Café Fiorella* (#258, 5/6/13) – 43
This place kind of stinks. I guess I should rephrase, just to be polite. If you work in New Orleans and you decide to grab lunch in the French Quarter, it will probably take some time, but we went here and it took close to 45 minutes just to get our food – and we had a salad and red beans & rice. There is a sign on the wall from “Mama Fiorella” that says all food is prepared fresh, so please by patient. I’m guessing they don’t prepare each serving of red beans & rice individually, but who knows. It was probably the salad that held things up that long.
So anyway, if you’re going to just hang out for awhile and maybe have a couple of beers (or a six-pack), then maybe the wait won’t bother you that much here. However, since the place is kind of dirty and dingy with uncomfortable seating, I’m thinking you can do much better for yourself than here.
As far as ratings…will start with service: out of 20 points, I will give it a three. The waiter did apologize a lot for the wait, but he also said, “Ok, grabbing your food now, will be right out with it.” And then he took somebody’s money, went to the register, cashed them out, then refilled someone else’s drinks.
I may have referenced the atmosphere a bit with the “dirty and dingy” stuff, so you know where this is going. They did have music playing, through the tv and one of those tv music stations. I heard some Roxette, I think, which sure makes you think New Orleans. So out of 30 points for atmosphere, I’m giving this is a five.
And on to the food. Get this, it was good! The red beans & rice were (was?) excellent and the grilled shrimp salad had solid reviews. We didn’t even try the fried chicken, which is supposedly their specialty. So that was quite surprising, almost disappointing. When a place starts bad, you kind of hope the food will stink too. But anyway, out of 50 points, I will give the food a 35.
Final score: 43. Must be my lowest ranking yet. Did I rank Fellini? I don’t think I had my ranking system in place. I think Fellini may be worse though.
Bombay Club (#257, 4/10/13) – 62
Don’t be misled, The Bombay Club is not Indian food. It seems to take its name from what you would imagine a British club-type place would be like in India in the late 1800s. It’s connected to the Prince Conti Hotel within a couple of blocks of Bourbon Street, but it doesn’t come across as being a hotel restaurant. The casual-style bar is essentially part of the restaurant which gives the overall place a more casual feel. There is live music most nights, just a small band playing basic jazz music (Louis Prima and the like); good volume so you can still talk.
The food here was very good – I had the stuffed shrimp, which was very good – the stuffing is quite rich (no surprise). Added some asparagus with it, which was also good. I also sampled the drum, which was outstanding – a massive hunk of tasty fish with bearnaise sauce. I would get that if I went back. So for food, I’m going with a 38 out of 50.
I always forget where drinks come into my ratings. Should that be under food or atmosphere? Regardless, they have a very extensive martini list here. If martinis are your drink, come by this place and at least visit the bar. While not a martini, I went with “Death in the Afternoon,” primarily due to the name. It’s a champagne cocktail with the bubbly being mixed with absinthe. I really want to like absinthe, but I continue to struggle to finding good combinations for it (the sazerac seems to the best use thus far). This drink was decent, but don’t think I’d go for another – an edit here, very interesting, “Death in the Afternoon” is a drink invented by Hemingway, and he even has a book by that name – a book that has now been added to my reading list.
The atmosphere is mostly described above, except for one quirk – the tables were very wide. I felt like a little kid trying to lean up to the table to be able to hear what’s going on across the way. Not a big deal, but weird. I would say out of 30 points for atmosphere, I’ll give them a 19.
Service is where the problems came up. As far as I could tell, they had a manager, a bartender, a hostess and two waiters. And it’s a decent-sized place. In other words, the service wasn’t good. Our waiter, Luan, was either incompetent, frazzled or overwhelmed. We ordered drinks which took forever, but still planned on having another. He came by the table, picked up our empty glasses without a word and left. Interesting. It also took quite a while to get the bill, even though I asked quite early (figuring it may take a while).
They even had a local celebrity sighting, as piano great Ronnie Kole came in with his wife. After much doting by the manager, Luan managed to ignore them for quite awhile as well. So for service, they’re getting a five out of 20.
Final score = 62.
