Crossroads Bar and Grill had a quiet grand opening recently, marked by new lunchtime hours, moving from being a dinner restaurant only. Crossroads is still in the process of putting things in place, so currently, the lunchtime menu is the same as the dinner menu. But according to Krystofer Cox, general manager, they will have a lunchtime menu.
"We will have a menu set up for dishes that can be prepared more quickly, for those who are eating on the go," Cox said. "Our menus in general are still forming and open to customer input and preferences. For example, we know that the lunchtime menu will feature Louisiana favorites like po'boys and red beans and rice, also boudin, because customers have requested it."
Experienced leaders are in charge of both Crossroads' bar and the kitchen. At the bar, recipes can be found that are not available in any other bar. Cox notes that customers often order some of the classics, like margueritas, daiquiris and pina coladas.
Crossroads' head chef, Kaso Griffin, has been in the restaurant trade for 20 years, 18 of those as a professional cook. Originally from Dallas, he now calls Texarkana, Texas, home.
"Camaraderie and consistency, that's how you get a good kitchen team," he said. "That is how you produce your product to standard, a team that talks to each other and has fun working together."
The kitchen at Crossroads has both experienced chefs and people relatively new to the restaurant business.
"Our new cooks mostly are from fast food kitchens," he said. "They come with a set of skills, and we just add to them. One of our most experienced chefs is E.J. Warren, from N'Orleans. He is 60 years old, having learned the Cajun cooking way from Big Easy kitchens. He's my best."
Also coming at the Crossroads is custom seasoning that Griffin makes himself.
"My Keso Dust is one example," he said. "It is a signature seasoning here at Crossroads and we will eventually start selling our signature seasonings here for you to use at home."
Southern flavors and Cajun cooking combined: These are the hooks of Crossroads Bar and Grill. They are located at 511 E. 51st St., Texarkana, Arkansas, across from the Texarkana, Arkansas, Convention Center.