Looking for breakfast in the CBD last week, we settled on Luke, a place we hadn’t been in a very long time. There was no one in the place, but it was 10:30. I looked at the menu on my phone and was disappointed to find a much-abbreviated one from the online version. I was told by the waitress that I was looking at a room service menu, but why would that be?
It didn’t matter. I was going to get my usual simple breakfast anyway, and Tom saw a Pan Perdu that would definitely work for him. It was two slices of Challah with mascarpone and Allan Benton’s bacon. Tom had a few bites of this and was not inclined to continue. I had better luck, My two organic eggs were cooked perfectly sunny, with a thin edge around the circumference that made it resemble a doily. I love this effect. It was served with McEwens stone-ground grits which are absolutely superior to all other grits out there. The housemade andouille was very spicy and had the right heft, grilled very nicely. I am no more a fan of Benton’s bacon than Tom. I find it has the looks of Little Tykes fake food but has a nice smoky flavor and the proper thickness. And the biscuit was right up there in all the ways I like. Crusty on top, from the cut biscuit universe, and flaky. All of this would have been much better if it hadn’t been actually cold. It was brought by someone other than our waitress, so I don’t know how long it was sitting in the window, which at Luke is out of sight.
We ran into Octavio, which was nice, and got caught up on all the various restaurants in the BRG empire. We talked about mutual friends and the bright future of La Provence.
I would love to have tried a few other things on the menu, but was grateful to have had what I had. And we should have sent Tom’s back. It needed a lot of work. I’ve never been a big fan of Luke, but I think I keep getting the wrong things. I need to go back and find the right things. They have to be there.
Luke
333 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans
504-378-2840
7am-11pm Seven Days
lukeneworleans.com
