cowboy" town, and holds the annual "La Grange Rodeo" the first weekend in April, and is sponsored by the La Grange Rodeo Association.
Photo: Above the bar there is a blackboard that lists restaurant specials, the latest beer, along with upcoming events, including live music. Yes... you just "Cant Fix Stupid," even at Louie's Place.
Photo: The back room showcases a pool table, along with mounted trophies, and offers more bar seating, along with additional dining. Note the interesting one-of-a-kind bar stool, complete with cowboy boots.
Photo: Bikers, especially those who favor the Harley Davidson type of bikes are welcome at this fine restaurant, and Marilyn Monroe is alive and well!
Photo: The bar features beer and wine, and lots of local beers on tap, featuring beer brewed in nearby Turlock, at Dust Bowl Brewing Company, as Lydia pours a beer from the tap. Back in April 2018, my brother Michael and I enjoyed a brew and a pizza at Dust Bowl... click on the hyperlink to enjoy our visit.
Photo: The food menu features three pages of mostly "comfort food," along with a page of beer - bottled or on tap - and a full page of wine. Forget cocktails or mixed drinks at Louie's Place, as the bar serves beer and wine. Check out the complete menu by clicking on the menu image, or click on THIS LINK.
Photo: Lydia comes from the kitchen, with an order for another diner, and gives me her warm smile.
Photo: This lovely lady was the talented chef, who prepared my "Linguica Sandwich" and presented it to me at my place at the bar. La Grange is "cowboy country," as you can see by the cowboy hat, and the decor of the restaurant.
Photo: Meet Lydia, my super-friendly hostess, who brought my lunch and drink to me with a friendly smile. Lydia, along with the talented chef were busy people, as the restaurant was busy, and the dining room was full. Lydia always made time to chat, despite her busy schedule, and all the things she was doing on this early Sunday afternoon.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as Lydia took my photo, as I display my basket of "Linguica Sandwich." Life doesn't get any better than enjoying fine "Americana" cuisine at Louie's Place Saloon and Grill, located in historic La Grange, CA. A soft drink of Pepsi ruled the day, as I was driving, and as enticing as the draft-beer-from-the-tap looked, it was out of the question.
Photo: From the "Sandwiches" section of the menu, I went with "Linguica Sandwich," along with an order of fries as my side of choice. Central California, and the "Gold Country" enjoy a rich Portuguese heritage, and linguica is native to Portugal, so it's only fitting that Louie's Place has a "Linguica Sandwich" on their menu. As much as I ADORE burgers, I just HAD to go with linguica on this early Sunday afternoon. All of this goodness arrived in a basket, lined with white/red checkered paper, diner style. Yes!! My "Linguica Sandwich" started with a whole linguica sausage link, split in half and grilled perfectly, sporting grill marks. The sausage was ... I assume ... locally sourced, as there are countless sausage outlets in Stanislaus County who produce linguica, and other regional sausage favorites. Whatever the source of the sausage, the linguica was juicy, flavorful and "snapped" when I bit into it, thanks to the natural casing. The sausage was placed on a large, hoagie roll, which was lightly grilled, toasted and coated with Louie's "Mustard and Mayo" spread... oh yes! That was the sandwich... linguica sausage, mustard, mayonnaise all on a toasted, hoagie roll... but what else could you ask for? The fires were your "typical" fries, as they were just the right size, deep fried crispy, golden brown on the outside, and juicy, white and tender inside. I can't really say anything "special" about the fries, but they made for an amazing side to my "Linguica Sandwich." The menu offers a side salad, but I think that would be on the "boring" side when paired with a sandwich that offers linguica as the meat of choice. The talented chef asked me if I'd enjoy some ranch dressing for dipping, and I enthusiastically answered "Yes!" The ranch dressing, along with the bottle of ketchup made for great "fry dipping," but it was only an "enhancement," as the fries were simply delicious. Combine a "Linguica Sandwich," along with a side of fries at Louie's Place and you have a delicious lunch!
Photo: Juicy, grilled linguica sausage, placed on a grilled, buttered hoagie roll, and coated with Louie's Place's "Mustard and Mayo" spread made for a delicious sandwich, and an amazing lunch. Gold country atmosphere, along with Sunday afternoon biker trips is alive and well at Louie's Place, with a healthy mix of La Grange locals, Stanislaus County motorcycle enthusiasts, delicious "Americana" cuisine, and a fun and friendly restaurant, and a "foodie" eating experience. Look to Louie's Place Saloon and Grill for great dining, with a friendly, "cowboy" atmosphere in historic La Grange, CA! Louie's Place Saloon and Grill Copyright(c) 2022 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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