It’s such a blessing to live here and be able to explore all the amazing little places you’d never find as just a visitor. They are as quirky and varied as our neighborhoods themselves, each with their own rhythms, menus, and customers/devotees. Luckily, though, you don’t have to actually live in a neighborhood to enjoy its restaurants. New Orleans is a small enough town that you can get anywhere pretty quickly, and the food is good enough that it’s always worth the trip.
Here in the Treme, we’ve got Lil’ Dizzy’s, with its spread of mouth-watering fried chicken, red beans and rice, and gumbo. I’ve found no livelier place to watch a Saints game than here. Everyone from the guy clearing your table to the women handling the checks at the register to the lady behind the weekend omelette station jumps and shouts so you know it’s ok for you to, too. In fact, they look at you funny if you don’t.
Mid-City/Bayou St. John folks love Parkway for its po-boys and so do I. Cross the Mississippi River over to the West Bank for some of the most delicious pho and Vietnamese food around. And in the Bywater, The Joint delivers up crazy good barbeque (to be a subject of a future post), Bacchanal has the most amazing courtyard and food and wine to match, and Satsuma Cafe does a taste bud right with its delicious sandwiches, fresh salads, made-to-order juices, and ever-changing daily specials.
I discovered Satsuma a few months ago and was immediately won over by the looks of the place. It’s a beautiful building, the walls filled with art from floor to ceiling, and a feel that’s welcoming and warm. Then I had their food and thought to myself, “I want to live right here in Satsuma. I ain’t never leaving, nuh uh.” I’ve had BLT sandwiches that included avocado paste and goat cheese so tasty they’ll make you want to cry. Their so-called “green eggs and ham” special featured scrambled eggs with shaved ham and pesto. So good.
I guess I am not alone in my love for the place, though, as it’s always always busy. But that makes me happy since I want it to be here forever. Oh, and The New York Times also featured it in a recent article and slideshow they did about new restaurants in the city since Katrina.
If you’re not from here and come for a visit, it’s worth searching out. You’ll fall in love, promise. And if you do live here and have never been, then, fool, whatchu waiting for?
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