Here’s some New Orleans blasphemy for you: Camellia Grill is not the end-all, be-all of breakfast.
For those of you who are still reading and haven’t started writing a letter to the editor, there are a few other places, most in the immediate vicinity and all in an under-ten-dollar college kid price range, you might want to check out.
As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of, authority on and general lover of all things breakfast, my favorite places tend to be the same diner-type greasy spoons. The International House of Pancakes, as a rule, is only acceptable in a late-night, Fourthmeal type of scenario. If you’re looking for the kind of place that doesn’t even list their prices on the menu, much less has napkin dispensers on their tables, try any of the Brennan’s restaurants or Galatoire’s or something. And take me with you.
If you’re like me, there’s nothing much better than leaving the house early on a Sunday at 2:30 p.m. or so with a craving for hash browns. Almost walkable from Loyola’s campus and with some really good, really unique hash browns is Riccobono’s Panola Street Café at 7801 Panola St. As it’s only open until 3 p.m. everyday, it’s not uncommon to wait up to half an hour for a table on the weekend. A young staff, quick kitchen and folky art for sale on its walls make for lots of regulars. One of the restaurant’s specialties is eggs Ponchartrain, with crawfish, sauteed mushrooms and green onions.
The Bluebird Café, at 3625 Prytania St., is also almost always packed during its usual 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. hours and has a lengthy line waiting for its popular huevos rancheros. Books and magazines lie around to help you wait, and people watching is an encouraged pastime, especially since my newly-found resource, mrbreakfast.com, classifies it as a “hipster” joint.
Slim Goodies at 3322 Magazine St., no secret even to most non-locals, is a classic Uptown diner, serving genuinely unhealthy and delicious breakfast everyday until 2 p.m. The epitome of an artsy Magazine Street restaurant, it offers an imaginatively-named menu from standard breakfast-fare to “The Guatemalan” – eggs with black beans, plaintains and tortillas. Try the sweet-potato pancakes, or go for one of the vegan options.
Miss the days of the Trolley Stop waiting for you at all hours of the night? For a similar menu, take a drive out to 2317 Jefferson Hwy. to one of the four Dot’s Diners. Although only one is open 24 hours these days, you’ll have no problem getting a table with usually great service, classic diner atmosphere and pretty decent eggs. Oh, and get the Dotwich. It’s hard to ruin something when it’s sandwiched in a biscuit.
And then there’s Tiffin Inn. Oh, Tiffin Inn. At 6601 Veterans Blvd., it’ s easily the most typical greasy spoon restaurant in the area.
Obviously last decorated in the early 1960s, the red Naugahyde booths, low lighting and mind-numbing Muzak are no match for its waitresses, all named things like Flo, Janet or Vicky. Their beehives stand tall and proud, unaware of the last 40 years. The menu hasn’t exactly been updated either, but its signature pancakes are always a hit, coming in weird variations based vaguely on countries. (I suggest France, but definitely stay away from Denmark.) Leave your little metropolitan bubble for the suburbs just this once, I promise. If you can’t, try Please-U at 1751 St. Charles Ave., which has the same vintage atmosphere, although sometimes it seems as if they take the greasy in greasy spoon a little too seriously.
Kathleen McCann can be reached [email protected].
Kathleen McCann
