Sammy’s Food Service (#288, 1/24/14) – 60
After seeing an article on Facebook about the top 10 po-boys in New Orleans, I figured I better check some of them out. Actually, I think the article may have been the 10 Po-Boys You Must Try, or something like that, so not really positive it was the 10 best. My first visit was to Sammy’s Food Service & Deli.
They have a very extensive menu with a variety of items, but I went for the recommended “Ray-Ray,” which is southern fried chicken breast, grilled ham and Swiss cheese. While the sandwich was recommended, I wasn’t sure what to do on size, so just spent the extra $2 on the large. Note to self (and other): Don’t spend the extra two bucks on the large. My lord; it is a giant sandwich. I ate half and was still stuffed. I do think the other half will work cold, so brought it home. Overall, an interesting and tasty sandwich. I’m not sure I’ll rush back to get another, but definitely willing to try some other items there. As far as food, I’ll give it a 28 out of 50.
The atmosphere here was decent. It is what it is, a basic deli where you order at the counter and wait for your number to be called. They have a fair amount of seating, but it’s basically a no-frills place. Atmosphere is 20 out of 30.
The service was decent. It took a little bit to get my food; I would say almost a half hour. They were quite busy and I believe also had a logjam of chicken orders. But overall, no real issues. Service is 12 out of 20.
Final score = 60.
Phil’s Grill* (#287, 1/16/14) – 79
In a very exciting New Orleans eating development, Phil’s Grill opened a downtown location on Camp Street in the CBD (sadly to say, it didn’t last long downtown, not sure why, but the Camp Street location closed in March of 2015). I think Phil’s is one of the better burger joints in town (only had Jefferson Parish locations, so adding this one allows me to count it).
As far as food, Phil’s has a great variety of burgers. You can choose from angus beef, bison, chicken, mushroom, filet, alligator, etc. You build your own burger by checking off what you want on an order pad and handing to the server. For instance, I’ll take the bison, cooked medium, on jalapeno bread with horseradish honey mustard, lettuce, tomato and bacon, as well as jalapeno jack cheese. They have a lot of toppings and sauces and a good selection of sides as well (I really like the grilled vegetables, which is weird for me). I like this place a lot, but I will say, if you just want a regular beef burger, it’s probably better to run by Company Burger – better burger, better price. But if you want some fun varieties or if you have a group of people with varying tastes, this is a great place to go. I’m giving it a 40 out of 50 (big score!).
The atmosphere here is very good. It doesn’t look like much from outside, but it’s a very long, narrow building with extra high ceilings. The building was built in the mid 1800s and once served as a recording studio. The tables are spaced out pretty well, so no need to listen in on everyone else’s conversation (unless you want to). I’ll give it a 23 out of 30 for atmosphere.
The service was good also; the woman who seated us didn’t seem too enthused, but the waiter was great. He knew everything about the menu and rattled off specials (a venison burger….hmm, may have to try that) easily. It wasn’t super-fast but decently quick, prefer they cook my burger right rather than fast. I’ll give it a 16 out of 20 for service.
Final score = 79 – that’s right up at the top for my listings. Well done.
Booty’s* (#286, 1/13/14) – 66
An interesting place in the Bywater is Booty’s Street Food. I like the concept of Booty’s a lot; basically, the owner has worked and traveled all over the world, so he is trying to bring different basic “street” foods to one place in New Orleans. Don’t go here looking for New Orleans-style food; this is the place for non-New Orleans food. Although don’t be surprised if something New Orleans pops up. I understand the menu is changing constantly, so always worth checking in to see if there’s something new that interests you.
Having said that, the biggest problem we had was that things were not available that we expected/hoped to see, so the online menu may not always be up-to-date. For instance, online reviews talked of the best ceviche in town, but it wasn’t available (this wasn’t on menu either, so not knocking them, just saying). The shrimp tacos, from the menu, sounded good, but they were moving away from any shrimp (due to some sort of shortage, apparently). Thinking fish tacos would be a good substitute, but they didn’t have that. Interestingly, there were no fish products on the menu at all, which seems crazy in New Orleans (of course, see above, not serving “New Orleans” food). None of this is a big deal unless you’re trying to eat vegetarian or pescatarian. In that case, you get a salad, I guess.
