[Country Roads] Ruby's Roadhouse

In the April 2009 issue of Country Roads

Ruby's RoadhouseThe Lake, The Unexpected, and Steven Seagal. What more could you want?

I’d never been to Old Mandeville before, but then that is nothing new for these trips—I prefer to go someplace I’ve never been in hopes of bringing back reports of something new, something that had heretofore been unspoken in my circles. In dealing with the uncertain, though, one has to prepare for contingencies and maintain a positive outlook, both cobblestones on the path of discovery.

The lakefront area of Old Mandeville, bordered by Hwy 190, the Causeway, the lake, and Fontainebleau State Park, is completely charming. As I tooled around the narrow streets on a lazy Sunday, I spied plenty of little homespun restaurants and boutique shops. I was early and spent some time on the walking path snaking the shoreline of the shockingly vast Lake Ponchatrain. I passed a gaggle of ladies all in purple congregated at the steps of the venerated Rip’s restaurant, their chatter a counterpoint to the click of pool balls at Don’s a couple of doors down, all underscored by the languid swish of the lake. It was both laid-back and active, the closest approximation to a California beach town as I’ve seen in Louisiana.

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