Metairie: 5241 Veterans Memorial Blvd . 504-889-7992 . Map.
Lunch and dinner continuously Monday-Saturday.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
It's the New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, but even though the menu is very familiar and quotidian, eating here is not like eating at, say, Mandina's. The food--even the poor boys--comes out resembling more the offerings of an ambitious bistro than those of a corner joint. The pricing is closer to the latter category--a popular niche for a restaurant to occupy, especially in the chain-riddled suburbs, And especially at lunchtime.
WHY IT'S GOOD
The ingredients are impressive, especially in the seafood department and in the daily specials. In the more everyday dishes, where raw materials matter less, the kitchen shows a thorough knowledge of how to make everyday food taste great--in the fine New Orleans tradition. I suspect that some of what they served originated from outside the restaurant, but you'd never know it from the eating.
BACKSTORY
Ed McIntyre, who by then had opened five Mr. Ed's neighborhood cafes around town (and sold off a few of them), premiered this one in 2008. It's a smaller and less ambitious eatery than his original Mr. Ed's in Bucktown, but it triggered a tremendous business in its first year. Things have cooled down a bit here, and you can usually get a table immediately.
DINING ROOM
The main dining room is dark, but in terms of the colors and the lighting. And a bit battered, considering it's not much more than a year old, and more reminiscent of a bar than a restaurant. (The signs leading to the video poker complete this effect.) A few tables are jammed into unlikely corners. The servers are neighborly and casual.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Crab dip.
Panneed eggplant sticks.
Turtle soup.
Blue cheese wedge salad.
Cobb salad.
Shrimp and avocado salad with remoulade dressing.
Hamburgers.
Roast beef poor boy.
Oyster, shrimp, or catfish poor boy.
Meatball poor boy.
Red beans and rice.
Roasted chicken.
Grilled pork chops.
Crabmeat au gratin.
Fried seafood platter.
Daily dinner specials.
Bread pudding.
Praline cheesecake.
FOR BEST RESULTS
The grilled seafood is the best part of the menu here, followed closely by the soups. Some of the more ambitious specials--mussels, for example--are much better than one expects.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The daily specials--along the lines of liver and onions and stews--are usually disappointing.
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 +2
- Attitude +1
- Wine and Bar
- Hipness -1
- Local Color -1
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Good for business meetings
- Small private room
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations accepted
ANECDOTES AND ANALYSIS
When I step into this restaurant, I feel as if I've entered a time warp, to places like Sal & Sam's, the Red Onion, and the old Augie's--all big, ambitious restaurants of three decades ago. The menu is the same, the look is the same, and so are the customers. But this is 2009, and while the restaurants in the city keep after one another with new dishes and ingredients, there is clearly a place for this kind of stuff. It's funny that the most conservative food is found in the city's youngest neighborhoods.
This review was updated with new information on 11/18/2009.
A list of all 275 full, current reviews is here.