Koz's

Lakeview: 515 Harrison Ave. 504-484-0841. Map.
Very Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Koz's is a poor boy specialist of the old school. In comfortably worn circumstances, you walk up to the counter, place the order, then sit down and wait until they get around to it. The sandwich will be very large, but if it's still not quite big enough for your needs they can make a sandwich out of an entire poor boy loaf.

WHAT'S GOOD
Everything is cooked here, and if seafood is involved it's usually fried to order. The sandwiches are well-stuffed with whatever belongs on them. The roast beef gravy is a bit lighter in both flavor and color than most. Here we find one of the most under-appreciated poor boys of them all: barbecue grilled ham. The menu also offers a few platters, including the standard daily specials in the red beans, spaghetti, and shrimp Creole vein. While none of it could be called the best in town, the prices are low and the cooking is beyond reproach.

BACKSTORY
Koz's two locations are the successors of the Po-Boy Bakery, a long-running fixture on Franklin Avenue in Gentilly. Gary "Koz" Gruenig began working there at age twelve in the 1970s, sweeping the floor. Owner Jerry Seely gave him the nickname, for "kamikaze without a plane." Koz took over when Jerry retired, and continued running the Po-Boy Bakery until Hurricane Katrina wrecked it with ten feet of water. Koz opened a new shop under his own name in Harahan in 2006. In 2009, he took over the former Charlie's Delicatessen in Lakeview.

DINING ROOM
Both restaurants are spacious and minimally decorated in an old-fashioned neighborhood poor boy shop style. There's a small cafeteria-style line where you place your orders and later pick them up. You will likely eat the sandwich over the paper it came wrapped in.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Starters:
Gumbo
Caesar salad
Greek salad
Chef salad
Poor boy sandwiches:
»Roast beef
Ham
»Fried ham
»Barbecue ham
Smoked sausage
»Hot sausage
Meatball
Turkey
»Barbecue beef
Hamburger
Cheeseburger
Hot dog
French fry
Chicken (fried or grilled)
»Fried shrimp
»Grilled shrimp
»Fried oyster
Fried catfish
Hamburger
»Muffuletta
Platters:
»Red beans and rice
Fried chicken tenders
Grilled chicken
Country fried steak
Fried seafood platters
»Fried chicken (Mo. & Sat. special)
»Pork chops (Tues. special)
White beans (Wed. special)
Meatballs and spaghetti (Thurs. special)
Lasagna (Thurs. special)
Shrimp Creole (Fri. special)
Desserts:
»Bread pudding
»Peach cobbler
Brownie bomb

FOR BEST RESULTS
Tell them to go easy on the roast beef gravy, unless you like sandwiches to fall apart halfway through. This is not fast food. Give yourself at least a half hour to order and eat. The whole-loaf poor boys make terrific party food. (Get the gravy on the side.)

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The roast beef is sliced too thick. This is the kind of place where I'd expect to find liver cheese and stuff like that, but it's not here. (Maybe nobody at all eats that anymore.)

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 -1

Consistency +1

Service

Value +2

Attitude +1

Wine & Bar

Hipness

Local Color +1

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

• Open Sunday lunch
• Open Monday lunch and dinner
• Dinner ends early (8 p.m.)
• Open all afternoon
• Quick, good meal
• Good for children
• Easy, nearby parking

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