The building the restaurant is in looks as if it would be a great venue to enjoy a smoky jazz performance, with its thick brick walls being a perfect sound suppressor to subdue the wails of a horn or a screaming guitar from escaping into the sleepy residential streets.

Its outside walls even have some remarkable murals of some great African American musicians, from Etta James and Marvin Gaye to Sly Stone and Dizzy Gillespie with his big trumpet-puffing cheeks; the murals alone are worth the trip.

Once inside, we were seated quickly, which was not nearly enough time to view the numerous framed headshots of the various celebrities who have dined at Sandra Dee’s. Baseball manager Dusty Baker and rapper Lil Wayne’s photos first caught my eye, promising great food with their handwritten endorsements and praise.

After being seated, we ordered a few appetizers of fried gator tail, frog legs and oysters from our friendly server. The breading on all three was crisp and delicious, deep-fried just long enough to still be really moist. The gator tail resembled bite-sized chicken nuggets and was served with a spicy thousand-island kind of sauce for dipping. Gator meat is often chewy because it is a leaner meat, so I wasn’t surprised at its calamari-like toughness.

The frog legs came out as an intact bottom half of a whole frog. It looked as though the poor frog just fell in the fryer and was chopped in half and served after its failed escape. It was very moist and flavorful but required a bit of work to eat around the little bones. Like the gator, it tasted a bit like chicken.

The oysters, most likely from a jar, were very salty and probably wouldn’t be appetizing at all without the deep-fried breading to mask the fact that they aren’t freshly shucked. Bonus points all around for keeping the deep fryer full of fresh oil, you can always tell when dingy oil needs a change.

Our main entrée, a four-item combination plate, arrived shortly after we finished the last of the appetizers. We were able to select any four of the meats they serve as well as a choice of two side orders. We picked the tri tip, chopped pork, hot links and fried chicken wings, all covered in Sandra Dee’s spicy hot BBQ sauce. For our sides we chose sweet and spicy corn and classic mac and cheese. Corn bread muffins were also included.

The tri tip and the pork were both a bit dry but were very tasty. The barbecue sauce, both spicy and sugary, assisted the flavors of the meats and probably made up for its dryness. The portions are large and plentiful, allowing for family-style dining or a nice doggy bag for later.

The hot links were devoid of any moisture except for the barbecue sauce that was slathered all over them. Cutting one in half allowed the last breaths of moisture to seethe out of its compromised meat casing. Being a guy who lives for danger, the rush of adrenaline that comes from dodging a properly cooked dog’s piping hot juices usually indicates that it has been freshly cooked and cooked properly. There would be no danger of third degree burns on this night.

The cornbread muffin was dry and delicate to the touch. Cutting it in half and spreading butter and honey on it would turn out to be a bad idea. My attempt, even holding it with the care and tenderness one would use holding a fallen baby bird or a sleeping kitten, reduced it to a dry pile of yellow corn rubble. I wound up shoveling a spoonful into my mouth and chasing it with a dab of butter and a shot of honey. Luckily our server was on her game with the drink refills.

Overall, Sandra Dee’s was pretty good and I’d be back. The service is exceptional and the teamwork of the staff implies good training and a happy staff. Drinks were always filled and dishes were promptly cleared. They offer seasonal specials like homemade Louisiana gumbo and shrimp creole at the end of the week from Thursday through Saturday, so maybe that is the time of the week to visit.

My guess for our dry food: They are closed Mondays and we were there on a Tuesday, so maybe we were getting Sunday leftovers.

Steven Senn can be reached at [email protected]