ah, television. it seems like any time a local restaurant manages to become featured on a travel channel program or a food network special, that restaurant instantly becomes the “it” place to dine. or, at least that is often an outsider’s perception. locals typically know better, especially new orleans locals. after a certain number of visits to the crescent city, you begin to realize that the most delicious food is often found far beyond the tourist-infested confines of the vieux carré, know more popularly as the french quarter.
after a little bit of research, you might soon discover that one of the most popular destinations for food lovers is a neighborhood lying in the heart of the city, otherwise aptly referred to as “mid city”. yes, from angelo brocato’s to liuzza’s. there are of course a number of new orleans culinary fixtures residing within the number of residential and commercial blocks of real estate just south of city park. foods of all cuisines can be found within a short drive or brisk walk: spanish, filipino, creole, jamaican, etc.
in the midst of so many different flavors and offerings, a restaurant must really demonstrate some exemplary dishes in order to stand apart from the competition. fortunately for mid city inhabitants, katie’s restaurant and bar answers to the call.
described as a “lively neighborhood spot for creole-italian fare likepizza& po’boys, plus a busy weekend brunch”, katie’s has a massive menu filled to the brim with new orleans staples and a number of innovative variations conjured up by the katie’s kitchen.
but what brought diners, drive-ins and dives host guy fieri to this neighborhood restaurant and bar, tucked away between canal and bienville on the corner of iberville and north telemachus, was the legendary behemoth of the poorboy known simply as the barge. this massive sandwich consists of an entire gendusa french loaf, imported from the well-known and nearby gentilly business, john gendusa bakery inc. the massive poorboy is said to serve 2-4 people and is as much of a man-made marvel as it is an entrée.
however, there would be no barge, steamboat, or any other nautical vessel for us when my family and i decided to stop by katie’s on a busy saturday evening.
after enjoying a fabulous afternoon at the new orleans museum of art, we were famished and therefore in pursuit of a tasty, filling meal. we arrived at katie’s around 8 and somehow managed to procure a large table outside big enough to accommodate our party of six. as my date and i waited for the rest of our party to arrive, we decided to order some appetizers as the remaining stragglers arrived. we ordered the eggplant fries and the remmy stack in order to begin stimulating the appetite.
the eggplant fries were perfectly battered and quite appealing to the eyes. however, i found the batter to lack any distinct taste and the accompanying marinara sauce was pretty pedestrian. the rest of our party arrived just as the remmy stack was brought to our table. i’ve never been a big fan of fried green tomatoes and this dish did little to change my opinion. much like the eggplant fries, the battering was well executed. however, the remoulade sauce just seemed to distract me from the fact that the tomatoes alone lacked any definite flavor.
for dinner, our table ordered a variety of dishes including the legend poorboy, the hot roast beef and gravy poorboy, the rosemary grilled chicken breast, and the catfish meuniere. considering that i had heard great things about several of the pizzas, as well as the cochon de lait poorboy, my date and i had a hard time making our decisions. we decided to try something a little different and settled on the scottie’s cnn blackberry & jalapeno ribs. for our sides we chose the sweet potato fries and the veggie du jour. we also ordered the evening special which consisted of seared tuna steak topped with lump crab meat and roasted vegetables.
by the time our food arrived i was starving. the service was a little slow at some points, but the restaurant was completely packed so i wasn’t bothered too much.
the subpar experience thus far instantly took a turn for the better once our entrees arrived. first, the special…superb. as someone who can appreciate a quality tuna steak, or any non-fried fish for that matter, i was thoroughly impressed by the seasoning and taste of the fish. i ordered it rare, the only way to eat a tuna steak if you care to know, and it was cooked to perfection. the lump crab meat, one of my date’s favorite dishes, was an excellent complement to the already delicious tuna. i did not have very high expectations for a seafood dish served at a mid city restaurant known for its creole-italian fare, but katie’s left me impressed.
still, that was not the highlight of our meal. what truly made this visit special and also guaranteed a future visit from my family, were the ribs. my…god. ribs are often only as good as the barbecue sauce which covers them, and this my friends, is some top of the line barbecue sauce. the blackberry and jalapeno description sounds good on paper, but imagining that such an excellent counter of sweet and spicy flavors could be so brilliantly captured was beyond my comprehension. i used the sauce for everything in sight. i dipped our vegetables in it. i dipped our sweet potato fries in it, which were pretty good on their own. everything. not to mention, the ribs were tender and well-cooked. in all seriousness, they are some of the best i have ever had.
i only managed to sample some of the other dishes so take my remarks at face value. what little bit of the legend i was able to try was greasy and lacked flavor. however, my mother seemed to enjoy it for the most part. the roast beef poorboy was okay but then again, i will always recommend ordering such a dish at an actual poorboy shop rather than a restaurant. the house-cut fries were pretty good and the house chips were also excellent.
for dessert we chose the white chocolate bread pudding. honestly, how can you not order bread pudding whenever you’re in new orleans? despite being of english origin, it is my belief that bread pudding is just as much a classic new orleans dessert as beignets or king cake. katie’s take on this nearly millennium-old dessert was about as good as it can get. they didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. they just took an already delicious dish, served it warm with a delicious but not overpowering sauce, and topped it with a mound of whipped cream and pecans. the result: a satisfied table and six full stomachs.
is the barge worth the fuss? hell if i know. that’s for you to decide. unless you are getting pizza, it’s hard to convince a table full of people to share the same dish. personally, i have come to prefer variety over quantity when eating out.
is the restaurant worth a visit? without question. most of the food is delicious and there is plenty to choose from regardless of what you are craving. the environment is welcoming and epitomizes the label of “neighborhood restaurant”. the prices are a bit steep but sometimes you pay a little something extra to get a little something extra (e.g. lagniappe, duh). parking isn’t all that great, but are there really any new orleans restaurants with extensive parking spots?
just take my word for it and go. now.
taste: 9/10
cost: 6/10
dining area/decor: 8.5/10
customer service: 8/10
location: 7.5/10