Liuzzas Original Location
Too often, visitors to the Big Easy miss out on many of the best places to dine in the Crescent City.
I guess you could probably say this about most travel destinations; in the Crescent City, visitors tend to get “stuck” in the French Quarter or nearby Garden District and miss out on the neighborhood dining experience.
Not that there is anything wrong with what is available in either of those two locales, it’s just that New Orleans has so much more to offer when you get out and about.
Not far from the Quarter, Liuzza’s has been operating and serving local favorites since 1947. In a city where some eateries have been open for way over a century, one that is only approaching 70 might not seem like such a big deal, but in most US cities other than New Orleans, a seventy year old restaurant is a big deal.
Liuzza’s menu is straightforward New Orleans, a combination of Creole and Cajun cuisines, with a little Italian mixed in. Luizza’s has a second location, “Liuzzas By the Track”, which is not far from Burgerdogboy daughter’s domicile, and near the fairgrounds/racetrack where the annual fete of JazzFest takes place (starts in two weeks!) The “Jazz” part of the name is kind of misleading, as every year during the two week extravaganza, you’ll also have the opportunity to hear the biggest stars in the history of rock, as well.
Anyway, the spawn and I hit Liuzza’s for a quick lunch, and as always, it was superb. She went with the soup of the day, which was Turtle, and excellent, and I opted for a fried shrimp po-boy, which was absolutely perfect at every level. We hastily decided to split an order of fries, and that was over ordering, as it turned out. For the uninitiated, a “Po Boy” is a New Orleans creation, crunchy French bread (only the local brands will suffice), stuffed with your choice of protein, fried or broiled, usually seafood like shrimp, oysters, catfish – but there are also ham, and roast beef variations. Your server will ask if you want it “dressed” or you can volunteer this information – it means with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo. Take it all, some or none. The height of decadence would be a po boy that includes your choice of meat, with french fries piled in there, too, and the entire sandwich is dipped in batter and deep fried. Believe it. It does happen!
If you’re planning on hitting New Orleans, it’s worth a quick cab ride to either location to have some great grub, and dine with the locals, who can be pretty entertaining all on their own! Open Monday through Saturday from 11A – 7P.
Fried shrimp poboy
Liuzzas Review