My days at the Old Coffee Pot go back to UNO. The early Seventies. I had just switched from being a math major (can you imagine that?) to drama. Here was a completely new set of people.
These people hung out at The Old Coffee Pot, or The Coffee Pot, as we called it. The clientele at the Coffee Pot was a mix of tourists, mostly, and people who lived in the Quarter. These new people I met in the drama department at UNO were definitely Quarterites. Artistes. I found their company inspiring and the scene in the Quarter mesmerizing.
We always sat at tables near the window, to take in the scenes of the French Quarter. My favorite memory was watching a few guys literally fall out of the loading dock door at what was then an A & P store. Scenes from daily life on the street were always entertaining. As was the conversation. Hanging out at the Old Coffee Pot made me wonder why I was working at the Time Saver. And soon I wasn’t. Instead, I was writing for the View Carre Courier before becoming editor of New Orleans Magazine.
These were the halcyon days of the Coffee Pot, which had been a Quarter hangout since the Forties. Set in the carriageway of an 1829-vintage townhouse, the basics of the Creole canon were all here: gumbo, red beans and rice, poor boys, fried chicken, shrimp Creole, and fried seafood prepared consistently well each day. A blackboard listed daily specials like meatloaf in brown gravy. But we went for the breakfast, which was served all day. Great omelets and biscuits. Fine pancakes, and grillades and grits.
Here is where I first tasted Ranch dressing. Jim Maxie, the owner of the Coffee Pot back then, had discovered ranch dressing in its original location out west, where it was sold in the gift shop. He arranged to retail it in packets at the Coffee Pot, and it was all the rage back then. It was the nexus of the Jayne Salad, a very generous pile of spinach with eggs and cheese and shrimp and this utterly delicious (and at that time) unique buttermilk dressing. They couldn’t call it Ranch dressing at the Coffee Pot, but they could sure sell the packets. And they did.
Another personal favorite of mine was the Eggs Jonathan, one of the restaurant’s best sellers. Yes, the dish was named after Jonathan, whose namesake restaurant a few blocks away was the talk of the town. He came into the Coffee Pot to cheers, sometimes. Eggs Jonathan was a Benedict before they became ubiquitous. It was a poached egg over grilled ham with a grilled tomato piled on top of an English muffin, then topped with Hollandaise. In the beginning this was served with oysters, but later with grilled or fried shrimp. The lost bread and jambalaya were also restaurant favorites. And of course, the calas. (pictured.)
I have always been partial to these rice cakes, because they go way back in my family. My mother was from Avoyelles Parish, and her sister was named Calas. These are starchy rice balls flavored with cinnamon and sugar, then deep-fried and served with syrup. Originally sold as a street food off of carts at the French Market, the Coffee Pot kept them relevant.
Dustin Palmisano kept the calas and everything else when he took over about ten years ago. He started as the chef at the Old Coffee Pot, moved on to manager before becoming its owner. Soon after he took over, the Cafe Beignet people approached him to buy it, but he had just started his tenure as owner. The ten years passed quickly though, and a messy divorce and interminable French Quarter construction took its toll. Enter Gordon Ramsey. The owners of the building mentioned one day that they had signed on to do the show. Dustin knew where this was headed. Only about 30% of such restaurants survive this reality show.
The Cafe Beignet people still wanted the location, so after the restaurant closed, a deal was struck. Recipes have been shared, and the Coffee Pot goes on. Sort of. It will become a fast-casual restaurant with none of the former staff. All the chatty ladies will not be there. Miss Pearl has long retired, battling health issues. She was the soul of the place.
It will be more Cafe Beignet, and very little of the Old Coffee Pot. But there will be calas.
Dustin Palmisano landed on the north shore in Covington as the owner of Palmisano’s Catering & Cafe. palmisanocc.com. Tucked away in a cute little place on 32nd St off Lee Road, it’s a rare gluten-free cafe. With calas.
Want to hear a dirty secret about the Old Coffee Pot? The coffee was the worst thing there.
