Food, Or Scene

It is rare, but sometimes I am mystified by the success of a place. Usually such places are obviously doing things right. But sometimes they are obviously doing things wrong and still it is hard to get in. I will sometimes continue to go to such a place trying to see what I am missing, but sometimes it’s a simple case of people not caring at all about what is placed before them.

This was a common conversation Tom and I had: what is more important…food, or atmosphere? Ideally, you get both in one place.

But there are a lot of exceptions to that. Usually, the food is great and the atmosphere nothing. Uglesich’s, for example, and any number of N’Awlins “dumps” that are always packed. What fascinates me most, though, is when I see a packed place with a fabulous scene, and what is placed before you is so off base you can only scratch your head.

I returned to One Thirteen, the new place in Mandeville from The Rubio Group. Saul Rubio owns a lot of restaurants. One of our all-time favorites is La Caretta Mexican Restaurant. There are plenty of locations of the place, and two are close to us. ML and I started going in 2010 to the one in Mandeville. I have often said about La Caretta that the food is ordinary, but we just love sitting there drinking their great ice tea and chatting over piles of chips and their excellent choriqueso. It is definitely not the best of anything, but it’s good enough.

With the tremendous success of the La Caretta group, Saul has added other projects, like a barbecue place called Salty Joe’s in Hammond (the home base of the entire empire,) the new Lighthouse Coastal Brasserie, Si Señor Taqueria, a venue or two, and One Thirteen. 

I first went to One Thirteen in Hammond about seven years ago. I was captivated by the place. It was unusual in its footprint, with as much outdoor space as indoor. It was quirky in a pleasing way. I couldn’t stop thinking about how great a date place it must be with its twinkling lights and intimate spaces. And I was happy for the college students nearby, who must hang out there. Jacmel Inn is nearby but over 40. Totally lost on kids, but this? This is hip. Cool. Happening.

And then the food came. It was an incongruous mishmash of ideas, executed in the most mediocre way. I was devastated. Here was a place that was thrilling to be a part of, except what gives with this food? Yes, there was a trendy Italian wood-burning oven in the rear of the place, but it requires skill to operate.

When I heard that One Thirteen was moving into the space formerly occupied by the ill-fated second location of Fat Boy’s, I was happy for Saul, and curious. It is located across the parking lot from La Caretta’s Mandeville location, so it is very convenient for Saul, and a good development for Mandeville because that shopping center needs something exciting. And I hoped in the years since I first went to One Thirteen that the food had improved.

Fortunes have been spent on this space. The Fat Boy’s renovation was upwards of $2M, and no expense was spared in this one. Just like the Hammond location of One Thirteen, I am thrilled to be sitting there. The space is gorgeous and the vibe is electric. The wood-burning oven is there. The service staff is solicitous and friendly. Being there makes me happy.

The food is…still incongruous and ordinary. I don’t understand. With success like this and the money that follows, the food out of this kitchen should match all of this fanfare. It’s not terrible. It’s just…nothing.

On the first visit I was brought a pita bread on a board with the server excited to tell me it was from their wood-burning over. Tavi has the real deal version of this, and since this is not a Middle Eastern place, perhaps they could use that oven for a garlic flatbread dusted with Parmesan cheese? I am grateful that any bread is complimentary these days, but I’m sure it would be eaten far more if it was fitting and better.

On my first visit I got crab cakes and I have to say they were just fine. I have no complaint. They were pretty, drizzled with a delicious perky Remoulade sauce, pan-seared, and under-priced for the amount of crabmeat inside. Yes, there was filler and the crab was not lump, but these were tasty crabcakes and return visits will include these.

I also got a hamburger which was the height of ordinary. A pre-formed patty on a fine brioche bun with fresh dressings and ordinary fries. This burger would satisfy the average diner, but is not nearly as good as the one at Chimes, which has shockingly good food when it doesn’t need to be. Based on the glamorous surroundings here, this food should be better. 

The next visit was not solo. I ordered what I thought was a clever appetizer. Different. It was grilled cheese bites with tomato basil soup as a sauce for dipping. Intriguing. I saw a club sandwich on the menu and inquired about it. I was told it was a classic club on toasted sourdough, cut into quarters and arranged in the classic way. I asked to sub the tortilla chips which were obviously done in house. My brother ordered the shrimp pasta, which was something I looked at, so I was glad to be able to taste it.

When the grilled cheese bites came to the table it looked more like an entree than an app. A complete sandwich was quartered and spaced around a full bowl of tomato basil soup. The cheese was not melted as expected when I saw the words “grilled cheese.” The Texas toast bread was grilled and buttery as all grilled cheese is, but it surprised me to see the cheddar falling out. There was also bacon on these sandwich quarters. The bacon was nice bacon. It was a perfectly fine sandwich but just didn’t fit the description. And the soup looked less like a tomato basil soup and more like a Rosa pasta sauce. Again, not bad. Just puzzling.

The classic club was indeed classic, served the original way with chicken, though this was grilled chicken. Slices of not particularly thin chicken were arranged on the sandwich of toasted sourdough which was elongated and just cut in half. There were lots of other liberties taken with the sandwich, which was served with avocado, Pepperjack cheese, and herb mayo. This is not a big thing because the sandwich was really tasty, but what disturbed me was that I’m not sure the servers knew what a classic club is. On the first visit the server did not know the bread they had served me was called pita.

My brother loved his pasta. It was linguine lightly tossed in a roasted red pepper sauce. It had chunks of red bell pepper and onion, squash and mushrooms. The shrimp were enormous, served with tails on.

I tasted this as well, and it was again, just ordinary to me. One of us was happy when it was done, and the other frustrated. The food is fine, for most people. And maybe I’m wrong in assuming that most people want better food. I just feel a place like this demands it. But judging by the glee at all the surrounding tables, maybe not. The surrounding tables were filled with large parties popping champagne corks. If the bubbly is flowing, the food should match.