Mr. Ed's is a fine example of the modern New Orleans neighborhood restaurant. It came along at the perfect time, when more people were dining out more often, and at the same time turning away from any kind of fanciness in their restaurants. Few restaurants have the all-encompassing menu of everyday, local-style eats. Scattered among the poor boys, big plates of pasta and fried chicken and seafood is just enough sophistication to keep the place interesting. This makes the restaurant hugely popular, appealing equally to little kids, their great-grandparents, and the Baby Boomers in between.
Ed McIntyre opened the original edge-of-Bucktown version of Mr. Ed's in 1989. It was such a hit that Ed spun off numerous satellite restaurants, most of which he ran for awhile but then sold. Currently, in addition to the Bucktown original, there's a smaller but handsomer edition in Kenner. McIntyre also owns the more ambitious Austin's in Metairie.
In Bucktown, there are two big dining rooms with a bar between them, a pleasant but spartan environment. They can get noisy when full. The Mr. Ed's in Kenner took over a failed gourmet bistro that left behind a sleek, suave look that Ed has only slightly toned down. That one also has a row of outdoor tables that are surprisingly pleasant, even though the whole place is in the middle of a large parking lot.
Because it attracts so many families and older customers, Mr. Ed's is much busier in the early evening than later.
| Attitude | 1 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 1 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 1 |
| Service | 2 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
