A year ago a radio caller who understands my obsession with housecut fries called about a place at the Mandeville lakefront which had great burgers and housecut fries. I was familiar with the place, called Kelly’s Coastal Cabana, and had been there once with a friend. It was underwhelming, mainly because their outdoor space was entirely under roof, and sort of dark. I don’t remember the food at all.
This call caused me to return there and I did so fairly immediately. French fries cut in house at a place that seems like a California haunt for beach bums? In Mandeville? I was intrigued.
What I got was indeed what the caller had promised. A double Wagyu smashburger and a pile of housecut fries. This was a tasty take on the combo. The bun was ordinary but everything else was great. Fresh dressings and overall a nice bite of food. What was most outstanding was the housecut fries. These were very impressive.
We also got Tendies, their version of chicken tenders. These were just a tad greasy but otherwise very good, and for $9.50 it was a generous plate of fries and chicken. More of these great fries.
I haven’t thought much about the place though I did like the fries, and then I started seeing great fries and burgers on IG. After further inspection I noticed the address that was once the great 1179 on Magazine under the overpass. The place is called Kelly’s Nola. I checked and saw that the logo was similar and I realized that our Mandeville Kelly’s Coastal Cabana had added a location across the lake. Good for them.
This move was happening at the same time that a better burger with less good fries was moving to Mandeville. Bub’s, the Mid-City hotspot near Jesuit had started to put their purple and brown colors on a little building that has been a lot of things across from the Capital One on Hwy 22. I have been carefully watching this one, and their opening is imminent.
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I am very excited about this development. Bub’s is a perfect little burger with its rumpled bun and seared patties and cheese oozing from the sides. It’s got the requisite grease shine on the bun, with just the right everything.
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While each place has its pros and cons, the Bub’s burger and the Kelly’s fries is the best combo, and on the Northshore I don’t have to drive as far to pair them as I would on the Southshore. That’s kinda dangerous.