Death in the Afternoon.
Bayona (#256, 4/4/13) – 78
Finally made it out to Bayona, the Susan Spicer French Quarter restaurant. Right off the bat, it’s my type of place. It’s in an old house/cottage with a cool little courtyard. Inside, there are a variety of rooms and neat spaces. Even though it’s very close to Bourbon Street, it seems to be tucked out of the way; and with just a small unlit sign, it adds to that effect.
It’s a little strange in that they ask you to put in appetizer and entree orders at the same time as it has a small kitchen and it could greatly delay your entrees. Hard to say, we had a group which may confuse things. Regardless, it was fun space to hang out and the food was great.
The website has a sample menu, as it changes quite regularly. I had a hangar steak which was designed to come with portobello on top, but I skipped the mushrooms – actually, the sauce included mushroom parts and I kind of liked it, which is bizarre. The steak was excellent as well as the appetizers that we tried (including an interesting oyster combination). I would say out of 50 points, this place gets a 40 for food. Keep in mind that it’s pricey, but it’s worth it.
Atmosphere was excellent as well – as I said, I like the old cottage style with different rooms, adds good character. The room we were in only had about four other groups. One large group was kind of freaked out by a bug on the floor. I was entertained when the waitress said, “Oh, that’s not a cockroach, that’s just a june bug.” Oh well then, so much better. The table had Europeans – do they not have roaches in Europe? If not, then they had a good traditional New Orleans experience. Back to ranking, atmosphere…25 out of 30.
Service was decent, but not great. It took a little while to get drinks, which is always a problem. But not really a big deal, I have had much worse – see the next entry for evidence of that. Out of 20 points, I’ll give them a 13 on service.
Final total = 78.
Nosh* (#255, 3/25/13) – 53
When the Groupon drifted through mentioning sliders, you had to know I’d be on board. And I finally used it (always a bonus when I actually use the Groupons that I buy) to visit Nosh. Located on Dauphine in the French Quarter, it’s a very low-key, not-fancy, diner-style place. It’s a little bizarre as it features sliders and…breakfast? Not sure about that, but as far as the breakfast goes, Yelpers and the like don’t seem to like it. But for me, I was all about the sliders.
They have quite a variety, beef, buffalo (it’s bison), turkey, fish, pork, and even portobello, though I’m not sure why anyone would want to eat mushrooms. Speaking of the portobello, it is actually “petite portobello” according to the menu, and according to my eyes. Wow! Two little mushrooms on the roll, they weren’t much bigger than a quarter each.
I went for a couple of beef and one buffalo and they were pretty good. I opted for whole wheat buns as I’m on a bit of a health kick. I also tried the sweet potato fries and the tater tots – good quantities of both of those and they were pretty tasty. Overall on the food side, I’d say good. Hmm, I’ll go with a 30 out of 50. Didn’t knock my socks off, but not bad; if I’m in the area, I’ll consider going back, but doubt I’ll make a special trip.
The atmosphere is pretty basic. Seems like they could liven it up some, but maybe it’s still new. Regardless, will have to give it a 15 out of 30 in the atmosphere category.
Service….might be a problem. Our waitress was very nice, new to the job so won’t hold that against her – and she did get everything right, so really no knocks there. It just took a very long time. If they’re just cooking breakfast and sliders, it doesn’t seem like it should take 40 minutes to get food. A little bit of a challenge to go here on a one-hour lunch break. So I’ll give it an eight out of 20 in service.
Final score: 53.
Sante Fe (#254, 3/17/13) – 50
As I’ve said many times, New Orleans is not really a place to look for great Mexican food. However, Santa Fe was a pretty good stop. A nice, casual place with covered patio seating which is great when the weather is good. Located on Esplanade Avenue, it’s a good stop after a run to the Fairgrounds for some horses. Assuming around Jazzfest it’s a madhouse.
Interestingly enough, this place was started by a German chef and more bills itself as Southwestern food and not Mexican, again confirming the lack of Mexican food here.
The word on the street was that this place had outstanding bean dip – and sure enough, it did. I’m not really a big bean dip guy, but it was definitely worth a try.
