Restaurant Delmonico 1300 St. Charles Avenue (corner Erato St. Uptown) 504.525.4937 **** I was working at a client site right on Lee Circle last week, so I decided to walk down to St. Charles Ave. and Erato St. and treat myself to something for lunch a bit above the usual po-boys or fast food. I went to Delmonico. Restaurant Delmonico has been on St. Charles Avenue since 1895. Delmonico is truly a touch of old-style New Orleans. The restaurant is an interesting cross between the grand cuisine of the old-line Creole restaurants such as Antoine's or Commander's, and the neighborhood places like Mandina's and Liuzza's. In terms of formality and price, Delmonico falls someplace in-between. Delmonico is situated in an old house right on St. Charles Avenue. You can ride the streetcar right to the front door. Walking in the front door, you come into a small foyer, and one of the ladies who owns the place (Ms. Angie Brown or Ms. Rose Dietrich) will most likely be there to greet you and get you settled. Delmonico doesn't stand on ceremony, however; if things are busy, just about anyone will grab a menu and get you a table. They won't leave you hanging just for the sake of keeping you waiting. There are two dining rooms in the front, and at least one private dining room in the back. (There may be more private rooms--I only remember one, and it's been some years since I've been to a private function at Delmonico). I got to the restaurant at about ten of twelve, and the front dining room was already full, so they sat me in the back. One of the ladies (I don't know them personally) got me an iced tea, and left me to ponder the menu. I'm not usually a big fan of omelettes for lunch (I prefer omelettes when having brunch hung over, or late-night at Camellia Grill), but I was tempted to order a cheese omelette just because I saw four people at three different tables order it. Instead, I went with one of the not-on-the-menu specials: baked stuffed catfish rolls. There's nothing more Creole than stuffed fish, so what the heck. Lunch at Delmonico comes with a choice of soup and veggie. I went with seafood gumbo and eggplant casserole. Once I placed my order, I had time to look around and enjoy the atmosphere. Delmonico is a classic example of the axiom that New Orleanians are more interested in food than decor. No, Delmonico is not a dump like Uglesich (come to think of it, no place is a dump like Uglesich), but it's not the Waterloo Room at Buckingham Palace, either. The first memory triggered when I sat down at Delmonico was of the old American Legion home on Metairie Road--cozy, old furniture, paintings that have hung on the walls for years, etc. The stuff is in good shape, it just looks like it's been there for twenty years. Why change things when it's not falling apart? You'd just have to raise the prices to do so. (One side note on decor--there was a big bronze plaque from something called the Pelican Brewing Company. Anyone who knows more about this company, please let me know. I'd never heard of it before, and would like to learn more.) While taking in the big mohagany bar at the rear of the dining room, my gumbo arrived. It was good and hot, but not that spicy. The roux was on the thin side, but dark and flavorful. Lots of crabmeat. The turtle soup the guy at the next table ordered also looked pretty good. The earth didn't move when I took my first spoonful, but it was a solid gumbo nevertheless. A small bread tray with slices of french bread was set on my table at the same time as the gumbo. It was good New Orleans french bread, Leidenheimer's or Gendusa's (probably Gendusa's--they do so many of the restaurants nowadays). I'm glad I was in the back room, since I was dining alone. While eavesdropping on the luncheon conversations of others can be interesting, I got a chance to see the interaction between the kitchen, the wait staff, and management as they all gathered at the back cashier's desk. Service at Delmonico is not of the tag-team variety of Mr. B's, but when anyone with a free hand still grabs what's coming out of the kitchen and gets it to the proper table. Again, no standing on ceremony here. This is a New Orleans restaurant, and the food is the number one priority. And it wasn't long before my main course arrived. It was essentially a stuffed catfish roll--two of 'em, to be exact. The filets were rolled around a stuffing that reminded me of what you'd stuff bell peppers or mirlitons with. Lots of shrimp, a hint of okra, and not much bread crumbs at all. The flavoring was subtle as opposed to cayenne-overpowering. The catfish filets were two nice-sized pieces, sprinkled with paprika and baked in butter. My fork broke up everything nicely, no need for a knife. One of the bad things about eating alone is that you don't have conversation to slow down your desire to devour the wonderful food that is in front of you. You also don't have to worry about your lunch partner being offended by your hurried manners. No big deal--the food was great! I made short work of the stuffed fish and baked eggplant on the side, and was soon stuffed myself. Still, this was a lunch for me to enjoy, mainly because it wasn't a Time Sever (oops, EZ-Serve these days) hot dog or Popeye's, so I decided to give the bread pudding a try. It was nice and warm, and the whiskey sauce sweet and thick. That and a strong cup of coffee and chicory made me want to take off and ride the streetcar for an hour rather than going back to the client. The tab for lunch, drink (iced tea), coffee and dessert came to right at $16. I left a twenty, since I usually tip 20% anyway, and I was alone. It was a good meal, one I look forward to repeating soon.
New Orleans, LA