Advertising works. That’s why companies spend billions each year to promote their products. But it only works once if your product is not worth promoting. This publication has no advertisers that we can’t recommend, but those standards are not the norm. I admit to being influenced by ads, even if I am not sure where I saw it. And I have seen an ad for this place, somewhere, but I just don’t know where. Obviously others have seen it too because people are talking about it. A woman called the show last week to report a great meal had at Filmore. I went with a group on Friday, and I realize the power of advertising is even greater than I thought
I had my suspicions when I finally understood that this was not the Audubon Golf Club, which is not great but the surroundings help. (Fabulous wedding venue, and I have sampled that food, though such things are directly related to money spent.) Filmore is the other golf club, in Lakeview on Filmore. When I walked in, I realized it was the Sunday brunch that had been advertised. And maybe that brunch is good, though it is hard to imagine that based on my experience.
There were five of us, and I was surprised at the number of people there clearly not playing golf. Again, the power of advertising. That also explains our visit to this out-of-the-way-place. The menu was appealing. It was lunch and there were the requisite things on the menu, like a club sandwich and a burger, but more unusual things like a Cuban sandwich and debris fries. To be fair, there were only a few things we tried, because some people got the same thing. But there were four different things on the table and I don’t need to eat any of them again. In fact, I didn’t eat but a bite then. Not worth it.
I am always looking for the nonpareil club sandwich, though I believe it is already at Porter and Luke. A friend told me just last week about an ordinary one at Legacy Kitchen, when he shrugged and said “a club is a club.” He has not had this one. It seemed safe, and it came with housemade chips.
When it arrived, it looked sad. The chips were soggy/stale, and ice cold. One bite, not even a whole chip, did it for me. The sandwich had very little meat in it. Like one slice of the meats, served on flaccid toast. The debris fries were the same kind of fries served at Walk-On’s, but this was hardly the same. A few bites of these and the rest remained on the plate. There were two gumbos on the table, and the question was asked from one diner to another, “Does this rice seem cooked to you?” The other responded with “yes," and later, “no.” But he did offer some nice words about it, reporting a decent flavor.
All of this took an astonishing amount of time to be ordered and consumed. There is no particular atmosphere here. It is a lovely golf club. It looks like a golf club, and if you are a golfer playing golf there, it might be an acceptable, but only that, place to have lunch. All others should eat somewhere else.
Filmore in The Oaks
1040 Filmore Ave. New Orleans
504-875-3787
Mon-Fri. 7am-8pm
Saturday & Sunday 6am-8pm
filmoreintheoaks.com
