Mark Latter inherited Tujague’s from his father Steve, who in 1982 purchased the then 124-year-old restaurant from the descendants of the founders. Steve had changed very little about the place when the restaurant passed to his son Mark in 2013. Mark Latter and his wife Candace immediately spruced up the tired physical space and menu. And it wasn’t long after the renovation that Tujague’s moved entirely. Mark and Candace had a much younger vision for the operation, founding Latter Hospitality and moving Tujague’s down the block to a larger space, in a busier and nicer part of the French Quarter. I had my doubts about this move but they somehow managed to bring the spirit of Tujague's into the new building.
When the company expanded into Latter Hospitality, two new restaurants were created to join the group. The new ones are adjacent to each other in the new building on Magazine in the LGD two blocks from the interstate. Both are good restaurants called Bower. The Bower is a more casual restaurant open in the evenings for Happy Hour and dinner, and Birdy’s Behind The Bower is a happening breakfast/lunch/brunch place. Technically, Birdy’s is not behind the Bower. It is across a well-landscaped walkway. The spaces are very different. The Bower is handsome with a nice bar and open kitchen. Birdy’s is hip and fun and bright, airy, and buzzing,
complete with an Instagrammable pink booth in the rear.
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We were down the street at a furniture sale at Merchant’s, so we went to Birdy’s after for brunch. I made a resy as soon as we decided to go to the sale because Birdy’s is so busy I knew it would be a wait. When we came out after 11am, walk-ins were being told it was an hour wait.
Inside was happy and hip. Cool furniture, filled with light, with a wraparound kitchen window of only faces. I am seeing more and more of that style. You can’t really see your food cooking, but you can see who is cooking it.
We sat outside on the large patio with astroturf grass. And cool plastic furniture, with equal amounts wood tables and metal chairs.
We stuck with brunch mostly. There were two boards on the menu. One was a Breakfast Board with mini-pancakes and granola and breakfast meats, fruits, etc. The other board interested us a little more. It was a Biscuit Board. This one came with blueberry compote, maple honey butter, and country gravy.
The Biscuit Board had a pile of soft squarish drop biscuits. These were light and fluffy and buttery, but otherwise pretty ordinary. The blueberry compote was very sweet and pretty basic. The maple honey butter was very good for what it was, but it was the country gravy that shocked me. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was superb. Country gravy has always seemed sort of gross to me, but this was really good. Maybe because it was in a tiny ramekin that obscured my view of the little meaty floating islands present in all country gravy. This was a tinge spicy, with a terrific consistency, and maybe a hint of cheese, or at least the richness it imparts. I loved this sauce/gravy.
For entrees I got my usual American breakfast and we also got Huevos Rancheros. And I wanted to see some lunch items so we got a burger. The two plates that arrived at the table next were very appealing. I asked for eggs over medium. The plate came with toast and bacon as well as breakfast potatoes. The eggs were done beautifully, and the toast was thick, buttery and delicious. This bacon was perfectly done, stiff and crispy. It was thick, good quality bacon. Red potatoes cut in half and fried were part of this plate. These were fluffy inside and perfect for what they were. I’m not a fan of fried breakfast potatoes. I miss real hash browns.
Across the table the Huevos Rancheros underwhelmed. It was made with Adobo braised chicken, and mediocre black beans. I didn’t notice any cheese, and there was a tiny mound of guac. The eggs were appealing. And a few tortilla chips flanked the side, presumably for garnish. This was fine but nothing more.
The burger came with a mixed green salad tossed in a sweet vinaigrette. An interesting mix of greens with a bit of tomato, this was nice. As for the burger, I am so over smash burgers. This was a larger-than-most burger, with patties that weren’t smashed as thin as I usually see them.
It was tasty enough, with more of that terrific bacon done as it should be, sticking out the sides. The aged cheddar was melted and had a great flavor. Housemade bread and butter pickles were placed throughout, and a Creole spread tied it all together. This was a good burger and the burger/salad combo was a nice plate of food.
Nothing on the table here was anything we needed again, but neither was it unappealing. The place was filled with groups of all sizes, with more parties large and small lining up for tables to be vacated.
In 2013, Mark & Candace Latter took over a 160-year-old institution and steered it to the future, focusing on youthful attitudes about dining and trends toward a casual ambience. It’s working for them.
