This is a place I’ve passed by countless times–for a long time without ever giving it a thought as to whether I should eat there. A few years ago I started thinking that I really should make a plan 
to go and check it out, and stick around downtown for awhile, which isn’t something I do very often. It finally became a convenient thing to do once I’d made movie plans at Canal Place. I’d finish class around 5 PM, already be downtown, go to Palace Cafe for dinner, and then pop over to see Wakanda Forever! (i.e. Black Panther).
I wasn’t terribly hungry when I came, so I just got a couple different appetizers and dessert. I started with the crabmeat cheesecake (which had a pecan crust, mushroom sauté, and creole meunière sauce)–I don’t know that I loved this, but it was interesting.
I also got a cup of gumbo that was very good. For dessert we got Bananas Foster with the whole table side performance. It was cool and our waitress gave a great run down of the history of the dessert. But the dessert itself, was aight. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it again.
I think I need to come back when I have an appetite and get an entree, and also enjoy sitting outside on the sidewalk seating, which is where you always see people. Or maybe go upstairs. Either way, I need to try this place again.
I’m disappointed in myself for living here damn near 7 full years and never getting to this place before. Even more disappointed that I never experienced their ‘clothing optional’ poolside before they changed their policy (for logical and necessary reasons). But regardless, I finally made it for at least lunch. And the food did not disappoint. We ordered a bunch of menu items and shared 
most of it. We were supposed to have a lunch meeting, but the food was so damn good that we spent most of that “meeting” talking about how delicious everything was. We got the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer for the table. And then two crispy whole fish, with carrots, yellow curry, plantains, yucca, charred poblanos and Louisiana popcorn rice; the bacon fat fried chicken sandwich on toasted brioche with pickled vegetables, arugula & dill pickle mayonnaise; and the char grilled flank steak, cooked medium, with smothered potatoes, caramelized onions, brussels sprouts, fire roasted tomatoes & cebollita-roasted garlic jam.
Everything was amazing and the place itself is cute and bright and covered in hand painted wall paper with massive floral patterns. The only thing that was unfortunate about my experience was the dessert. After such decadent, delicious, every-bite-makes-you-want-another food, the dessert was awful. We ordered some donut thing with fruit on top, the black bottom banana cream pie, and the tropical ice box pie: most of it stayed on the plate. So that was a sad ending to an otherwise amazing experience. But I will definitely be back for a different meal and to go to the pool!
like black butterflies 