New Orleans restaurant scene a foodie’s idea of summer Adventure Travel

By Dwight Casimere

Katie’s Restaurant & Bar

3701 Iberville St., New Orleans, LA 70119

(504) 488-6582 ·

The unique thing about New Orleans cuisine is that you can have a fantastic meal at a neighborhood dive in Mid City just as readily as you can have one at the finest white tablecloth restaurants in the French Quarter.

That fact was brought home with stunning clarity by a recent visit to a landmark among New Orleans locals, Katie’s Restaurant and Bar.

Located in Mid City, just a block from the end of the Canal Streetcar Line on Iberville Street, Katie’s is a tradition among New Orleans neighborhood spots. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Katie’s has a distinct local vibe from the moment you walk through the door.

On one particularly steamy afternoon in the middle of the week, the restaurant was packed to the rafters with a heady mix of locals and tourists, seated elbow to elbow at the bar (prime seating for regulars), and every available seat at tables and high-boys near the bar.

One local who spotted me drooling at her ginormous seafood platter offered me a bite of her fried catfish and shrimp and some fries. That’s how convivial the atmosphere is at Katie’s!

A mainstay of Mid City New Orleans, Katie’s was not left unmarked by the tragedy of Katrina. A plaque on the doorframe marks the water line of the seven feet of water that washed through the restaurant, destroying everything in its path. For the next four years and a half years owners Scot and Stephanie Craig rebuilt and in 2010 the restaurant reopened, better than ever.

Improvements included a state-of-the-art kitchen, climate controlled ventilation, a new bar system and an authentic Brooklyn-style stone pizza oven.

You can’t get more of a local feel for New Orleans than at Katie’s. At one time, the Craig’s lived in an apartment above the restaurant. The demands for more seating nudged them out and into their own uniquely designed home. That upstairs apartment has since been incorporated into the restaurant. Even with seating outside, there’s still a wait.

Don’t come to Katie’s if you’re trying to skimp on calories. The portions are gigantic and they often come slathered with sauces that make ample use of farm-fresh butter and cream.

At the top of the appetizer list are Katie’s Carb Cakes (Freudian slip. I meant CRAB cakes). Made more like a warm, spicy crab salad than the typical Maryland-style lump and claw meat type you might be familiar with, this large hunk of fried goodness is covered in Katie’s handmade Remoulade sauce, a New Orleans staple, and then sprinkled with a generous handful of more, you guessed it, Lump Crab Meat. Although not quite to my liking, I saw plates of Katie’s Crab Cakes, or remnants thereof, on just about every table within eyesight.

Next on the list were the Crawfish Beignets, an imaginative savory take on that city’s ubiquitous fried dough treat. The Seafood Beignet is filled with the aforementioned Louisiana Crawfish tails with onions, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and given a hearty kick by a spicy jalapeno aioli. Wash it down with a chilled glass of local Abita Beer or a Hurricane or any number of creative local drinks from the bar.

Colossal Over-the-top Onion Rings, triple battered and served with more of Katie’s homemade Remoulade, Katie’s Quesadilla, stuffed with bell peppers, onions and cheese, and Eggplant Fries with parmesan cheese and a side of marinara and Bacon Bleu Fries with Katie’s own garlic butter reduction are just a few of the starters, and I’ve still only scratched the surface on the appetizer menu.

Oysters Slessinger are another houses specialty, featuring giant Chargrilled Local Oysters with Creamy Povel, shrimp, spinach and bacon. This was one of the most delicious versions of this coastal classic that I’ve ever tasted.

I haven’t even gotten to the Gourmet PoBoys and the main courses, that include a crammed chalkboard listing of daily specials like Fried Catfish over Jambalaya, Cochon (shredded spicy pork) sliders with Sweet Fries, or Oysters Rockefeller, or Daily Specials like the Peveto Combo of Fried Redfish with a half slab of Baby Back Ribs. Seafood Ravioii is another unique mixture of Crab meat with Ricotta stuffed Ravioli in a Seafood Cream and Topped with Grilled Eggplant and Grilled Jumbo Shrimp. Whew!!

Katie’s owner since 1993, Scot Craig also serves as President of the local chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. If he hasn’t already written a book on he and his wife’s take on New Orleans cuisine, perhaps he should. You could spend an entire week diving into Katie’s creative menu and still find something that you’ve never had before. For more, visit katiesmidcity.com.