Blue Tomato
Backstory
The building is a former Time Saver store (I worked in it for about three years when I was in high school). It opened as the Blue Tomato in the early 2000s. Hurricane Isaac ripped up the roof, and the restaurant was closed briefly in 2012, but is back again more or less as it had been.
Dining Room
Although the layout is a rectangle, the tables seem to be randomly placed, which along with the wild Mexican decorations makes for a kicky environment.
Why It's Essential
A colorful, pleasantly grubby, small cafe serving Americanized Mexican food and a good bit of Italian and New Orleans cooking, too. The Blue Tomato has a strong following among people who live and work in Old Jefferson and Elmwood. It's more about low prices and big portions than excellence--but those criteria draw big crowds.
Why It's Good
If what you want is an enormous platter of nachos covered with everything but the kitchen sink, slabs of grilled fish, a big hamburger, or a big salad, all at a very low price, this is the place for you. If you're looking for the fine points, this is not the place to look. However, the menu has shown signs of enhancement lately.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> Artichoke and spinach dip<br /> Beef and bean dip<br /> Chips, guacamole and salsa<br /> »Garbage can nachos<br /> Cheese nachos<br /> Taco salad (beef, steak or chicken)<br /> »Italian salad<br /> »Greek salad<br /> Grilled or Italian shrimp salad<br /> Grilled chicken salad<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Quesadillas (cheese, beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, artichoke-spinach, or veggie)<br /> »Grilled fish quesadillas or tacos<br /> Tacos with beans and rice<br /> Chimichangas<br /> Marinated grilled chicken<br /> Tequila-lime or mango chicken<br /> Grilled yellowfin tuna, ranchero or mango salsa<br /> Tamale platter (pork or beef)<br /> »Sesame Thai grilled tuna<br /> Seared sashimi tuna, grilled shrimp and artichokes<br /> Grilled fish bearnaise<br /> Meatballs and spaghetti<br /> »Lasagna<br /> »Carnitas (Cuban roasted pork)<br /> Chicken parmesan<br /> »Meatball parmesan<br /> Shrimp and eggplant parmesan <br /> Shrimp parmesan <br /> Burrito (beef, pork, steak or chicken)<br /> Fajitas (steak or chicken)<br /> Enchiladas combo (beef, pork, steak or chicken)<br /> Shrimp enchiladas<br /> Chicken fettuccine<br /> Southwest chicken<br /> Shrimp fettuccine<br /> Shrimp Creole<br /> <em><strong>Sandwiches</strong></em><br /> Hamburger<br /> Grilled chicken<br /> Meatball with mozzarella<br /> »Pulled or barbecue pork<br /> Torta de carnitas (Mexican pork poor boy)<br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> Hot chocolate chunk brownie with ice cream
Deficiencies
The service staff and the clean-up crew could pay quite a bit more attention to details.
For Best Results
Avoid busy times; there's not nearly enough parking and there's only a little space at the bar to wait.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Hipness
1
Local Color
1
Value