Blue Plate Cafe
Neighborhood Cafe.
Lee Circle Area: 1330 Prytania. 504-309-9500. Map.
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Saturday.
Casual.
AE MC V
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
The Blue Plate is an imaginative source for breakfast, a meal not served by many restaurants, let alone well. As the name implies, it serves a wide array of well-made platters, salads, and sandwiches at lunch, at neighborhood restaurant prices.
WHY IT'S GOOD
The Blue Plate doesn't just serve good breakfasts and lunches. It does so with verve. Every dish on both sides of the menu gets a unique spin--sometimes several of them. Shrimp and grits for breakfast, for example. Another: the roast beef sandwich includes mushrooms, brie, and horseradish. Interspersing the mostly Creole-style menu are Mexican and Asian flavors. All this is executed well, with reasonably decent ingredients.
BACKSTORY
The Blue Plate Cafe opened, closed, reopened, reclosed, and re-reopened since early 2004. The first problem was major renovations to the small hotel in which it's ensconced; the second was the hurricane. In every case, when it was missing its regulars were very happy to have it back.
DINING ROOM
An old corner cafe in a small hotel, the dining room has big windows giving onto Prytania Street. The space is spartan, but a colorful paint job, wall hangings and other furnishings make it pleasant.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Basic breakfasts.
Omelettes.
Pumpkin pancakes.
Pain perdu.
Breakfast burrito.
Shrimp and grits.
Crawfish cakes.
Hamburgers.
Orleans club sandwich.
Asian tuna salad.
Greek salad.
Pasta entrees, especially shrimp Greco.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Saturday breakfasts are quite busy, as is lunch on weekdays. (The place is a favorite among those who work in the Lower Garden District and CBD.)
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The staff moves at a more relaxed pace than you may be accustomed to, particularly first thing in the morning. They open for breakfast later than we wish they did. Some tables are inconveniently located. The coffee possibilities could be expanded upon.
FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
- Dining Environment
- Consistency +1
- Service +1
- Value +1
- Attitude
- Wine and Bar +1
- Hipness +1
- Local Color
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Sidewalk tables
- Good for business meetings
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
This review was updated with new information on 12/18/2009.
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