Mr. Ed’s. Metairie: 1001 Live Oak. 504-838-0022.

Written by Tom Fitzmorris October 10, 2010 20:09 in

3 Fleur
Average check per person $15-$25
 BreakfastNo Breakfast SundayNo Breakfast MondayNo Breakfast TuesdayNo Breakfast WednesdayNo Breakfast ThursdayNo Breakfast FridayNo Breakfast Saturday
LunchNo Lunch SundayLunch MondayLunch TuesdayLunch WednesdayLunch ThursdayLunch FridayLunch Saturday
DinnerNo Dinner SundayDinner MondayDinner TuesdayDinner WednesdayDinner ThursdayDinner FridayDinner Saturday

Mr. Ed's

Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd: 1001 Live Oak. 504-838-0022. Map.
Casual
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Both locations of Mr. Ed's are fine examples of the modern New Orleans neighborhood restaurant. It came along at the perfect time, when more people were dining out more often, and at the same time turning away from any kind of fanciness in their restaurants. Few restaurants have such an all-encompassing menu of everyday, local-style eats. Scattered among all that are just enough sophisticated eats to keep the places interesting.

WHAT'S GOOD
Good food runs through the whole menu. Poor boys are as good as the seafood platters, which are as fine as the spaghetti and Italian sausage or the fried chicken. The portions are grossly oversize, to the point of being a negative. The restaurant defeats such matters with its very appealing prices and cooking to order of everything. The best food here is, oddly, the most ambitious dishes, particularly those based on fresh local fish.

Chicken Parmigiana..

BACKSTORY
Ed McIntyre opened the original edge-of-Bucktown version of Mr. Ed's in 1989. It was such a hit that Ed spun off numerous satellite restaurants, most of which he ran for awhile but then sold. Currently, in addition to the Bucktown original, there's a smaller but handsomer edition in Kenner. McIntyre also owns the more ambitious Austin's in Metairie.

DINING ROOM
In Bucktown, there are two big dining rooms with a bar between them, a pleasant but spartan environment. They can get noisy when full. The Mr. Ed's in Kenner took over a failed gourmet bistro that left behind a sleek, suave look that Ed has only slightly toned down. That one also has a row of outdoor tables that are surprisingly pleasant, even though the whole place is in the middle of a large parking lot.

Sheepshead amandine..

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Starters
»Fried eggplant sticks
»Fried calamari
»Homemade onion rings
French fries
Garlic bread
Cheese fries
»Shrimp cocktail or remoulade
Potato salad
Fried mushrooms
»Gumbo
»Turtle soup
»Italian salad
Chef salad
Grilled chicken salad
Tuna salad plate
Club salad (fried chicken breast, cheese, bacon
»Fried or boiled shrimp salad
Grilled chicken Caesar salad
Chicken salad
Entrees
»Fried seafood platters (catfish, oysters, shrimp, stuffed crab, or combinations)
Meatballs and spaghetti
Italian sausage and spaghetti Ravioli
Veal parmesan
»Chicken parmesan
»Eggplant parmesan
»Lump crabmeat au gratin
»Eggplant casserole with crabmeat and shrimp
Bell peppers stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat, crawfish
Two panneed or grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes
»Panneed veal with fettuccine
»Red or white beans and rice, sausage or pork chop
Grilled shrimp, catfish, or red snapper
»Stewed chicken, rice, macaroni and cheese, vegetables
»Baked or barbecue half chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables
»Fried half chicken
Sandwiches
Poor boys:
»Roast beef
Barbecue beef
»Ham
Turkey
Meatball
»Italian or hot sausage
»Muffuletta
Mr Ed's special (roast beef, ham, turkey and Swiss)
Fried catfish, shrimp or oyster
Mr Club (ham, turkey, cheese, dressed)
Grilled chicken club
»Panneed veal
»Veal or chicken parmesan
Fried chicken fillet
Hamburgers
Desserts
»Bread pudding
Flan
Chocolate mousse
Lemon icebox pie
Peanut butter pie
Cheesecake topped with strawberries
»Banana Foster pie
Chocolate mousse cake

FOR BEST RESULTS
Because it attracts so many families and older customers, Mr. Ed's is much busier in the early evening than later.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The red sauce on the Italian dishes could use a bit more complexity. When either restaurant is busiest, there's no comfortable place to wait.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

  • Dining Environment +1
  • Consistency +1
  • Service+2
  • Value +2
  • Attitude +1
  • Wine & Bar
  • Hipness
  • Local Color +1

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Courtyard or deck dining
  • Good for business meetings
  • 25-75
  • Open Monday lunch and dinner
  • Open all afternoon
  • Unusually large servings
  • Quick, good meal
  • Good for children
  • Easy, nearby parking
  • No reservations