Brown Butter Crosses Over

Curiosity drove me to discover one of my favorite parts of New Orleans. When the second location of The Rivershack turned up on the other side of the Mississippi River a few years back, I went in search of this Old Gretna place I kept hearing about. That’s when I discovered a little town that rivaled my own for charm. At that time Brown Butter had closed its long-time Mid-City home and I assumed it was just closed.

I don’t know if the Brown Butter Depot, its current location, was already underway, but the Brown Butter Depot has been open a few months now. The original Brown Butter had almost a saloon feel to it, but the Depot is strictly New Orleans, set in a lovely cottage directly across the street from the train depot. Hence the name.

Huey P. Long Ave. in Old Gretna is the main thoroughfare through this delightful area known as Old Gretna, where a Farmer’s Market is a renowned Saturday hotspot. More and more New Orleans restaurants are making their way here, and for good reason, Brown Butter Depot has joined The Rivershack, Tan Dinh, El Gato Negro, Gattuso’s, and two bakeries, Amour and Dough Nguyener's. All of these are pre-dated by the long running restaurant The Red Maple.

The new Brown Butter Depot is dark and stylish in that “another era” sort of way. But the pink neon”Moo Dat” sign places it squarely in this era, in this place. 

A host stand greets you right inside the door, and an affable host is there to attend to you. A large bar takes up the back part of the first room, and another room of equal size makes up the interior seating, Porch seating and patio tables are out front as well.

The food at the Depot is exactly what it was in Mid-City. Trey Herty, the chef from Mid-City, has moved on to do his own thing on the northshore, crafting my favorite hogshead cheese and lots of other Cajun delights at T-Rey’s Boudin on Hwy 59 in Covington. It is available as an appetizer here at The Depot, and one should not miss it. It is chuncky and spicy and everything you even thought hogshead cheese should be.

The Mid-City Brown Butter was renowned for its burgers, and they have crossed the river intact. I had a delicious classic burger perfectly cooked with bacon spilling out the sides, a nice crumpled bun, melted cheese and plenty of fresh dressings. Exactly as a burger should be. There were plenty of options on the menu but I’m a traditionalist. Housecut fries were wonderful at the old place, but they did not make the trip to the Depot. Too bad.

I also ordered my favorite sandwich, the club. I was surprised to see a club on this menu, but when I do see it I have to get it. It was no surprise to see a very good club done here. It was served with a garlic aioli as condiment, and I asked for it on the side instead. The sandwich was so full of ingredients and on such delicious bread, with dressings providing just the right moisture content, that it didn’t really need a condiment.

Just out of curiosity I dipped the sandwich in the condiment and loved it so much that I wished I had trusted them to spread it on the sandwich. It was a great dip too.

I went back for what I thought I remembered on the menu from the earlier visit. For some reason I thought I saw a charcuterie board, but it wasn’t there the second time. I got some of the great macaroni and cheese here, but this was riddled with crabmeat. I was at first put off by the $18 price when I saw the portion, but it was filled with good lump crabmeat, and was so rich I couldn’t have eaten any more anyway. It was made with shellbows and the sauce was decadently creamy. It was heavily dusted with breadcrumbs. I prefer a cheesy crust and no breadcrumbs, but this is a tasty bite.

This new iteration of Brown Butter is a wonderful development for the restaurant and also for Old Gretna. It’s getting to be quite the restaurant mecca. The Depot is a positive addition to the mix, and I hope people will discover the charms of Old Gretna, in general, and now, culinarily.