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Tiffin Inn
Metairie 3: Houma Blvd To Kenner Line: 6601 Veterans Blvd. 504-888-6602. Map. WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY WHAT'S GOOD BACKSTORY DINING ROOM ESSENTIAL DISHES FOR BEST RESULTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Casual.
AE MC V
A certain percentage of the dining population--one not predictable by income, education, or location--hews to the idea that a really seedy restaurant is more likely than a nice-looking one to serve great food. A friend of mine named this oddity of taste "Sleazy Chic." It is in strong evidence at this old, oversize diner at one of the low spots on Veterans Boulevard. It's usually busy, especially on weekends at breakfast time, with people who will swear to you that here is the best breakfast in New Orleans. Absolutely not--but it's not as bad as the place looks, which would be terrible indeed.
The whole menu revolves around pancakes, which are prepared and served in a style you will find familiar if you've ever been to one of the Original Pancake Houses, a loose nationwide chain whose superb work with flapjacks was widely copied by places like the Tiffin Inn in the 1960s and 1970s. (The German pancake--almost a soufflee, baked in the oven--is the marker dish of the style.) All the other breakfast standards are reasonably well-made and very large. At lunch and dinner, the menu eases into burgers, sandwiches, salads, cheap chops, and fried seafood.
The Metairie Tiffin Inn is the last standing of a small chain around New Orleans and Baton Rouge. They opened in 1974 and seem to have changed almost nothing since then. For most of its history, the Tiffin Inn was a 24-hour restaurant, a fact that made it more prominent than it might otherwise have been.
The place was built in the Art Nouveau decor popular in the early 1970s, with Tiffany-style lamps. (But the name "tiffin" is a British word for a light midday meal.) The biggest change in the dining environment came when smoking--in which an unusually large number of the patrons indulged--was banned by law. Maybe it's my imagination, but the air inside still has a lingering odor to me. On the other hand, the place doesn't register as dirty, just very well worn. Representatives of the sheriff's office always seem to occupy a booth or two.
Breakfast (served at all hours)
»Pancakes of all kinds and toppings
»German pancakes (baked)
»Apple pancake (baked)
French toast.
Pigs in a blanket.
Waffles
»Omelettes
Standard breakfast combinations
Hash brown potatoes
Grits
Lunch and dinner entrees
Ribeye steak
Chopped sirloin steak, onions and brown gravy
Chicken fried steak
Pork chops
Fried chicken half
Hamburgers
Club sandwich
Reuben sandwich
BLT
Grilled cheese sandwich
Fried fish sandwich
Shrimp salad sandwich
Tuna salad sandwich
Roast beef sandwich.
Fried oysters, catfish, shrimp, or combination platter
Salads
Shrimp salad
Tuna salad
Chef's salad
Fruit salad plate
Cottage cheese and fruit salad
Desserts
Cheesecake with strawberries or blueberries.
Pecan pie
Apple pie
The pancakes are actually very good, and made better by an assortment of syrups and other garnishes. The rest of the menu is unappealing, although every so often I hear about great daily specials that I have never found myself. (The fried chicken is a particularly elusive specialty.)
A thorough renovation to both the menu and the premises is an obvious need, but it would temporarily upset the Sleazy Chic contingent.
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Good for business meetings
- Open Sunday lunch and dinner
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Open some holidays
- Open after midnight
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Easy, nearby parking
- No reservations
