Subscribe To The
Five-Star Edition!

Shrimp remoulade.

This review originally appeared in the New Orleans Menu Daily, which brings out a full, up-to-date restaurant review every weekday. Along with local restaurant news, top-ten lists, recipes, and Tom Fitzmorris's Dining Diary. All of it is original and current, illustrated with lots of photos of New Orleans restaurants, chefs, and their food.

The price of a subscription is whatever number of dollars seems right to you. For that amount, you get full access to the daily newsletter online, an e-mail bulletin version every day, and archives of everything published since Hurricane Katrina.

If you're still not convinced, do two things: 1. Know that I'll refund all your money if you're not happy. 2. Take a look at this sample edition. Then. . .

Thank you!

Tastefully yours,
Tom Fitzmorris

Restaurant Ratings

The ratings are based mostly on the degree to which the food excites us, and a little on environment, service, and other considerations. I rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. Here's what the stars mean to me:

starstarstarstarstar
Among the best locally.

starstarstarstar
Excellent and ambitious.

starstarstar
Worth crossing town for.

starstar
Recommended.

*
Acceptable.

No star
Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings
Each dollar sign indicates a ten-dollar range, including a normal meal for the restaurant (dinner, if they serve other meals), not including drinks, or tips. So, for example. . .

1$--$5-15
2$--$15-25
3$--$25-35

. . . and so on, with no upper limit. While this scheme may suggest mathematical precision, know that perception of price varies from diner to diner as much as the star ratings do. So consider this an estimate.

All reviews are based entirely on meals I have personally taken at the restaurant and paid for from my own pocket. I don't take free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

starstarstar
pricebar

Vera’s

Seafood.
Slidell: 2020 Gause Blvd W. 985-690-9814 . Map.
Lunch and dinner continuously Wednesday-Sunday.
Casual
MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
A West End-style restaurant in Slidell, Vera's has fried, boiled, stuffed, and shucked local seafood for over fifty years. In its new location, it's not as scenic as it was when it overlooked the lake, but the food is, if anything, better.

WHY IT'S GOOD
Vera's has the best fried shrimp anywhere in the New Orleans area. This comes from a person (me) who finds fried shrimp boring. All the rest of their fried platters are at least as good. Also here are poor boys and some non-seafood plates in the style of a New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, all prepared to order with fresh local ingredients.

BACKSTORY
Vera's opened on the Slidell shores of Lake Pontchartrain in 1952, in a frame building on stilts. It was much like Bruning's and Fitzgerald's in West End Park. It survived (after many repairs) all the hurricanes until Katrina. That killer storm blew the entire old place away. After a few months, Vera's reopened in an antiseptic strip-mall location, far inland.

DINING ROOM
The new Vera's is pleasantly spartan, if a bit on the dark side. The young service staff is easy to get along with and happy.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Raw oysters on the half shell.
Grilled oysters on the half shell.
Shrimp remoulade.
Fried crab fingers.
Crabmeat au gratin (appetizer or entree).
Crawfish stuffed mushrooms with garlic butter.
Seafood gumbo.
Boiled shrimp and crabs.
Fried shrimp.
Grilled or blackened shrimp.
Fried frog legs.
Fried seafood platters.
Broiled or stuffed whole flounder.
Grilled or broiled snapper.
Grilled, blackened, or barbecue chicken breast.
Fried chicken.
Hamburger steak.
Poor boy sandwiches.
Bread pudding.

FOR BEST RESULTS
The biggest crowds are on Friday nights, of course. Take advantage of the boiled seafood; not many restaurants have it anymore.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The premises could be brightened up a bit. I wish they did more with oysters.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

This review was updated with new information on 2/19/2010.

A list of over 300 full, current reviews is here.