Fat City Franks NOLA - Metairie, LA

I wasn't really hip to the whole hot dog craze until I got to New Orleans where Andouille and boudin are staples. I would indulge time to time, whenever I would go to Chicago or was able to get a Polish dog somewhere but beyond that, Oscar Mayer was not going to be my friend. With that said, as one of the newer kids in town, I was interested to see what Fat City Franks NOLA was all about.

First impressions create the impression (at least for me) and when I drove up and saw a clown decorated barn, I could have easily been scared, but I thought it was really cool, fun and funky. Bright colors bring me joy and I was happy that the inside of the restaurant reflected the same theme. For a hot dog joint, it was fairy big and was setup like a sports bar. I don't know how much I would want to sit for hours, watch a game and eat only a hot dog (they serve beer and wine too), but that seems to be what they are going for. They apparently sell wings and burgers but I didn't see that on the menu unless it is just reserved for sports events.

The biggest seller of Fat City Franks NOLA was the bun, it was super duper soft, delicious and lived up to their baked fresh daily claims! Their sausages are also made locally and I was very impressed. Their dogs are definitely worth of the term gourmet, and although the price tag was a tad bit high, the size compensated for it as did the plethora of options and toppings. I ordered of the menu and got the Tokyo Joe Dog (Andouille Sausage, Asian Slaw, Wasabi Mayo, Sesame Seeds). I love spicy and it had a nice, subtle kick to it!

You also have the option of selecting your choice of frank from 12 options (think bratwurst, alligator, shrimp, polish, etc) and your toppings which is endless. My fiance wasn't intrigue by any of the specialty dawgs; he wanted something spicy and they recommended he get the Cajun Smoked. He topped it grilled onions, mayo and sauerkraut. He fell in love with hot dogs that day.

Although I have yet to go to the other popular hot dog place in New Orleans, I really liked Fat City Franks NOLA and will go back.The staff was really friendly and welcoming. 


Fat City Franks NOLA
3224 Edenborn Ave, Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 301-0325
www.fatcityfranksnola.com

Cafe Roma - Metairie, LA

I have not been having the best couple of days and basically been in bed not feel too well. Sick or not, I wanted food and I did not want to have to go past my door to get it. Delivery choices are basically limited to pizza or Chinese and I did not want either. I did a search and came up with very limited delivery options to my area and although the reviews for Cafe Roma were not the best, I was lacking the motivation to try and find something better so I made the call.

The ordering process went smoothly. I was quoted a 35 minutes wait time and though I wasn't counting, I was happy with the actual delivery time. 

Service was good, the food, not so much. I ordered the Shrimp Pasta because it was one of the three items that had a picture and though you could tell in the pic that this was not going to be a quality pasta dish (I could see the small, low quality shrimp), it really didn't look that bad. I was expecting a rich creamy sauce but what I got was pasta swimming in cream with very little flavor. It was a good size portion so you could eat it twice, but would you really want to?

I was excited when I saw that the pasta came with Garlic Bread and a salad included in the price. I upgraded my salad to a Greek Salad. It had all the right ingredients for a delicious Greek Salad, but the ingredients just weren't as fresh as they should have been and I only ended up eating about half of it. The Garlic Bread was a joke. It was some stale slices of cheese pizza with a little bit of garlic flavoring.

I don't know what I was thinking (greed, sickness, sugar addiction), but I went ahead and ordered dessert, the Turtle Cheesecake to be exact. It tasted like a pre-made refrigerator dessert so I didn't like it.

So obviously I didn't find the food to be all that great and thinking about it now, I ordered a can of Sprite and I got a Barq's Root Beer instead and that pissed me off (not really, I don't like root beer but drank it anyway). I am still sitting here wondering why I decided to order from there.


Cafe Roma
1101 N Causeway Blvd, Metairie, LA 70001
(504) 833-7662
www.caferomametairie.com

Acropolis Cuisine - Metairie, LA

Since my stomach has constantly been telling me please get me a Gyro asap and Acropolis Cuisine has been known to dish out some tasty Greek cuisine (I have been told to dine her a couple of times), I went to check it out.

I was by myself and not in the mood to eat alone so I decided upon carryout. At some restaurants, carryout customer don't get the same level of service as dine in customers but that was not the case here.  While waiting for my order and scoping out the scene, I could tell that it was a nice restaurant as appearances go and I would not hesitate to bring family or friends here. 

