St. Charles Tavern
1433 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon
Backstory
They claim to have been around since the 1917, but the businesses at that address have changed several times. The current owners took over in 2009, renovating the premises and revising the menu. The bar has been emphasized more than it had been.
Dining Room
Not as seedy as it used to be, the St Charles Tavern still looks as if it's been there forever. The entirely casual dining room is small enough to fill easily, with spillover from the bar. Live music has been part of the new program, with no less than Charmaine Neville singing Wednesday nights.
Why It's Essential
Since the demise of the Hummingbird Grill, the twenty-four-hour restaurant marketplace downtown has been filled by this cafe. It's been around long enough to have picked up a substantial regular clientele, most of which shows up for late-night sandwiches, platters, and breakfasts.
Why It's Good
The food here is inconsistent in the wee hours. There are simply more late-night customers than late-night cooks and waiters. But the breakfasts are generous and good, and at lunch and dinner they turn out better food than you might imagine.
Most Interesting Dishes
<strong>Breakfast</strong><br /> »Basic breakfast combinations<br /> Biscuits and gravy with sausage<br /> Chicken fried steak<br /> Breakfast ribeye steak<br /> Sautéed mushroom omelette<br /> Ham, bacon or sausage omelette<br /> »Onion, bell pepper and spinach omelette<br /> Ham and cheese omelette<br /> »Greek omelette<br /> »Seafood omelette<br /> Chili and cheese omelette<br /> »Corned beef hash with eggs<br /> Chicken-andouille hash with eggs<br /> »French toast<br /> »Buttermilk pancakes<br /> Chocolate-chip pancakes<br /> Oatmeal with fruit<br /> <strong>Lunch and dinner</strong><br /> <em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> Chicken wings (hot or barbecue)<br /> Chicken tenders<br /> »Fried boudin balls remoulade<br /> Crab cakes<br /> Crawfish pie<br /> Jalapeno poppers<br /> Spinach-artichoke dip<br /> Mozzarella sticks<br /> Seafood gumbo<br /> Garden salad<br /> Caesar salad<br /> »Cobb salad<br /> »Greek salad<br /> <em><strong>Sandwiches</strong></em><br /> Corned beef and cheese<br /> »Philly cheese steak<br /> Muffuletta<br /> »Hamburgers (with baked potato)<br /> Smoked turkey poor boy<br /> Smoked sausage poor boy<br /> Shrimp poor boy<br /> Ham and cheese poor boy<br /> »Roast beef poor boy<br /> Grilled chicken breast on bun<br /> Italian meatball poor boy<br /> Club sandwich<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Chicken fried steak<br /> Ribeye steak<br /> »Crawfish pasta<br /> Catfish plate<br /> Spaghetti and meatballs<br /> »Spaghetti alfredo (with chicken or shrimp)<br /> Daily specials<br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> Cheesecakes<br /> »White chocolate bread pudding<br /> »Pecan or apple pie
Deficiencies
The menu lost some of its best items when the new regime took over--notably fried chicken and fried seafood platters.
For Best Results
Although the all-night schedule is the Tavern's unique selling proposition, it's much better in the daytime. The daily specials should be investigated first. Some of those are more about price than deliciousness, however.
Bonus Ratings
1
Local Color
1
Value