For the main course, I went with some sort of combination that included a chicken enchilada, beef relleno and a pork tamale. All solid choices. Again, nothing spectacular, but it was good.
Food-wise, my grade is a 30 out of 50. It was solid, but not great. The atmosphere was very good (other than the crazy-annoying parrots in the trees); I’ll give it 20 out of 30. Service was solid as well, however, my big knock would be that I went on a Saturday at about noon once and they only served brunch – and the brunch was awful. If you don’t like juevos rancheros, you’re out of luck. It seems to me that brunch at a Mexian )or Southwestern) place should still have quesadillas and fajitas. But regardless, that was pretty annoying, so instead of knocking the food, I’m taking those points off service, giving it a zero for service.
Final score: 50.
Toups Meatery (#253, 3/8/13) – 75
Toups Meatery in Mid-City is a pretty cool place. A good location on Carrollton Avenue and a friendly set-up inside, as well as outdoor tables. It seemed like an open and airy, as well as friendly place. I’m in for a return trip.
The food was very good; opened with some chargrilled oysters (a special) and then went for the Toups Burger, which was a combo of beef and pork. I like these people who are working on mixing up their meats. I support this practice. It also had squash on it, instead of pickles. Not sure what to make of that, but it wasn’t anything negative. The word on the street is that the pork chop is awesome, but since it was just lunch, I went a little lower key. So for one lunch trip, I’m giving the food a solid 38 out of 50. Hmm, no mention of price….can you tell I didn’t pay? It’s not a cheap lunch, but everything is well worth it.
I mentioned that the atmosphere was good; I liked the set-up and seating, etc. I’m going with a 21 out of 30. And the service was excellent as well. We had a very friendly server who wasn’t overbearing and knew what he was talking about. All good, so a 16 on service.
Final score: 75.
Kobe Teriyaki* (#252, 3/7/13) – 57
I believe my first Gert Town meal was at Kobe Teriyaki on Earhart Blvd, a couple of blocks off Carrollton (Gert Town is one of the many New Orleans neighborhoods). I drive by the place regularly on the way to work – just as I had driven by the string of other restaurants which tried to give it a go in this location. However, after reading a Gambit story about it, I figured I’d give it a try.
Parking is odd (no real spaces, but doesn’t seem to be a problem, and the place is nice and clean with a fast-food style set-up. Prices were very reasonable and it was quite a bit of food. Overall, a decent place for a basic lunch.
I ordered the combination bowl, which was chicken (teriyaki) and beef (teriyaki) over rice with vegetables. A decent meal, which also included a salad (essentially a container of lettuce). The menu states that the wings are the best on the planet and one of the people with me gave them a try and admitted they are very good, so those may be worth trying. My biggest “food” complaint was a drink complaint. No artificial sweeteners at all in the place. Bizarre. “There’s sugar in the cup right there.” Like, maybe I’m diabetic and can’t just dump real sugar in my drink (or maybe I’m not and I just like sweet and low). So for food, I’ll give it a 30 out of 50 (average-tasting food for what you would expect, but very good quantity and reasonably-priced).
The atmosphere is….well, a typical fast-food type atmosphere, though probably cleaner than any fast food place in New Orleans, so I’ll give it a 17 out of 30.
Service was fine also. You order at the counter, then get your own drink and they bring the food out to you. So essentially average, 10 out of 30.
Final score is a 57.
Dreamy Weenies* (#251, 3/5/13) – 75
While the New Orleans burger-craze has been getting a lot of attention, there are also quite a few hot dog joints opening up. I believe Dat Dog is the leader as far as wieners, but Dreamy Weenies is a pretty solid option. Located on Rampart Street on the edge of the French Quarter right across from Armstrong Park, it’s a better option for me as it’s downtown. Plenty of parking usually and it wasn’t overly crowded (maybe bad for them).
I just had a basic beef frank, but they have quite a variety and, based on yelp and friends with meat issues, the vegetarian and vegan options are a major bonus.
