Vincent's is the least pretentious great restaurant in New Orleans. It serves familiar New Orleans-style Italian food, combining a lusty flavor with enough polish that its offerings could be sold in a much more expensive restaurant. No restaurant better defines the Creole-Italian cuisine.
Vincent Catalanotto--long-time waiter, bartender, and character--discovered he could cook as well as any of the chefs who shouted at him. So in 1989 he opened a little, well-hidden restaurant in Metairie and started cooking. The place quickly became a runaway hit, with a packed dining room all the time. Vincent bought the old Compagno's on St. Charles Avenue and made it his second location, as good as the first. Two other locations--in Baton Rouge and Mandeville, both franchises--were less good and folded.
Neither location gets and prizes for atmosphere, unless you find haphazardness atmospheric. The Metairie restaurant is cramped and utilitarian. The Uptown Vincent's retains the old-time neighborhood charm of its predecessor, but waiters and customers are always squeezing past something there. The service staff is chummy and quite willing to serve whatever you want.
Come here very hungry. It's often a good idea to split appetizers and entrees, three plates per four people. If you're in the mood for a funny but perhaps naughty joke, ask for Vincent.
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 2 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