Being a dedicated carnivore, I opted for the moros y cerdo (from Havana, Cuba, 23-08′N, 82-23′W; if I could figure out how to make the “degree” symbol, the latitude/longitude would make more sense). This was a tasty pork dish with rice, avocado and chimichurri sauce (each dish has its traditional name and where it’s from, but also, a very helpful description of what it is). Not only was it very good, but it could also be made without pork for the vegetarian population. They have a variety of pepper sauces from around the world and I sampled them all. Not sure which one I liked best, but it was kind of yellow colored, so go with that. I’d like to go back and try some different things, but based on what I had, I’ll give it a 28 on food. Ohh, prices are all pretty much under $10, so it’s reasonable, but again….for a small mason jar of iced tea, it was $3! Since this is common now, I won’t knock Booty’s, but what is with these places? Do they hate making iced tea? Do they figure everyone will just pay it without noticing? I’m adding a New Year’s Resolution of no paying for iced tea!
The atmosphere was good here as well. It fits into the Bywater neighborhood, so a little hipster, very casual-type place. It has a good-sized bar and seating for 20 or so, I’d say. I’ll give it a 22 for atmosphere.
There were lots of complaints about service online, but I didn’t have any problems. I guess it’s not a place to go if in a big hurry (and keep in mind, it’s way out in the Bywater, not going to be a convenient run from the CBD for a one-hour lunch break). Not only weren’t there problems, but they gave us a free drink that they were experimenting with. It was a pinkish color and had mezcal and some sort of Peruvian brandy-style liquor in it. Not sure I would order it, but always like free samples. I’m going with a 16 out of 20 on service.
Final score = 66.
Namese* (#285, 1/9/14) – 61
It may surprise many, but New Orleans supposedly has outstanding Vietnamese food. I hear New Orleans East has a lot of little Vietnamese restaurants that are great. Not being familiar with the cuisine, I am just slowly venturing into that type of food. I dropped in on Namese in Mid-City. One positive thing about it is that it’s on the edge of a fairly rough neighborhood, so it’s good to see a good-looking new business popping up.
As I said, I’m not too familiar with Vietnamese food, so probably not a good judge. I went for a crab rangoon appetizer with a chino churrie sauce. It was pretty good, but I think crab rangoon from Five Happiness is probably better. The dipping sauce could add to it, but they only give you a little and it’s not really easy to dip. For my meal, I went for the House Cured Ducky Cuban. Again, it was pretty good, but nothing spectacular. Prices seemed reasonable to me; one thing I might like to see is a basic lunch menu with some “meal-deal” options (yeah, I’m cheap). Food rating, 28 out of 50.
The atmosphere here was pretty good. Interestingly, they played random 80s rock music, which was a plus in my book. They have a decent outdoor seating area (with heat devices for the colder days). I am giving a 21 out of 30 for atmosphere.
The service was good also. No issues here. A 12 out of 20 for service.
Final score = 61.
Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine (#284, 11/26/13) – 60
Another interesting lunch spot in the CBD, Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine offers a wide-range of Mediterranean food, but, that’s not all! It also has the largest hookah selection of any restaurant I’ve been to – and they’re all for sale! Actually, this is a convenience store as well, so it has a large range of items. I would say the best thing is that it’s open 24 hours. For people out late in the Quarter looking for a quick bite that isn’t pizza or fried food, drop in here, just across Canal Street. The word I here from Mediterranean folks is that it is very authentic as well.
I tried a sampler plate which gave a good range of items. Some very good, some a little plain, but hey, it’s a sampler plate. So as far as food, I’ll give it an average grade of about 28.
