Praline Connection
Backstory
Curtis Moore and Cecil Kaigler, lifelong friends and co-workers in the oil industry, opened this corner cafe in the Marigny in 1990. It was a phenomenon from the outset, a restaurant we heard about constantly in those days. A second Praline Connection opened in the Warehouse District, but that went with Katrina.
Dining Room
It's a neighborhood cafe, the environment usually defined by the fullness of the dining room. It's usually bustling. The waiters and waitresses wear black fedoras, white shirts and ties, and look as if they'll run out to their music gigs as soon as their shifts end.
Why It's Essential
The divide between soul food and the rest of New Orleans Creole food is so faint that not much of value comes from trying to detect it. That said, the Praline Connection is unambiguously on the African-American side, cooking many dishes not often found in the mainstream Creole places anymore. And they do indeed make their own excellent pralines.
Why It's Good
No fussiness or pretension: here is delicious, hearty, fresh, well-seasoned home cooking with an unmistakable New Orleans flavor, served generously and hot. If you like gumbo, beans, greens, fried chicken (or the hard-to-find stewed chicken with brown gravy), here is a good place to find it.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> »Fried chicken livers with pepper jelly<br /> Crawfish or shrimp etouffee<br /> Fried soft-shell crawfish<br /> Fried alligator sausage<br /> BBQ oysters <br /> Fried chicken livers<br /> Hog's head cheese<br /> Spicy chicken wings<br /> Fried okra or fried pickles<br /> »Bite-size fried catfish<br /> Filé gumbo<br /> Vegetable soup<br /> »Gumbo Zaire (greens)<br /> <em><strong>Salads</strong></em><br /> Hot shrimp & tomato<br /> Chicken salad<br /> Chef salad<br /> Beets & onion <br /> Mixed green house salad<br /> »Potato salad<br /> Hot fish salad<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> »»Baked, fried or stewed chicken<br /> Home style meat loaf, brown gravy<br /> Stuffed crab plate<br /> »Fried catfish plate<br /> Fried shrimp plate<br /> Seafood combination platter<br /> Stuffed bell pepper (ground beef, shrimp, brown gravy)<br /> Barbecue ribs<br /> »Jambalaya, side of greens<br /> Crawfish or shrimp etouffee<br /> Spaghetti and meatballs<br /> »"Taste of Soul" platter (filé gumbo, red beans, jambalaya, greens, fried chicken, ribs, catfish, bread pudding)<br /> »Red beans & rice<br /> »White beans & rice<br /> »Green lima beans & rice<br /> »»Crowder peas with okra & rice<br /> Mustard, collard or cabbage greens & rice<br /> <em><strong>Poor boy sandwiches</strong></em><br /> »Soft-shell crab<br /> Shrimp<br /> »Oyster<br /> Ham & cheese <br /> »Smoked or hot sausage <br /> Roast beef<br /> Meatballs<br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> »Bread pudding, praline sauce<br /> »Sweet potato pie<br /> Cheesecake with praline sauce<br /> Peach cobbler, ice cream<br />
Deficiencies
The food is a bit inconsistent, but never to point that it fails utterly. Those moments mainly contrast with the more common brilliant performances. When the restaurant is very busy, service can become sub-optimal.
For Best Results
Don't come in a hurry. Chicken is cooked to order, and that takes awhile. And don't get too ambitious with your exploration of the menu. The basics are what you want.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Hipness
1
Local Color
1
Service
1
Value