Po' Boys

I went to Brenda's for breakfast on Monday morning and I was pleasantly surprised find a very good New Orleans style restaurant. The breakfast was wonderful: buttery, creamy grits, flaky, crusty biscuits, sweet beignets that were crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, plus great eggs filled with chewy, briny oysters. While this was very stimulating, all I could think about was going back to try the fried oyster Po' Boy. The place strongly reminded me of my time in New Orleans this past summer. I spent two weeks in New Orleans volunteering with Habitat for Humanity back in July. This was my first, but certainly not last, visit to New Orleans. It was a great city. Besides the friendly people and beautiful parts of the city, my favorite part had to be the food. What an unbelievable food city! There are flavors and dishes there that don't exist in any other part of the world. I loved getting coffee and beignets from Café Du Mond in the French Quarter for breakfast and snacks, Po' Boys for lunch, and fried seafood, gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice for dinner. The most exciting of these however had to be the Po' Boys.

During my lunch breaks while working at Habitat I would explore the city for great Po' Boys. For those who are unfamiliar, these are unbelievable sandwiches that originated in New Orleans. They start with long French rolls that are supposed to be crisp and flaky on the outside but very soft on the inside. Then they are topped with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and gravy if you get it dressed. The final topping will be your choice of meat, seafood, poultry, or vegetables. While in New Orleans I tried Po' Boys of all sorts. I had everything from innovative creations like rabbit, slow roasted duck, fried green tomatoes with grilled shrimp and a remoulade sauce, to the normal sandwiches like fried oysters, fried shrimp, soft shell crab, and even alligator sausage. Each and every sandwich was unique, and each sandwich was gave me a new way to look at the average lunch.



I have wanted a Po' Boy since the day I returned from the Big Easy. I have not been able to find one anywhere except for Popeye’s, and let's face it, it's not the same. I will not rest until I find something that might be able to take me back to my days in New Orleans. Hopefully Brenda's might be able to do it.