Corky’s. Metairie: 4243 Veterans Blvd. 504-887-5000.

Written by Tom Fitzmorris September 20, 2010 04:05 in

2 Fleur
Average check per person $5-$15
 BreakfastNo Breakfast SundayNo Breakfast MondayNo Breakfast TuesdayNo Breakfast WednesdayNo Breakfast ThursdayNo Breakfast FridayNo Breakfast Saturday
LunchLunch SundayLunch MondayLunch TuesdayLunch WednesdayLunch ThursdayLunch FridayLunch Saturday
DinnerDinner SundayDinner MondayDinner TuesdayDinner WednesdayDinner ThursdayDinner FridayDinner Saturday

Corky's

Metairie 3: Houma Blvd To Kenner Line: 4243 Veterans Blvd. 504-887-5000. Map.
Very Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
New Orleans was not much on barbecue when Corky's came to town. So it made a big splash. It has many aspects of a chain restaurant, but the slow-smoked, Memphis-style barbecue is beyond reproach--particularly in the pork department. It would be a decade after Corky's opened before anything as good came to our town.

WHAT'S GOOD
Corky's delivers the most important quality of good barbecue: smoke. That's what does all the cooking. This is in particular evidence in its specialties, the pulled pork and ribs. The former is in the smoker for hours measured in double digits, and comes out tender and loaded with flavor. The ribs, on the other hand, are even more densely smoked and encrusted with dry rub. The meat does not fall off the bone; you need to go after it. That's the hallmark of great ribs. The brisket is also good, but not as good as the brisket across the street at the Texas Barbecue Company. The sauce is the best bottled sauce I ever tasted, and has a distinct flavor of cinnamon in the background.

BACKSTORY
Corky's opened in 1992 as the first branch of the original Corky's in Memphis, a serious barbecue town. There, Corky's was so wildly popular that people would wait an hour to eat there. It was that way for a while after it opened in Metairie, but with so much more barbecue on the scene now you can usually get immediate seating. A fire in the spring of 2009 shut it down for awhile, but it came right back as good as ever.

DINING ROOM
It has the look of a fast-service restaurant, with a decor dominated by icons from the 1950s and music to match. It's self-service for the most part.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Sandwiches
»BBQ pork
»BBQ beef brisket
Grilled chicken
Fried chicken
Turkey
»Grilled sausage
Hamburger
Fried shrimp
Entrees
»Pork ribs, wet or dry
»The Killer (ribs plus choice of chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, turkey, sausage or fried catfish)
»BBQ pulled pork
»BBQ beef brisket
BBQ chicken
BBQ pork and spaghetti
BBQ beef and spaghetti
»Roasted chicken dinner
Roasted turkey dinner
»BBQ sausage plate
»BBQ shrimp dinner
Stuffed baked potato (with choice of pork, beef, chicken or turkey)
»Red beans and rice with pork, beef or chicken
»Hot tamales with chili and cheese
Tamale sampler
Catfish dinner
Fried shrimp dinner
Chicken tenders
Starters and sides
Baked potatoes
BBQ salad (with choice of pork, beef, chicken or turkey)
Chicken or shrimp Caesar salad
Southern style salad (with fried chicken chunks)
»BBQ beans
Cole slaw
»Potato salad
Steamed vegetables
French fries
Sweet potato fries
»Corn on the cob
»Onion ring loaf
Chips and salsa
Mozzarella cheesesticks
»Chicken wings
Italian spaghetti
Chicken tenders appetizer
Chili cheese fries
Cheese nachos
BBQ pork nachos
Desserts
Chocolate fudge pie with ice cream
»Pecan pie with ice cream
»Apple cobbler with ice cream
»Bread pudding pie
Cheesecake
Banana pudding
Root beer float
Ice cream

FOR BEST RESULTS
Stick with the barbecue. The menu is full of miscellaneous items that they don't do very well. (The spaghetti may be the city's worst.) Barbecue is one of the few cooked foods that doesn't suffer from being taken out; that may be better than eating in. The catering menu is excellent and a great value.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Early on, Corky's developed a New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp (not covered with barbecue sauce) that was superb. It's still there, well hidden on the menu. The side dishes are uniformly just okay.

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

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Open Sunday lunch and dinner
  • Open Monday lunch and dinner
  • Open most holidays
  • Open after 10 p.m.
  • Open all afternoon
  • Unusually large servings
  • Quick, good meal
  • Good for children
  • Easy, nearby parking
  • No reservations