Mother's Day in August

I've posted about Mother's Restaurant before... On several occasions. But I'm sure that by now, you've noticed that I love repeating myself, especially when it gives me the opportunity to post more pictures. For instance, I love talking about Acme Oyster House, again and again. Furthermore, if you are a regular reader, you may have wondered why I can't stop talking about Zea.

Well, this last Saturday, my rumbling stomach just happened to have a yearning for some classic N'awlins food, so I swung by my regular lunch standby and perpetual favorite, Mother's Restaurant. Here are my recommendations of what you should order when visit Mother's.


On Saturdays, be sure to order their special: an enriching bowl of Mae's filé gumbo, which is served with generous spoonfuls of fluffy long grain white rice and thick-cut rounds of smoky andouille sausage. Just a quick FYI: "filé powder" is a common gumbo ingredient and is a Native-American spice made from dried sassafras leaves, which has been ground to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Filé powder has thickening qualities similar to cornstarch, and may be used in gumbos, but only if okra is not an ingredient. (The gel in okra also acts as a thickening agent, so filé + okra tends to be overkill.)


You'll be prohibited from setting foot into Mother's (by me) if you don't order one of their famous po' boys, which are lightly buttered and dressed with pickles, shredded cabbage, and mayonnaise. Mother's po' boy bread is airy, and almost ethereal, and therefore acts as the perfect base for any po' boy filling. One delectable option is Mother's monstrous fried oyster po' boy, which is crammed with crunchy and golden-brown oysters that are perfectly creamy and slippery on the inside.


Another po' boy possibility is their signature invention: a roast beef "debris" po' boy which is drenched in a savory au jus and littered with stringy tendrils of slow cooked beef. The meat in a debris po' boy is not your typical sliced roast beef, but rather, the meat filling consists of the remnants in the roasting pan after a Sunday supper--thus, the "debris" name.


Finally, don't hesitate to reward yourself with a spongy slice of bread pudding. Mother's bread pudding is saturated with sweet liqueur and cream, spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, and cooked with peaches and cherries. This pudd'n will most likely leave you loosening your pants for more.


If you are in the New Orleans area, I hope that these pictures inspire you to make your next lunch visit to Mother's in the near future. If you've never been to New Orleans, I hope this post has encouraged you to visit us!