I would say as far as a food rating, it’s a solid 37 out of 50 – it’s just a hot dog, but pretty good size with a decent bun (whole wheat buns available too, I should have tried that). The atmosphere is excellent. As I said, right across from Armstrong Park, a nice, high-ceilinged, clean place with plenty of seating. They played some New Orleans music while I was there. I’ll go with 22 out of 30. The service is basic; you order at the counter and they bring it out to you. It’s family-owned though which means people are vested in the product/service, which can’t be over-rated in New Orleans. The guy who waited on us knew the menu perfectly, gave us good information and was good and friendly, I’m going to give a 16 out of 20.
Final score for the Weenies – 75.
Two quick notes – it’s cash only (ATM on site with $0.99 charge) and there’s no booze. Just fyi, if you want hot dogs and beer, go to Dat Dog. If you want hot dogs, followed by some tasty drinks, then eat here and wander to Bar Tonique a couple of blocks down.
Wayfare* (#250, 2/27/13) – 79
There’s been a lot of talk about this Wayfare place, one of the latest cool spots in the revitalization of Freret Street. So I finally checked it out. And…I think I’m getting cheap. It was very good, no doubt, but getting a ham sandwich and chips with a drink (non-alcoholic) for about $17 seems a bit much. But it is a solid place and I liked the feel of it a lot.
So to cut to the chase and the ratings. Starting with the food, the media day (ham and pork) sandwich I had was excellent and the macaroni and cheese that I sampled was outstanding. Other items looked good on the menu as well; and for the non-carnivores, don’t be afraid of the menu, they say they always have vegetarian specials and options. The sandwiches themselves aren’t terribly pricey, but to get anything with it, it jumps fast, so that’s my only knock. Out of 50 possible, I’m giving this place a 37 in food.
Atmosphere was outstanding; I really liked the feel of the place. It has a nice bar and wide-open spaces. Very casual, but comfortable. I’ll give it a 25 out of 30 in atmosphere.
You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you, so pretty basic service. But very friendly staff and people offering refills and anything else regularly (without being annoying). Solid service, so a 17 out of 20 there.
Final score: 79. Pretty darn good.
Charcoal* (#249, 2/25/13) – 47
I don’t like to wait long before checking out new burger joints; and this time, it took me about 11 days to get to Charcoal on Magazine Street (at intersection of Jackson). I linked into their Facebook as their official website is pretty much worthless.
I was pretty excited to check this place out as it has some very interesting sounding burger – bison, to start with, always like a good bison burger, but also venison, elk and antelope. Crazy. I’ll probably pass on the deer, but I’ve never eaten those other creatures and I sure want to. Having said that, for my first trip, I figured I was best off going for a bison burger so I could properly evaluate it.
And it turns out it was….okay. Paying $15 for a burger is a bit crazy, and in this case, it was more bread than meat; and it probably could have been cooked a little more. I opted for the Hawaiian Sweet bun, just too much bread and the patty itself wasn’t substantial. So an average burger, not a good start at a “gourmet burger bar.” They do have sweet potato tater tots which I thought were quite good. Also homemade chips come with each burger and they were decent. So out of 50 possible points on food, I will give this a 25, for average (probably loses points due to high prices – Cowbell burger is much better and cheaper, with fries).
Atmosphere was not impressive at all. They have bar-style seating along the walls and against the counter and it’s not that comfortable – seemed pretty crowded in general. It didn’t seem to have any “feel” to it at all. Just a neutral place – I hear they have an upstairs area, which was closed, so I’m not sure if that’s better. I’m going with a little below average for atmosphere, so 12 out of 30.
The service was pretty bad – though being so knew, I can understand struggles. You order at the counter, then find an open seat. Keep in mind, you need to get a clipboard to fill out your order in advance. Of course, the clipboards are at the counter, so you can wait in line for 10-15 minutes, then realize you have to fill out the paper, which holds everyone up even longer. The women I dealt with at the register struggled quite a bit, but made it through. I would recommend they get some sort of self-service screens and let people enter their order themselves, then pay at the end. I see no reason this wouldn’t work. Anyway, service, I’ll go with 10 out of 20 (and only that high due to new-restaurant benefit-of-the-doubt).
Final total: 47.