Many years ago Tom was the lone voice questioning the hoopla surrounding Willie Mae’s Scotch House. He didn’t understand the buzz over it, and maintained that it really wasn’t very good fried chicken. Since fried chicken was the only thing on the menu, there wasn’t much else for him to say. He didn’t care for the batter, which was a wet batter that congealed when fried to make a hard shell that separated from the chicken when it was pulled.
He stood alone in that opinion, because Willie Mae’s was the first place I can think of where groupthink was required. It is often required now, and I have assumed Tom’s role as the lone dissenter in such instances.
But not about this new version of Willie Mae’s. I don’t really remember the old Willie Mae’s. That was before my time with Tom. But I did try it once in their brief residency in that cursed space on St. Charles Avenue near Broadway. That was when I realized that what Tom said about the chicken at Willie Mae’s was spot on.
That was years ago, and after their short time on St. Charles they disappeared from the radar, turning up years later when one of the family members decided to give it another go. I wasn’t nearly as surprised by that as I was to see Willie Mae’s turn up in a hip hamburger place in L.A. It was just the chicken sandwich in the height of the chicken sandwich phenomenon. But there it was in L.A. Since then they have expanded their footprint on the west coast, and also in their hometown.
Last year Willie Mae’s Nola arrived in the space vacated during COVID by NolaCaye on Baronne at Howard Ave. This is a very handsome place, benefitting from the California glamour vibe of the former inhabitant, Brooke Zar, who with her husband Bryan owned the place. They did a painstaking renovation on the hundred-year-old space, making a statement on the floor with the old tiles.
The rest of the place is clearly Louisiana, which is also the main theme at their original place in Lafitte, Restaurant des Familles. The bar and kitchen are open and hip.
When the Willie Mae’s bunch took over the place, they didn’t really have to do anything. It was perfect, and perfect for them, because Willie Mae’s is about New Orleans. It is happening place. We dropped in around 1:30 in the afternoon and it wasn’t crowded, but there was a nice crowd. The music was New Orleans and the mood was festive.
The menu is considerably larger than the original, and still larger than I expected. They had chicken wings and something called Cauliflower wings and Nola Nuggets., gumbo, a few salads, a special, and of course the signature chicken and a chicken sandwich. They had a few Creole dishes as well, and fried seafood. We got all of this minus the seafood and Creole dishes.
The cauliflower wings intrigued me, especially after I inquired about them. I envisioned fried cauliflower with a Buffalo dipping sauce. I was told I should get the sauce on them, and use the accompanying Ranch dressing for dipping. And then it was recommended that I get the gumbo because it’s been recognized as a good one. When I asked if it was seafood or chicken, I was told both. The “everything” gumbo is not a favorite of mine, but the waiter was convincing, and I ordered a cup.
We also got the Nola Nuggets, a chicken sandwich, and a chicken plate of two white meat pieces of chicken and one side with cornbread. The sides were so numerous and appealing I had a tough time choosing. Butter beans are a favorite so I got those, eschewing other things I’d usually want like mac’n’cheese and smothered cabbage.
The gumbo was everything the waiter assured me it was, and more. Fair warning salt sensitive people: it is salty. I always say that when something is really tasty but salty. I like salt. I like it so much that when I notice it, someone more sensitive to it would really be offended. Another problem with it was miscellaneous crab shell pieces throughout. This is a natural outgrowth of the wonderful thing about it: there is plenty of everything promised in it. I loved this gumbo.
The Nola Nuggets were also great. They were pieces of catfish fried in a nice batter. They were sweet and tender bites of flaky fish that were golden brown and greaseless. Served with tartar sauce, this was a worthwhile starter, though it made me want the seafood platter of catfish filets and shrimp. Next time.
This cauliflower business was puzzling. I love fried cauliflower but never see it on a menu so I got it. Fried cauliflower is usually somewhat small florets tender inside but deep fried and a little crispy on the outside. These were large florets and undercooked for this preparation. The sauce made the crispness soggy. This dish needs reworking.
The chicken sandwich came with one side, and I chose fried okra, cause if we’re going fried, let’s do it up. I love fried okra. This looked like frozen okra, which wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t special either. The sandwich came on a rumpled bun with a creamy sauce and housemade sweet pickles. They weren’t too sweet, which means I liked them. There was a sliver of purple onion here too. I like the chicken breast very much. It was a nice size and seemed to be good quality, with breading that had a nice spice to it and it did not fall away from the chicken. Good sandwich.
The signature item of Willie Mae’s Nola was disappointing, but only mildly. It has the same breading but it was not greaseless. The little corn muffin that came with it was cute. Slightly dry and not too sweet, this was what I want cornbread to be. I wasn’t thrilled with the butter beans I chose as a side. They had a distinctly herbal taste which was not really overpowering, but it was strong. The texture of these was fine, soupy but not too much.
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I have heard much about Willie Mae’s Nola, so my expectations were high. Such a situation inevitably leads to disappointment, but it didn’t here. And that is saying something.
