Big Plates and Old-School Comfort at Monjunis

A bowl of pasta can be comforting almost anywhere. At Monjunis on Louisiana Avenue in Shreveport, it arrives in the company of a dark, cozy dining room, Italian-themed wall décor and portions that tend to extend well beyond one meal.

This is the original Monjunis location, and it carries the pleasant, settled-in character that people hope to find at an old neighborhood restaurant. The food is Italian-American in a broad, generous sense, with familiar red-sauce favorites sharing space with fried green tomatoes and a substantial muffuletta.

Come hungry, but do not be surprised if the meal ends with a container headed home. Here, leftovers are less an afterthought than a sensible continuation of dinner.

The Louisiana Avenue dining room has an intentionally old-school mood: dimmer, warmer and more intimate than the bright, quick-turn atmosphere of many contemporary restaurants. Table coverings, pictures on the walls and Italian-style decorative touches give the room plenty to look at between courses.

It is a setting that works just as naturally for a family supper as for a birthday table or a larger gathering. The room has accommodated sizable groups, while still retaining the feeling of a place where a smaller party can settle in over a long plate of pasta.

Earlier in the day, before the dinner rush gathers steam, the restaurant can be especially calm and easy for conversation. Later meals may have more of the hum expected from a busy, well-loved dining room.

The house sauce is central to the Monjunis meal. It is deeply flavored, generously used and memorable enough that many diners build their order around the dishes that carry it.

That sauce also has a life beyond the table. Jars are available to purchase at the restaurant, and it can also be found in local Shreveport stores. It is a useful souvenir for anyone who wants to make a simple pasta night at home a little more interesting.

A take-home jar makes particular sense after a large meal. It is not hard to imagine using it later with meatballs, baked pasta or a quick weeknight bowl of spaghetti.

Spaghetti and meatballs is one of the straightforward pleasures here: a familiar red-sauce plate, made more distinctive by the restaurant's sauce and its generous scale. It is the sort of order that does not need much explanation, just a healthy appetite.

Lasagna is another major reason people return. The twice-baked lasagna is among the house specialties, with the hearty, layered appeal that makes baked pasta a natural choice when comfort food is the assignment.

One particularly tempting route through the menu is to pair a large muffuletta with lasagna. The sandwich is notably substantial in its own right, so this is a plan best shared or approached with a clear strategy for tomorrow's lunch.

The large portions are not merely visually impressive. They make it easy to bring home enough for another meal, and sometimes more than one. A diner can order freely without having to force a choice between pasta, sandwich and dessert.

Chicken Alfredo offers a change of pace from the red-sauce classics. The dish is rich and creamy, with properly cooked chicken, and it has the full, filling quality many people want from Alfredo rather than a thin or overly restrained version.

Eggplant Parmesan belongs on the menu for diners who prefer their comfort food with a crisp edge beneath the sauce and cheese. It pairs especially well with the restaurant's Italian-American personality: unfussy, substantial and built to satisfy.

Toasted ravioli with marinara makes an appealing starter or side order for a table that wants something to pass around. The warm, fried ravioli and a dip of red sauce are a simple argument for taking a little longer before the main courses arrive.

A house salad can provide a lighter companion to all that baked pasta and sauce. Then again, fried green tomatoes are available for anyone in the mood to follow the restaurant's Louisiana-inflected side of the menu instead.

The muffuletta is one of the dishes that separates Monjunis from a strictly traditional Italian restaurant. It is a large, substantial sandwich and a distinctly Louisiana-friendly addition to a menu otherwise filled with pasta, Parmesan dishes and marinara.

It also illustrates the appeal of the place: dinner does not have to follow a predictable Italian-restaurant script. One person can go for spaghetti and meatballs, another can choose a creamy Alfredo, and someone else can take on a sandwich that could easily become tomorrow's lunch.

That range is handy for mixed groups. The menu leaves room for people who want a longtime favorite, people who want a baked-pasta feast and people who would rather order something a little less expected.

Bread pudding is a fitting finish for a meal that is already operating on a generous scale. It has earned notice as a memorable dessert, and it gives the table one more reason to slow down before the inevitable discussion of leftovers.

For a more complete spread, eggplant Parmesan, fried green tomatoes and bread pudding make a particularly satisfying combination of crisp, saucy and sweet. It is not a delicate progression, nor is it trying to be.

Monjunis makes a good case for ordering with a little generosity. The menu has enough distinctive corners that a first meal can easily become a return visit devoted to the dishes that did not fit on the table the first time.

The restaurant is used for both dine-in meals and takeout, which suits food that travels naturally into a next-day lunch or dinner. A large pasta order and a jar of sauce can turn one visit into several meals at home.

There is a free parking lot, though parking can be less convenient during busier periods. The restaurant's early, quieter stretch before 5 p.m. has been a particularly comfortable window for an unhurried meal and prompt attention.

Service is known for being friendly and attentive, including with larger tables. That combination of accommodating service, oversized plates and a dining room full of old-school detail gives the original Louisiana Avenue location its staying power.