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Russell's Marina Grill
West End & Bucktown: 8555 Pontchartrain Blvd. 504-282-9980. Map.
Casual
AE DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
One of the most popular breakfast and lunch spots near the Lakefront, Russell's staff and customers have a cheerful camaraderie and a firm belief that there are few better places to eat eggs. This is not supported by the goodness of the food, which despite the many imaginative dishes (a surprising number of which address the tastes of the gym crowd) are pretty ordinary.
WHAT'S GOOD
Its worth coming here for the onion mum, which is no longer being served in many independent restaurants. The basic breakfasts, pancakes, waffles, and omelettes are much better than the far-out variations. The sandwiches are pretty good. The best food of all is to be found among the lunch specials.
BACKSTORY
Opened in 1985 by the owner of a chain of drycleaning shops who wanted to diversify, Russell's passed to its current owner Pavlo Petrou in 1989. It evolved from a New Orleans neighborhood cafe into a standard American diner, keeping enough local dishes to set it apart. Two parts of the menu became extraordinarily popular: breakfast and a then-unique item called the onion mum. That's a large onion cut to resemble the flower, then deep fried and served with a dipping sauce. This quickly spread to other restaurants, notably Copeland's and later other chains. Although it's said to be common in Australia, in fact no record of anything like this anywhere predates Russell's serving of it. I remember that it was a major phenomenon at the time. Like everything else in that part of town, Russell's was deeply flooded after Katrina. It's return brough it much love.
DINING ROOM
Large windows on two side give onto the marina. You know the lake is nearby, which feels good. The interior is decorated with paintings of the lake and boats and such. Tables out on a patio are welcome in tolerable weather.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Breakfast
»Belgium waffle
Multigrain waffle
»Bananas Foster waffle
»Waffle West End (with fried chicken strips)
Pancakes
Multigrain pancakes
Sweet potato pancakes
French toast
»Fresh fruit salad
Oatmeal
Grilled biscuits, sausage country gravy
Sweet potato fries
»Eggs any style, with sausage, bacon, ham steak, chicken breast, alligator sausage, or chicken fried steak
Eggs Benedict
Eggs Pontchartrain (poached, on fried green tomatoes, bacon, hollandaise
Eggsaints #33 (grilled biscuit, alligator sausage, grilled tomatoes, country gravy)
»Eggs 9th (crab cakes, shrimp hollandaise)
»Eggs Shannon (French bread, cheese, fried catfish, hollandaise and capers)
Pavlos special (eggs, pork chops, fruit salad)
Mr America Special (multigrain pancakes, oatmeal, pecans, blueberries, bananas, five egg whites, grilled chicken breast)
Eggs Campbell (turkey, five egg whites, pepper jack cheese, tomato, multigrain baguette, fruit salad)
Low fat vanilla parfait, blueberries, strawberries and granola
All-Pro omelette (egg whites, turkey, Swiss, tomato)
Lean and mean omelet (egg whites, chicken, onions, spinach, salsa)
Cali omelette (egg whites, turkey, smoked gouda, tomato, green onions, guacamole)
Vegetarian omelette (egg whites, spinach, tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, Swiss, vegetarian sauce)
Big Easy omelette (fried oysters, artichokes, tomatoes, green onions, cheese, remoulade sauce)
Shrimp omelette
Marina Grill omelette (ham, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cheddar, chili, marinara sauce)
Italian omelet (onions, peppers, Italian sausage, tomatoes, pepper jack)
Greek omelette (feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, onions)
Chili cheese omelette
Morning-after omelette (ham, bacon, sausage, Italian sausage, potatoes, cheddar, chili fries and a bloody mary)
Starters
»Fried pickles
Crab cakes, sriracha sauce
Fried green tomatoes, remoulade sauce
»Fried artichoke hearts, rosette sauce
»Fried eggplant sticks, marinara sauce
»Onion mum
Seared tuna salad
Grilled chicken Waldorf salad
»Greek salad
Creole potato salad
Shrimp salad
Grilled chicken or shrimp Caesar salad
»Cobb salad
Portobello salad
Chicken country salad
Grilled salmon salad
Creole seafood gumbo
Sandwiches
»Hamburgers
Fried shrimp, catfish, or oyster poor boy
Simno’s melt (grilled chicken breast, avocado, pepper jack, romaine, tomato, bacon, sun dried tomato pesto, multigrain bread, fresh fruit salad
Turkey melt
Wrap sandwiches: chicken Caesar, shrimp, turkey, club, BLT, crabcake, or veggie
Entrees
Meatballs and spaghetti
»Red beans and rice
Hamburger steak
Fried chicken tenders
Chicken fried steak
Catfish amandine
Grilled marinated salmon Loraine, rice
»Eggplant Lafitte (panneed, crawfish etouffee, angel hair pasta
Grilled ahi tuna, orange soy sauce, potato salad
Louisiana crawfish etoufee
»Fried seafood platters (catfish, oysters, shrimp, crab cake,or combinations)
»Desserts
White chocolate bread pudding
Lemon ice box pie
»Fresh blueberry basil pie
Pecan pie
»Apple pie
Ice cream sundae
Shakes and malts
»Nectar soda with vanilla ice cream
FOR BEST RESULTS
The more straighforward the order, the better the food. Fried seafood is variable but usually better than you expect. If you get teh onion mum, know that the greasiness in the bottom quarter of it is not due to carelessness, but an unavoidable flaw in the concept.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
There is not, let's say, a sharp edge in the cooking. The platters are less that beautiful. The grits and biscuits need much improvement.
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
- Consistency +1
- Service+2
- Value +2
- Attitude +2
- Wine & Bar
- Hipness -1
- Local Color +2
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Courtyard or deck dining
- Good view
- Good for business meetings
- Open Sunday lunch
- Open Monday lunch
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- No reservations
