13 Restaurant & Bar

We had had enough.  All of us native New Englanders needed vegetables, and stat!  It is a weird situation to be surrounded by restaurants of varying caliber, and to be unable to find anything aside from an iceberg salad in the whole of the city.  My roommate in New Orleans had a magazine about the city, and in the cuisine section there was an article about vegetarian alternatives in the Big Easy.  One place on the list was 13 Restaurant and Bar, and it was on Frenchman Street, just outside the French Quarter, and so it was planned.

We almost missed the restaurant when we were walking to it, as it truly is a hole in the wall, and as we entered we knew we were in for a treat.  The walls had eclectic artwork hanging on them, and there were only a few locals in the seats.  We were ushered to a table, and the menus came out with an unusual mix of foods.  There were appetizers featuring vegetables, and also a salad section on the menu with several choices!  There were also some other unique dishes.  We ordered our drinks and food and after our drinks came, we had to wait quite a while for the food to arrive.  They said this was because they were making everything to order, but it was still too long of a wait.  Eventually, some food began to appear.

Appetizers on the table included Warm Goat Cheese and Roasted Vegetables with Pita Triangles and Tater Totchos.  The goat cheese was so lemony and good, and the peppers, olives, and summer squash were a needed distraction from fried food, though they were still a bit greasy.  The Tater Totchos were a brilliant combination of a plate of tater tots covered with nacho toppings.  This would be a great bachelor dish idea, and simple to make.  Maybe at my next party…

Next, the entrees came out, salads for some, and sandwiches for others.  I had the Sesame Chicken Salad Salad.  Yes, I said salad twice because this was a mixed green salad with a healthy portion of chicken salad in the middle flavored with sesame oil.  This salad was delicious, flavorful and light.  It was exactly what I was looking for.  Other folks were raving about their various sandwiches and salads as well, and we all left with a healthier feeling than when we came in, although we were stuffed from the large portions.

Aside from the wait, I can’t complain about this place.  It was a little off the beaten path, but is well worth the detour.  The price was right and the vegetables were necessary.  Look this place up when you go down south…it won’t disappoint.