Cooter Brown's Tavern
509 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor
Anecdotes & Analysis
Cooter Brown's has far and away the biggest selection of beer in town, with over 400 brews of every imaginable style. Seventy-five of those are on tap. They have an oyster bar, which is the best food here. They also boil crawfish in season, and have the full assortment of local sandwiches, including a decent muffuletta. But this is much more a bar than a restaurant, with a sometimes rowdy crowd that includes more than a few students from the nearby colleges.
Backstory
"As drunk as Cooter Brown" is a phrase dating back to the Civil War, referring to a mythical fellow who lived in a spot where he might conceivably be drafted by either the North or the South. He stayed drunk so that each side would let him go to the other. Many bars around the country bear his name. The one in New Orleans is at the nexus of Carrollton, St. Charles, and the river road. Bronx native Larry Berestitzky opened it in 1977, and immediately attracted a clientele from Tulane University. Many Greenies hail from the Northeast, and like the reminders of home Larry sprinkles throughout the menu as well as the beer and burgers.
Dining Room
The exterior suggest a grubbier scene inside than is the case, although it is unambiguously more a bar than a restaurant. Aside from the inevitable multi-screen sports and video poker, it's not an unpleasant environment. Ceramic caricatures of historical figures, each holding a beer whose connection to the person presents a puzzle for you to figure out, decorate the walls. The crowd is young.
Why It's Essential
Long before the current mania for offbeat beers began brewing, Cooter Brown's was making friends with dozens of beers on top and hundreds more in bottles. Enhancing that uniqueness was a big menu of heavy bar food--hamburgers and specialty sandwiches, mostly, with as much of a New York tilt as a New Orleans one. Local cred came from the oyster bar, consistently one of the better ones in town. (Let's not mention that the oyster bar concept is a New York import.)
Why It's Good
Once you get past a dozen or two oysters--clearly the best food here and the ideal partner with beer--you may or may not want to continue into the sandwich selection. It is very large, including not just the standard burgers but deli, Philly cheese steaks, hot dogs, and the like. All are generous and made with good groceries.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters and sides</strong></em><br /> »Oysters on the half shell<br /> »Boudin <br /> Onion rings <br /> French fries <br /> »Fried new potatoes<br /> Chili and/or cheese fries <br /> Buffalo wings<br /> Quesadillas: cheese, chicken, shrimp, alligator, or combos<br /> Mozzarella sticks<br /> Chicken fingers<br /> »Mrs Wheat’s spicy meat pies<br /> Broccoli bites <br /> Cheddar jalapeño bites <br /> Sweet corn nuggets<br /> Mac and cheese bites<br /> <em><strong>Sandwiches</strong></em><br /> »Muffuletta<br /> Hoagie<br /> Cooter Club (Turkey, pastrami, and Swiss)<br /> »Radiators Special (shrimp, oysters, cheeses)<br /> Chicken Cordon Bleu<br /> Coonass Special (spicy meat pies, provolone and gravy on French bread)<br /> Boudreaux’s Special (crawfish pies on French bread with remoulade sauce)<br /> Owner's Special (like a Reuben, but with pastrami)<br /> »Ninth Ward Special (hot sausage with cheese)<br /> Manager’s Special (hot roast beef, ham, Swiss)<br /> Street Car Special (grilled chicken, mushrooms, pepper jack cheese)<br /> <em>Hamburgers (many varieties, usual toppings, plus:)</em><br /> »Bartender’s Special (Swiss cheeseburger with pastrami)<br /> Brown’s Blue Bacon Burger<br /> »Black and Gold burger (beef and hot sausage patties)<br /> Turkey Burger<br /> Grilled chicken sandwich<br /> <em>Poor boys:</em><br /> »Pastrami<br /> Turkey<br /> Ham<br /> »Roast beef<br /> Cheese<br /> Alligator sausage <br /> »Fried shrimp, oysters, catfish, or soft-shell crab<br /> <em>Hot dogs:</em><br /> Guinness bratwurst<br /> »Chicago (tomato, sweet relish, onion, jalapeños, celery salt,<br /> mustard, dill pickle)<br /> »Cooter (cheese, chili, sauerkraut)<br /> <em>Philly steak sandwiches:</em><br /> »Looter Philly (standard, with sliced grilled beef, grilled peppers, onion, provolone)<br /> Uptown (smoked turkey, onions, peppers, provolone)<br /> »Grand Isle (grilled shrimp, peppers, onions, pepper jack cheese)<br /> Angola (chicken, peppers, onions, shrimp, pepper jack cheese)<br /> »Riverbend (pastrami, peppers, onions, Swiss)<br /> Benson (chicken, peppers, onion, American cheese)<br /> Nola (alligator sausage, peppers, onion, barbecue sauce, American cheese)<br /> Bayou (Nola with shrimp, pepper jack cheese)<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> »Fried shrimp, oysters, catfish, soft-shell crab or combination with fries and garlic bread)<br /> <em><strong>Salads</strong></em><br /> House salad or Caesar<br /> Add-ons: grilled chicken, fried or grilled shrimp<br />
Deficiencies
It's too noisy for me, but that's my problem.
For Best Results
Come here to spend a few hours with friends. It's a guy place that appeals to a fair number of women for that reason. Easy on the food: it's good, and they give you too much of it.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Environment
2
Hipness
2
Local Color
2
Value
1
Wine