Greasy Spoon Digest
Down in New Orleans, we take greasy spoon dining to a new level. Everyone in town has their favorite and I actually have too many favorites. Certainly more than I can count in two rotations of a blender's blade.In post katrina times it is actually another part of the devastation. Lakeview Harbor (and Sidmar's), is destroyed, where I went for an afternoon snack on the day of my bachelor party. Liuzza's on Bienville is back but not serving their full menu of the New Orleans typical, which is a greasy spoon that serves seafood, Italian and even fried chicken livers. MMMMMMMMM. Yes my days working in greasy spoons with the smokin' one makes me more of an experienced connoisseur.
The greasy spoon I want to focus on is a place called P&G on Baronne St, CBD. This has been a lunchtime staple for me since I moved to New Orleans in 1995. It is run my two Greek brothers named Petro and Gus. One time we had a bet between my co-workers to figure out which one is Petro and which one in Gus. I lost the bet but my heaping plate of half and half fried oysters and fried shrimp were a winner. Always order it with potato salad, which is whipped but still chunky, with plenty of egg and mustard. It is normally served on a small bed of lettuce with a sprinkling of dill pickle slices on top. Yes, P&G was back in business by the time I returned from evacuation and will always remain an awesome lunchtime hang out. There is a great dynamic to ordering your food there too. You go straight up to the counter and no matter how many people are there waiting, you just make eye contact with one of the bustling servers and state your desire. The system is...there is no system. Works every time.
Does anyone else have a favorite greasy spoon to describe?
BTW, we are still waiting on Camilla Grill. Word.
posted by du4jay at 2:13 PM
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New Jersy has the corner on greasey spoons, more there per square mile than any other state and most serve booze too. Nothing like a heavt night of partying and right before you head home fill up on some corn beef hash and more booze! Too many good one to pick but some personal favorites is The Tick Tock Diner, right outside the city on route 3 in Clifton. The menu is like 40 pages and has everything from gyros, steak, lobster, to home made pies. The best part is the clock in front of the place displaying their motto, "Eat Heavy". Does that say it all or what? Another good one is down in Port Newark off or rt 9 near the airport.(can't remember the name). It is a full blown diner complete with counter, booths, personal juke boxes and geasey food served by ladies with 6 foot hair and cigarettes falling out of their mouths. The kicker is right through an archway on the left side of the counter is a go-go bar attached to the place. Get a beer, fill the belly and a lapdance all in the lunch break. What a country.
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A greasy spoon, perhaps, in that it's a bit rundown, Katz's Delicatessen is a genuine article, an institution of the Lower East side, located at 205 E. Houston. The oldest Deli in all of New York, around since 1888. It's a very large space, always crowded with walls completely covered with photos of the famous and politicians who have visited there, including President Clinton - it's a must stop for any New York politician in an election year. The chick movie, When Harry Met Sally, that my wife loves, has that scene, you know, the fake orgasm scene. It was filmed at Katz's. Rob Reiner gave his mother the best line in movie history: "I'll have what she's having." The food! You don't need teeth to eat the pastrami on rye, it's so fresh it melts in your mouth. Really! Their meats are all incredibly fresh and worth the price: about $14 for the pastrami on rye (and that includes mustard). Hot dogs are much less and they're the best I've ever eaten. And be sure to try the sweet potato knish; if you're adventurous: the kasha knish. When you walk in the place they give you a raffle-type cardboard ticket; each person gets one, even a child who isn't going to be paying for anything. You order from the various food stations along the long wall and your ticket is marked with a seemingly illegible word and number. When you leave, you can't get out without presenting that ticket back to the cashier, even if it's a blank one. If you lose your ticket it costs you $50 to get out. Katz's is a MUST stop when you're in New York.
[I had to remove my previous comment when I noticed a typo in the above piece.]
Man I would kill for a good corn beef sandwich from Katz's. I used to eat there when I worked in the city and they would give you 2 extra pieces of rye. You could make 2 sandiches out of the one they gave you. Lunch, dinner and be full at both meals. There must be over a lb of meat on each sandwich. The only complaint is that they did not have Colemans mustard. That stuff is the best.
Okay CJM, find the misspelled word
I have a customer in Sylacauga, Alabama (famous birthplace and hometown of Jim Nabors). Over the last 15 years I go there 3x a year. I have really fallen in love with the Huddle House, its kinda of a lower class Waffle House. The Texas melts are guaranteed to slide right through..... and remember dont ask the old toothless lady for a non smoking smoking section, cause "cough cough..Its all smokin' honey, come on in and sit down" I cant wait to go back. I strongly reccomend it next time you visit Sylacauga.
there is such thing as a lower class waffle house???
These sounds great! I think Philameicleve refers to Mandina's and the sould food place was actually "Silver Moon". That was the place where you could order smothered chicken and it would come with a bowl of gumbo, larger than the bowl of smothered chicken!
I need to try this place in New Orleans CBD for a pastrami on rye. They were new but they did return. Other than that pastrami, corned beef, coleman's mustard are not very attainable. Now a roast beef po-boy with gravy, lettuce, tomato and mayo is a dream to be found at Parasol's Irish Bar.
One that deserves mention is the Hummingbird on a real seedy part of St. Charles near Lee Circle. It is no longer there but it was a hangout for true vagrants and derelicts. Nothing was good but for that real gutter-al New Orleans experience, you could go there at 3 am for a "meal". St. Charles Tavern is quite the cave too.
Now to end this for today, I can attest to Huddle House (or was it Toddle House) and yes it is the knock off of Waffle House. When we would go there was in college, my friends lived on the West Bank. We would go there after partying in New Orleans and they would always have one lady doing the cooking, busing, dishes, cash register, service, EVERYTHING. Sheer misery and it would take foreve!
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