An Evening of Contrasts

The Preservation Resource Center has a tour of Midcentury Modern homes every year where three  houses are toured. They call it Happy Hour, and there is a different cocktail featured in each of the homes. My intention was to go to this event and then move on to the Happy Hour at Avegno. When I called Avegno after the tour, I was told they had a buyout for the evening. I decided to go across the river to a place that intrigued me from Instagram.

At dinner with a restaurateur friend recently, he told me that all restaurant food would be delivered by Waymo shortly. My son agrees and told me it would originate with a picture on IG. I realized on the way over to get this pizza that I was doing exactly as they had said. But it did look good on IG! I went to Old Gretna, which is a place I’m always eager to visit. Huey P’s is the name of the place, and I was not really surprised to see some Vietnamese dishes on the menu. The Vietnamese first entered the restaurant industry in a big way on the Westbank. and in New Orleans East. This pizza place also offered egg rolls and daiquiris as part of its menu. It was an eclectic mix of things. And an unusual place.

Huey P’s sits in a row of buildings in the first block from the river, on the busiest street in old Gretna. Its green awning over the front entrance looks fancy. But it is not at all fancy inside, and the front entrance is an open outdoor space under the awning. The front door is recessed way back from the street, with several picnic tables for outdoor seating. This outdoor space is dark and probably quite warm in summer, with no ventilation.

Once inside the front door, you can go right to the small dining room or left to I’m not sure what. The girl behind the counter is very friendly and helpful, and my food was ready when I arrived. I ordered pizza, egg rolls, and lasagna, which came with a house salad. 

When the question of dressing came up, I asked if they made them in-house. She told me only two were housemade: a peanut vinaigrette and a Balsamic vinaigrette. I went for the peanut dressing. Tom loved peanut salad dressings, but that always sounded weird to me. I was skeptical, but the basic Romaine and grated carrot salad was so fresh and vibrant in color that I couldn't wait to try it. I have to say I understand now. Delicious!

The fried spring rolls I got came two to an order. They were made with pork, jumbo lump crab, and shrimp. I am always hesitant to combine all those proteins, but one of my regular things to eat is the pork and shrimp dumplings at my favorite Chinese place in Los Angeles, Din Tai Fung. And these were also very good. It was served with that gelatinous pink dipping sauce that reminds me of hair gel from the 1970s. I much prefer spicy soy sauce with ginger, but I didn't notice the pink stuff until I was in the car. These were quite good anyway. Crispy and greaseless, it was a nice bite.

The lasagna was much better than I expected. It seemed a smallish portion, but it was only $15. The brick of lasagna was crusty on the top, oozing with ricotta and meat sauce, and layered with noodles. I thought this was really tasty.

The pizza was a bit of a disappointment. They boast about making their own crust and of using only the freshest ingredients. Indeed they do.

The crust was thin and crunchy on the perimeter, but the cheese was excessive, and that made the interior too thick. The mushrooms and sausage were very good as individual ingredients, and I added pepperoni. The middle thickness made this what I call a hybrid pizza rather than a New York-style pizza, but it was just fine. The edges of the crust flaked and crunched, and there was a little char in spots.

I think I would go to another more of a real New York-style pizzeria before making Huey’s a destination for pizza, but neighbors should be delighted to have such a place in the neighborhood. It's a great neighborhood restaurant, and the food is good.

I drove away, marveling at the contrasts of the evening. I began with a tour of elegant homes from the last century, and ended the evening with a visit to a neighborhood restaurant, where an intercultural menu is a trait that defines this century.