The atmosphere…well, it’s part of a convenient store. It’s nothing fancy, but nothing bad. I’ll give it an 18 for atmosphere.
The service was good, very friendly people, though we were a bit confused as to how to pay. After great service, the waitress sort of disappeared, but I think that may have been because we were done. Instead of getting a bill at the table, we just went to the counter and the guy asked what we had and we paid. So I’ll give it a 14 for service.
Final score = 60.
District Donuts Sliders Brew (#283, 11/15/13) – 67
I really like little sandwiches, little burgers, little donuts, etc. I like smaller foods a lot. So when a slider place finally opened up, I knew I would be there soon. District Donuts Sliders Brew is a cool little place on Magazine Street, near Jackson, right next to Stein’s Deli.
First things first, brew refers to coffee, not beer. They have a few basic sliders on the main menu, as well as featured sliders each day. For my trip, the features were oyster, BLT and duck. I opted to stick to the main menu and ordered a cheeseburger slider and a fried chicken slider ($3.50 each). Both were pretty good – burger was very good, chicken was okay. I liked the bread a lot, which is key. Having said that, if you want good sliders in New Orleans, you have to find the SliderShak food truck. But back to this restaurant; I also decided to try a donut, so went for a giant peanut butter and jelly donut with some sort of cream frosting as well (trying to eat healthy). It cost $2.50 and it was pretty darned good. As far as food, I’m going to give this place a 32, good sliders and a unique menu.
The atmosphere was a bit hipsterish. A very cool space, very high ceilings, sort of industrial looking. It has a long bar where you look right at the kitchen, plus a line of nice wood tables. They had some sort of borderline techno music going, which didn’t do much for me. But overall, good atmosphere, I’ll give it a 20 out of 30.
The service was also good. It’s always a bonus when all the workers seem to be having fun. It’s a place where you order at the front register, then they call your name when the food was ready. It was very quick, we were in and out in less than 30 minutes. I’ll give it a 15 out of 20 for service.
Final score is a 67.
Freret Street Po-Boy & Donut Shop* (#282, 11/12/13) – 59
If you find yourself planning on going to Company Burger but forget that it’s Tuesday until you get there (closed Tuesdays), one option is to go a block or so down the street to the Freret Street Po-Boys & Donut Shop. It doesn’t really substitute for a Company Burger, but it’s a decent place with a wide variety of items on the menu.
I went for a cheeseburger (due to the Company craving, I assume). They had a couple of options, one expensive and one cheap. I went for the cheap one. It wasn’t a large burger or anything, but no complaints, a solid basic meal. Also had a look at a six-inch po-boy, which was good, I hear, but also $9.99. So a little pricey. The biggest issue may be the amount of items on the menu; they try to have po-boys, different sandwiches, seafood platters, creole-type dishes and….donuts. Not sure what to make of that, but they do add a good smell to the place. They serve a variety of breakfast items as well, so will have to come back and try the breakfast sandwich for $3.99. Overall on food, I’m going to give it a 28, better than average, but nothing spectacular.
The atmosphere was very basic also. Sort of a diner-style in a small place, making it crowded at lunch time. You can hear much of the conversation of the workers, which isn’t a bad thing in my mind, they seem to enjoy what they’re doing and it has good energy. The energy helps boost it up to an 18 out of 30 in atmosphere.
The service was friendly; as mentioned above, it seems like the people working there enjoy being there, which is always a benefit. However, as also mentioned above, they may be too ambitious with the menu as it took quite a while to get a burger. Nothing too bad, but a bit slow. I’ll give it a 13 out of 20 for service.
Final score = 59.
Rory’s City Kitchen* (#281, 11/9/13) – 51
This is a solid stop for me as I can’t even find any reference to it online; in other words, it’s a bit under-the-radar. Rory’s City Kitchen is located on Oak Street, a little ways past Squeal BBQ on the same side of the road, right across the street from a little convenience store. They basically serve one offering per meal, such as red beans on Monday, smothered cabbage another day and fried chicken another. They also serve basic breakfast plates daily, including a breakfast sandwich for $3. It is a tiny place where you order at the counter and then sit on the one bench and wait.
