Sandwiches. Platters. Seafood.
Mandeville: 4700 LA 22. 985-792-0499 . Map.
Lunch Monday-Saturday.
Lunch and dinner continuously (until 8 p.m.) Monday-Friday.
Very Casual.
AE DS MC V
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
The best culinary development in the twenty years I've lived on the North Shore is the proliferation of old-style neighborhood cafes. They're usually in strip malls instead of in the neighborhoods, but the food is immediately recognizable as bone-fide everyday New Orleans eats. This well-hidden cafe is one of the better such additions to the scene, with first-class poor boys and the classic platters.
WHY IT'S GOOD
This is a serious kitchen that cooks all the important items (roast beef, red sauce, gumbo, red beans, etc.) in house, and serves it up generously and well. The half-size poor boys (they claim six inches as the length, but they're actually bigger) are plenty enough for even a big appetite. The frying is conducted on a case-by-case basis, resulting in not only good seafood but excellent onion rings. (An order of the latter is enough for at least four people.)
BACKSTORY
The place took over an existing restaurant in a secondary strip mall in 2007. The good Megumi sushi bar is also in the mall.
DINING ROOM
The premises aren't fancy, but in excellent repair and clean as a whistle. The entire dining room has been known to fill up with customers, many of whom are waiting for their sandwiches. They're made to order, and this takes longer than some of them may be accustomed to.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Onion rings
Eggplant sticks
Potato salad
Gumbo (Friday only)
Baked macaroni and cheese
Baked potato (with a menu of toppings)
Poor boy sandwiches, especially:
Roast beef
Turkey
Hamburger (also available on buns)
Hot or Italian sausage
Meatball
Veal, chicken, or eggplant parmesan (also available as platters with pasta)
Fried shrimp, catfish, soft-shell crab or oysters
Grilled chicken breast
Club sandwich
Caesar salad
Grilled chicken, tuna, or shrimp salad
Italian salad
Tuna stuffed tomato
Fried seafood platters
Daily special platters (beans, meat loaf, pork roast, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.)
Bread pudding
FOR BEST RESULTS
No matter how much of the menu appeals to you, order light. Come back another time for the other stuff.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Some of the daily special platters are a little too homestyle.
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
- Value +1
- Attitude +1
- Wine and Bar
- Hipness
- Local Color +1
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Good for business meetings
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Dinner ends early (8 p.m.)
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- No reservations
This review was updated with new information on 7/19/2010.
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