The Gyro had good flavor but the meat, a combo of beef and lamb,  was just a little too darn salty.  The pita bread was good, the tomatoes and lettuce were fresh and the tzatziki sauce was tasty. It was piled with so much meat, unless you have a hefty appetite, you will have a hard time finishing it. Overall, it was delectable. 

You have the option of steak fries or grilled vegetables as a side. I opted for the latter and really liked it. Whatever it is that they added to it, it was phenomenal!

I also ordered a Baklava to finish of my meal. It was delicious but super sweet. I could have done without all that honey but that is a typical Baklava addition. However, it was flaky, quality, and mmm mmm good.

Acropolis Cuisine
3841 Veterans Memorial Blvd Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 888-9046

Brooklyn Pizzeria - Metairie, LA

This is New Orleans not New York which makes it a feat in itself to find good New York style pizza. Which brings me to this, Hello Brooklyn! 

Brooklyn Pizzeria is a family business run by a transplanted New Yorker (we are off to a good start). I didn't dine in, but the setup is reminiscent of a typical NY pizzeria - basic table and chairs, lots of pics on the wall, menu board behind the counter and a condiments counter. 

They sell pies (they are known as the "Home of the 20-inch pie"), along with sandwiches, pastas and desserts. I settled on two Slices (Pepperoni & Sausage). These slices are huge and by no means does one person have to order two, I just do greedy thing like that sometimes. I assume the slices come from their 20-inch pies.

I liked the pizza. The crust is thinner and crispier. The beauty of a crust like this, along with the large slices, meant that the pieces were begging to be folded when they were eaten, which I find actually enhances the taste. The sauce provided a good balance of sweet. The pepperoni was crispy, with a good amount of spice. 

It was very good, and I’d definitely recommend it. Also for such large slices, this pizza is a very good value.

Brooklyn Pizzeria
4301 Veterans Memorial Blvd Metairie, LA 70006
(504) 833-1288
www.eatbrooklyn.net

The Kupcake Factory Gourmet Cupcakes - Metairie, LA

I am cupcake crazy and always on the hunt for the tasty morsels. So, when I discovered The Kupcake Factory, that has locations in Kenner, New Orleans and Metairie, I wanted to try them.

Let me start by saying that the shop was nice, the staff was friendly and the cupcakes are baked fresh daily. However, the packing was horrible (they put the cupcakes in the box without a divider) and the flavor of the cupcakes were lacking. 

Not that the were dry, but they all could have been a little more moist and I didn't understand why a Birthday Cake Cupcake would have cream cheese frosting and not buttercream. In fact, I ordered 4 different types and they all had the same type of frosting.

One thing I did like is that the cupcakes have an appropriate amount of frosting.

The cupcakes were satisfactory but surely could have been better.

The Kupcake Factory
911 Veterans Memorial Blvd Metairie, LA 70005
(504) 570-6420
www.thekupcakefactory.com

Byblos Market - Metairie, LA

Byblos Market is the grocery/restaurant hybrid of the chain of Mediterranean restaurants in the the New Orleans area of the same name. I figured this location would be a grocery store with a small counter in the back for take-out, but there was quite a few tables of seating.

As a first timer, I was a little taken aback when I walked up to the counter and was not acknowledged. Luckily, I spotted the menu taped to the counter and was able to look over it. I realized that orders were being placed at the register and as I was walking away, it was at that point, the guy at the food counter finally asked me what I was ordering. Towards the end, they warmed up a little bit but unless you speak their language, you will feel ignore because they barely look up and talk in native tongue amongst themselves.

Ultimately, I took the Chicken Shawarma entree I ordered to go. The dish came with a Salad, Rice Pilaf, Hummus and Pita Bread. The price may have swayed me opinion a little bit, but I was pleased by the quality of the chicken which was flavorful and very tender all white meat. The salad was good but I wish it had olives, the Rice Pilaf was so-so (it was like eating plain white rice) but the quality was good and the hummus was delicious and creamy smooth.

If you don't want to take my word, I will say that the place was pretty full during lunch and with people of Mediterranean decent so that speaks for something.

Byblos Market
2020 Veterans Memorial Blvd Metairie, LA 70001
(504) 837-9777
www.byblosrestaurants.com

Hot Wok Chinese Restaurant - Metairie, LA

When I first spotted Hot Wok, it reminded me of the type of Chinese take-out restaurants you would find in New York and automatically peaked my interest. After passing it quite a few times, I finally had the urge for wings and fried rice and went inside to get my American Chinese on.

