Coffee Pot
Backstory
The Coffee Pot has been around since the 1940s (although they claim to go back to 1894). It functioned for many years as a neighborhood cafe for people who lived and worked in the French Quarter. It's more touristy now, but still has that local quality. It has gone through many owners over the years, but managed to remain consistent--largely due to the presence of Pearl, a waitress and cook whose been there for decades. Leah Chase, now one of the city's most beloved chefs, began her career here in the 1940s.
Dining Room
The main dining room is the small parlor of a former townhouse, with windows looking onto St. Peter Street. They have a few tables in the carriageway for alfresco dining.
Why It's Essential
It serves terrific breakfasts with a Creole flavor all day, every day. Most important, it's the last stand for calas--Creole rice cakes, once a familiar local treat, now gone from everywhere but here. After breakfast, it functions as a neighborhood restaurant for Quarterites, but one that gets a lot of out-of-towners.
Why It's Good
The menu is a collection of New Orleans culinary cliches, but despite the touristy location (next to Pat O'Brien's), the Coffee Pot comes by its food honestly. They've always served red beans, fried catfish, gumbo, poor boys, bread pudding, and all the rest of that, prepared in a way that wouldn't be embarrassing if you took a friend from out of town to lunch or dinner there.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> »Seafood gumbo<br /> Chicken and andouille gumbo <br /> Barbecue shrimp <br /> Oyster Rockefeller dip <br /> Crab and crawfish balls <br /> New Orleans sampler (jambalaya, red beans, crawfish<br /> etouffee)<br /> »Shrimp en brochette<br /> Spinach salad<br /> Caesar salad<br /> Garden salad<br /> Popcorn shrimp salad<br /> Thai shrimp salad<br /> »Grilled chicken salad<br /> »Oyster-and-spinach-stuffed portabella mushroom<br /> <em><strong>Breakfast specialties</strong></em><br /> (They also serve all the basic breakfast items)<br /> »Calas (rice cakes)<br /> »Grits and grillades<br /> »Lost bread<br /> »Rockefeller omelet<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Crawfish etouffee pasta<br /> Jambalaya pasta<br /> »Jambalaya and blackened redfish<br /> »Fried seafood platter<br /> Crab cakes<br /> Parmesan-crusted snapper<br /> »Fleur de lis chicken (crabmeat and crawfish stuffing)<br /> Baby back ribs<br /> »Veal Palmisano (crimini mushrooms, marsala demi glace, roasted garlic parmesan risotto)<br /> Hawaiian sirloin<br /> Vieux Carre prime filet mignon <br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> »Calas (rice cakes with cinnamon and syrup)<br /> »Pearl’s homemade bread pudding<br /> Red velvet cake<br /> »Strawberry shortcake<br /> Chocolate cake<br /> Pecan praline cheesecake
Deficiencies
It would be marvelous to have all the locals who used to eat here take it back from the visitors, but I have no idea how that could be done.
For Best Results
Don't go anywhere near this place any time the city is filled with visitors. Breakfast is the great meal here. Ask if they have chicken livers for an omelette.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Environment
2
Local Color
1
Service