The slice of Metairie just south of the I-10 between Causeway Boulevard and Clearview is a self-contained community. If you don't live or work very nearby, you're unlikely to know about the dozen or so restaurants there. Some of them are worth seeking out, and this is one of them. Spitale's doesn't look like much, but it's a first-class poor boy shop, cooking everything from scratch with credible recipes and serving it generously.
Charles and Gerald Spitale opened this place in 1983, when office buildings were going up in the neighborhood and the West Napoleon Canal--then without an adjacent roadway--kept the clientele captive enough for a restaurant to be viable. A big part of their business is making trays of sandwiches and the like for the offices nearby. No small number of Rummel Raiders from the nearby high school sneak over for some variety in their cafeteria diets.
The building is a warehouse, shared with far more industrial businesses. The dining room is utilitarian and worn. You order and pick up at the counter, like you do at Mother's. The low level of service is balanced by the prices. Even the largest poor boys stay under ten dollars, as do most of the platters.
The roast beef poor boy, while more than decent, may be the least of their poor boys. Italy really rules here. The salad dressing they sell by the jar is habit-forming. (I always have it in the refrigerator at home.)
| Attitude | 1 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 0 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