The place itself has no ambiance. It's just a hole-in-the-wall, average-looking take-out restaurant where you should never take a date to sit down and eat. Just as I had expected, the place was run by New York transplants who had taken ownership of the restaurant about a year ago.

This is a pretty good place, and even ordering Buffalo Wings off of the "American food" section I was satisfied. It was obviously not the typical buffalo flavor but was good sized wings with a proportionate amount of sauce that had a nice flavor to it.

I also ordered a pint of Roast Pork Fried Rice. It could have easily been a tasteless, greasy, soggy mess but it was really great rice. It tasted fresh not microwaved.

I went in also wanting to get an order of Fried Crab Stick but they no longer sell them so I settled with the Fried Crabmeat Cheese Wontons instead. They were just okay. I wish the wontons were a little crispier and that you could actually taste the crabmeat in the stuffing and not just cheese.

Regardless, prices are really good and I enjoyed the rice, so I will be back again when I'm craving Chinese!



Hot Wok
901 Veterans Blvd Metairie, LA 70005
(504) 831-3328

Kanno California Sushi Bar - Metairie, LA

I have eating at a handful of sushi restaurants in the Metaire/New Orleans area and so far they have all been pretty average. I am not saying the Kanno is any better or any greater, but the prices allow it to outshine the rest.

Although the location of the restaurant could be a turn off, once inside the small restaurant it offers a charming quality that makes you feel like you found the secret neighborhood joint (a diamond in the rough). Like most all other sushi restaurants there is a sushi bar where you can watch the chef work and a few tables of regular seating.

The restaurant may be small but the menu is pretty extensive. I started off with the Green Mussels DX which was pretty delightfully but was filled with more spicy mayo and "crab" than actual mussels.

To finish off my lunch, I ordered a half order of the Protein Roll. I wanted something without rice so I ordered this one. It was yummy, filling and also visually pretty!

My friend kept it simple and ordered the Spicy Tuna and another roll I forget the name of. She said she enjoyed the No Name Roll better but would definitely order both again.

It is unexplainable what makes this place so great but I definitely know that I liked it!

Fresh Salmon Roll

Yellow Tail Green Onion Roll

Kanno California Sushi Bar
3205 Edenborn Ave Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 455-5730

City Diner - Metairie, LA

What is open 24/7 and serves a mean breakfast? The answer is simple, City Diner. Although I am not a breakfast person, in reality, it is a necessity of life and not too long after waking up you stomach is going to tell you please feed me. With family in town, it didn't seem right to feed them the the items I compile and call a breakfast so I wanted to take them out.

City Diner offer the typical breakfast items like eggs, bacon and omelets. My sister ordered the Spinach Omelet which was quite good. The portion was huge.

Speaking of huge, if you are going to order pancakes here, please know that it is larger than an XL pizza pie and could feed an entire family of 4 so order with caution if you are by yourself. Their Chocolate Chip variety would be great for the kids.

Besides the food being fresh and surprisingly quality, what I liked about City Diner is that they combine the foods you expect to see with New Orleans classics. An example of this is their Hash Brown creations. I had the one with Crawfish & Andouille. It was very good but is definitely something you can't eat too much of at one time; it had a little too much Cajun cream sauce for my liking. It came with a biscuit on the side which was delicious addition I might add.

City Diner
3116 South Interstate 10 Service Rd E Metairie, LA 70001
(504) 831-1030
www.citydiner.biz

Sushi Village - Metairie, LA

Sushi Village is less of a village and more of a small, casual restaurant in a shopping center, however the atmosphere is comfortable and the staff (sushi chef and 1 waitress) were pleasant.

Every meal at Sushi Village come with Soup and Salad. Both were very small and lackluster. The Miso Soup wasn't bad per say, but was room temperature which killed any desire I had to maybe like it.

I wasn't extreme hungry, so I ordered the 12 Piece Sashimi Entree. The fish was fresh with a clean taste, however, some of the pieces could have been a little bigger.

My dining partner ordered the Hibachi Steak and Salmon. He thought that it was pretty good but still was nothing write home about.

I am obsessed with Fried Oreos so when I saw them on the menu, I had to have some. Typically Fried Oreos have a thick cake like batter, but I liked that these were a little lighter and that they used tempura batter to compliment the style of the restaurant.

One great thing about Sushi Village is that they offer an all-you-can-eat selection so if you are trying to get a bang for your buck then this restaurant will suit you just fine but just for a casual sit down meal, there are better options out there.


Sushi Village
3535 Severn Ave Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 885-8678
www.metairiesushivillage.com