If you're looking to retreat from the stress of modern life, you need only step through the welcoming mahogany doors of The Dakota Restaurant, a smart - chic restaurant on the North shore in Covington, Louisiana. The exact location of the restaurant is approximately 5 minutes after you have crossed the Causeway, a 24-mile bridge that runs between New Orleans and the North shore. People walk in and ask, "Has the restaurant been around for many, many years?" says owner laCour. The question is understandable, since the warm colors and traditional materials suggest a room that's been around for ages. The dark wood interior sets the stage for the rustic charm that defines Dakota's décor. Earth tone window treatments and exuberant floral arrangements serve as a complement to the culinary achievements diners sample at the Covington restaurant.

The inspiration for Dakota, including the relaxing design of the décor, came, in part, from Executive Chef and Co-owner Kim Kringlie's passion for North Dakota, the state he called home in his early years. The diversity of his culinary style is notable. Kringlie attributes the foundation of his style to Austrian Chef Peter Leitner , with whom he worked as sous chef from 1980 to 1983, at the Inn at Jackson Hole in Wyoming. From there, he headed to Louisiana, working with well-known chefs in rural parts of Louisiana.

Since the opening of The Dakota Restaurant in 1990, with partner Kenneth LaCour, Chef Kringlie has created an eclectic menu that marries global flavors with the zing of Louisiana accents. Says Kringlie, "My passion has always been in creating dishes that combine robust flavors and textures with the freshest products available. The food I prepare takes on characteristics from French, Asian, Southwestern and other ethnic cuisines. That's why Dakota customers will often enjoy dishes like rare seared Ahi Tuna, thinly sliced and set on greens, a chili-soy vinaigrette, smoked chicken, roast duck and andouille gumbo."

The restaurant's most popular appetizers include the Dakota seafood beignet comprised of shrimp, crabmeat and Louisiana crawfish prepared in an Abita beer batter accompanied by a lobster cream sauce, and bacon-wrapped corn-fried oysters in lemon beurre blanc, served with spinach polenta, finished with sesame hollandaise.

Perhaps the dish that Dakota is best known for is its heavenly lump crabmeat and French Brie soup. This savory concoction, falling like silk on the tongue, blends fresh, sweet Louisiana crabmeat with the creamy, rich texture of aged Brie cheese.

Two of The Dakota's signature dishes are the seasonally available fresh, soft shell crab stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat and crawfish, fried until golden brown, and set atop roasted pecan rice and topped with sauce Creollaise; and a crispy Parmesan-crusted fillet of farm-raised tilapia topped with lump crab meat, surrounded by a wild mushroom and caper dill butter and finished with flash-fried smoked artichoke hearts and smoked tomato hollandaise.

At both lunch and dinner, the co-owner of The Dakota, Kenneth LaCour's congenial charm greets diners. A 24-year veteran of the restaurant industry, LaCour oversees the restaurant's operations, in addition to hand-selecting its impressive and extensive wine list. In fact, it is LaCour's passion for exceptional wine that takes him to the California wine region at least twice each year. Often, LaCour brings Dakota's managers and waitstaff with him as an educational experience, teaching them the art of winemaking and rousing in them a passion for and knowledge of fine wines. After sampling many special and hard-to-find wines while he's in California, LaCour selects his personal favorites, adding them to an impressive wine list that features more than 350 wines.

His passion for wine is most evident in the restaurant's bar, where the focal point in the center of the room, is a runaway display of ordinary- to multi magnum-sized bottles of rare wines from California and Europe. In the past several years, The Dakota's wine list has earned the Wine Spectator's Distinguished Award of Excellence.

Located in Covington, across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans, Dakota promises eclectic cuisine in a comfortable setting. The 175-seat restaurant with Louisiana influenced chic décor, styled by Beth Walther, A.S.I.D, is comprised of four dining areas. The entranceway reveals the main dining room to the left with a vantagepoint created by the grand floral arrangement. An inviting and cozy bar to the right sweeps you into the smaller dining spaces with tables placed at a distance from one another to provide the perfect backdrop for a romantic tete a tete. The dark wood wine room suggests the ambiance of a gentleman's club.

Dakota is located at 629 North Highway 190 in Covington, Louisiana, and just ten minutes directly north of the exit off the Causeway, and just 30 miles from New Orleans. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 A.M. until 2:30 P.M., and again for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5 P.M. until 10 P.M, and from 5 P.M. until 11P.M.on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 985-892-3712.