Willie Mae's Scotch House
Backstory
Willie Mae Seaton opened her restaurant in the 1960s, and was still cooking into her nineties. She kept a low profile. A critic who asked her for an interview was told that it ewas all right, except that the story should include neither the restaurant's name nor location. Willie Mae wanted to cook for her loyal regulars, not hordes of tourists. Katrina flooding shut her down, but John Currence--the celebrity chef in Oxford, Mississippi--gave a lot of time, money and personal sweat to rebuild both Willie Mae's restaurant and her house. That alerted the reporters to the story. And the next thing we knew Willie Mae had $200,000 raised in her behalf and a James Beard Award. It's nice that she got the attention, but it has done less than nothing for the food here.
Dining Room
It's a one-room corner cafe, comfortable and sharp with its post-storm renovation. Walls are covered with locally produced art. It's everything you'd want in the way of a little neighborhood Creole cafe. The service staff is usually nice but when overwhelmed can be indifferent. Everything is cooked to order, and you may have to wait for a table, so don't come in a hurry.
Why It's Essential
This is a very small neighborhood place specializing in fried chicken and a handful of other Creole dishes. After the hurricane, it became the darling of the national media, whose image of New Orleans eating it fit perfectly. (The fact that few people in New Orleans had so much as heard of the place didn't deter them.) Suddenly everybody who came to town felt it essential to eat there. The little place became overwhelmed and not very good. In the past couple of years, however, Willie Mae's grandchildren have grabbed the reins and pulled the place together. Other than the service--which is and always has been minimal--things are great again.
Why It's Good
It has been called the best fried chicken in America. I never found it even the best in New Orleans (and I've eaten there occasionally since the mid-1970s). It was always good, though. The coating is unusual--it reminds me a bit of tempura--and at its best it really is delicious. Consistency is not perfect . This is also true of the beans and chops on the few other dishes on the menu.
Most Interesting Dishes
Fried chicken.<br /> Pork chops: breaded, country fried, or chicken-fried<br /> Smothered veal chops<br /> Red beans<br /> Butter beans<br /> Bread pudding<br />
Deficiencies
The most common complaint I hear from readers about Willie Mae's is that the place is less than sympathetic about the difficulty of being served in normal time. This is almost certainly to the small size of the restaurant against the enormous traffic it attracts.
For Best Results
Get there early, especially if there's a big visitor event going on in town, and especially if it's a music event. (Those are not the best times to go.)
Bonus Ratings
3
Hipness
2
Local Color
1
Value