One Great Cafe: Da Wabbit

Spent a couple of days in New Orleans this past week and as usual had a great time.  I did so without even stepping foot in the French Quarter. In fact as close as I got to the French Quarter was to view it from the freeway. Contrary to most people's thinking the French Quarter is not all there is to New Orleans.

Did get down to the River though. Took a quick tour of the Chalmette Battlefield where the Battle of New Orleans was fought. While not far from the city center it is inconvenient to the average tourist it is worth the little extra effort to visit. There is also a Civil War era cemetery on the battlefield grounds.

Also saw the Malus-Beauregard House built sometime between 1833 and not to be confused with the Beauregard-Keyes House in the French Quarter was the home of the son of confederate general P.T. Beauregard. It is empty now from flooding from Katrina. It is amazingly small by mansion standards.

 

By the way, if you find yourself in New Orleans and only have a couple of days don't miss the World War II Museum. This is one of the most informative and interesting WWII museums anywhere in the world. Even if you have been to the museum in the past you'll want to see it again as the museum has opened two new buildings. The US Freedom Pavilion houses a number of WWII planes and a submarine experience that is unbelievable.

 

But what I want to talk about is found on the West bank of the river where tourist do not usually go.  There is a restaurant called Cafe 615 (Da Wabbit). Located on Kepler Street "Da Wabbit" opened shop in 1949, and has been slinging hash ever since. For most of its was better known as a bar with card games in the back rooms than for its food. The current owners took over  performed a serious renovation to the interior, fixed the neon sign and turned it into a great place to eat.

 

This Cafe, I know the sign says "drive-in" but trust me it's not and you'd better arrive early because it is going to be packed.  While all the tourist are hitting the "famous name" restaurants the locals are flocking to this place. I've heard all my life that if you want to know where the best food is served follow the locals.  

We arrived about 5:00 p.m. and the place was already hopp'n. However, we were greeted by a friendly voice and a smiling face and seated almost immediately. The atmosphere is "down home" and relaxed. The most popular item on the menu appears to be the gumbo. However, I had the grilled catfish stuffed with crab meat and covered with a white wine brulee sauce. It was absolutely "the best!"  In fact, Tom Fitzmorris, a New orleans food blogger says of Da Wabbit, "It would be the Mandina's of the West Bank if Tony Mandina's weren't already there."

 

Often local restaurants aren't always friendly to "out-of-towners" and we often get the idea that they are places where only regulars are welcome, Da Wabbit is among the friendliest neighborhood joints in New Orleans. Believe me, you'll feel right at home.

 

By the way if you're accustom to ordering appetizer just order one. At Da Wabbit appetizers are huge and one order is enough for two people. Just saying, there are a lot of great places to eat in New Orleans and for my money Da Wabbit is one of them.