I dropped in for a couple of breakfast sandwiches – they had a couple different sausages and bacon, so I went with smoked sausage. They grill the sausage and scramble the eggs, then add some cheese and drop it between two slices of white bread – in other words, very simple. And it’s solid. If you’re looking for a quick sandwich with no hassles (and no high prices), drop in. I’ll give it a 28 out of 50 for food.
The atmosphere is next to nothing. No knock on it; it’s just a storefront, but it was as expected, so I’m giving it a 15 out of 30.
The service left a bit to be desired. I was the only one there when I walked in and had a bit of the feeling that it was annoying that she had to get up to serve me, but nothing openly negative. I’ll give it an 8 out of 20 for service.
Final score = 51. Though it’s a low score, it’s not a bad place, it’s just a no frills, grab your food and go place.
Mister Gregory’s* (#280, 11/8/13) – 50
Another downtown lunch spot is Mister Gregory’s on Rampart, across from Louis Armstrong Park. It’s a airy, open little joint with a coffee shop-type feel to it – in fact, I think their focus is different coffees and such.
This was another lunch drop-in for me and I opted for yet another Reuben. The bread was perfectly-toasted and my first bite was outstanding. Unfortunately, as I had more bites, I found that half the corned beef was corned fat. I know some people may like a good amount of fat on a sandwich like this, but I must have had the last of the batch or something. There were bites that I couldn’t even chew. The sandwich came with a little side of tasty pickles and olives and I also tried a squash salad which was decent. I don’t think I’ve ever had a squash salad. I wanted to like everything, but that fatty meat did me in; I’m going to have to drop it to a 15 out of 50 in food. One other annoying flaw – they charged 50 cents for a glass of tap water. I guess it’s only a matter of time before more people do that. They want to get their $2.50 for iced tea, so no more free water.
I really liked the atmosphere, just a fun little open casual lunch spot across from the park. They had good old music playing (Sinatra style tunes) and in general, it had a good vibe. I’ll give it a 22 out of 30 for atmosphere.
The service was friendly, though not the fastest thing out there. It was a little tight to make it from the CBD to here and back in an hour. Not too bad, just be prepared as nothing is pre-made. I’ll give it a 13 out of 20 on service.
Final score = 50.
Little Gem Saloon* (#279, 11/5/13) – 68
I almost like I’m cheating by adding The Little Gem to my list after just having a few appetizers, but I’m giving it a go anyway. The Little Gem is a historic building/club that started its jazz music in the early 1900s. It just recently re-opened after a long layoff; and it’s really an upscale place. I’m looking forward to getting there to listen to some music because of its history, and because they get a lot of good musicians in here.
I tried the crab fritters, which are basically crab balls with a tasty tabasco-based sauce. They were outstanding, as they should have been at three for $11. I also tried the frites with aioli which I have heard are excellent – and they are. The salads also looked pretty good. They also had half-price beer and wine for happy hour which was a pretty good deal. I’m thinking I need to get back there for a real meal, but in general, everything was very good, just expensive. I’ll give the food a 36 out of 50.
The atmosphere was quite bad, but let me clarify quickly. We were there for a little food before a Pelicans game, so there was some sort of live podcast being done and it was pretty awful, just some guys fooling around. In some ways, the ridiculousness of it made it a little funny, but almost painful as well. On a normal night, I would expect the atmosphere is very good – a fancy, old-time feel place. I’ll give it a 22 out of 30.
The service was fine, except we were charged full price for our drinks at first. When I asked about it, it seemed like we had done something wrong. The waitress begrudgingly agreed to check on it and came back with the bill adjusted, like she did us a big favor. This despite the big sign in front of the doors advertising the half-price drinks. I won’t knock it too much because it was taken care of, but a little weird. Service is a 10 out of 20.
Final score = 68.