(Written last July and also posted on yelp.com)
"The Corner" in New Orleans should rename itself "Lame Rip Off."
I was drawn in because the sign said "Breakfast Served All Day" and it had large windows and antique tables. Looked like a winner.
But the first thing I noticed when I came in was sports flags all over the ceiling and a staff dressed in the black and white jerseys of football referees, complete with whistles. The stripes of their uniforms, along with their demeanor, made them seem more like prison inmates. They were sad, lost, miserable souls without a smile to be found, numbed by it all as 80's pop hits, such as Steve Winwood's "Roll With It" blasted from the stereo over the practically empty restaurant.
I'd also noticed a sign saying "We serve bottled water only," which I took to mean something like "Our glasses of water are fresh, right from the cooler, not from the tap." But I found out the truth when I asked for a glass of water from the waiter, who had all the excitement and enthusiasm of the perpetually bored cartoon dog "Droopy."
"You gotta buy a bottle o'water, Chief" he said.
Translation: this tourist trap, corporate chain like blight on the otherwise shining city of New Orleans will not serve you a glass of water. They make you pay for an overpriced bottle.
This should have been my clue to leave, but I wanted to give this place a chance. It was right on Jackson Square in the center of a city with great food all around. How bad could it be? Undaunted and determined to attain the breakfast I so desired, I ordered an ice tea. Then I looked at the menu. The prices seemed reasonable, at first.
"What do these come with?" I asked my server about the eight dollar omelettes.
"Nothing, chief. There's the sides right there." he said, pointing to the lower section of the menu, which showed home fries for $4 and toast for $2.50. In other words...you pay $8.00 for a plain omelette that comes with nothing. Then you have to pay another $6.50 for toast and home fries.
At this point, I probably should have paid for my ice tea, cut my losses and gotten the hell out of there. But I was hungry and a bit hungover. I figured, at the very least, this place would at least provide me a good meal, despite prices that were comparable to room service at the Westin.
When the 'omelette' arrived, it was a thin strip of egg over the 'toppings,' each of which I was charged an extra 1.50 for! The 'home fries' were those cheap, crispy, frozen, plastic like ones that you get only in the cheapest of diners. And the toast had all the freshness and authenticity of Wonder Bread.
I took a couple bites and decided not to waste my appetite, bite the proverbial bullet, go somewhere else and call this a valuable lesson. When the bill came, the total was $22 (gratuity had been included). Twenty two dollars for a cheap, lame, pathetic excuse for a breakfast.
To the owners of The Corner: Shame on you.
To everyone else: New Orleans, La. is filled with great restaurants, some of the best I've ever eaten in. But if you ever find yourself visiting there do NOT, by any means, ever eat at a restaurant called "The Corner" at Jackson Square.
20 comments:
O.o $22?????! Oh my. That's pretty ridiculous.
Man, when you come to MI for TSO or something.. hit up a coney island. Much cheaper and as far as breakfasts go, I think they're pretty good and served 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.
I hate it when people think they'll succeed with that sort of business model. I hope your lunch or dinner was superb and helped erase this horrifying incident.
Join the club!!! It once happened to me in London, England.
I went to a an Aberdeen Steak house and it was quite like you described. I can't recall how much I paid for the lousy lunch but it was not worth the money, that's for sure.
Don't worry it happens to everyone but things get worse when you're hungry and a bit hungover, I guess!? (I wouldn't know because I don't drink)
Unfortunately our modern world is full of misleading signs and advertisements. I don’t really understand how people can be so dishonest!
You are quite right - indeed, genuine hand peeled, cut and cooked fries are hard to find, even in the Old Europe!
Best wishes of better meals! Bye.
Atleast you helped to stimulate the economy there. Most of the French Quarter caters to tourists but that area more so. I remember a scary clown and mime wandering around the street.Better eateries away from and best Bloody Marys on Natchez steamboat and music at Tipitinas outside the Quarter. Hope you have some better eats - there's plenty there...Enjoy
I hate it when that happens. I work in the culinary field. My fellow employees and I go check out new restaurants in the area all the time.
I know that we are probably a bit more critical because we work in the field, but when something is horrible, it's horrible.
Hope you were able to find another place that made your dining experience better.
*Belinda
The worst feeling in the world is sitting at the table in any bar or restaurant, even if you are paying for it to be treated poorly!
The old phrase, "smiles are free" does not apply to this place.
His dignity was put to the test for $ 22, you passed the test! Just a lil curious, had salt on eggs? probably for the salt you need to pay extra $ 1.50
One word: MOTHERS
Best breakfast in No.
This happened in July when passing through NOLA. Experiences like this are unfortunate but they do happen and least I got a good story out of it. It also inspired me to do my first post on Yelp.com, which is great anytime you want to vent (or rave) about a restaurant, or see what others are saying.
Yes, every single other meal from those two days there were great. I ended up at this tiny coffee place, Cafe Beignet down the street, and their breakfast items were superb. And for dinner, the place I recommend the most is Coop's place, a seedy tavern that seems like Tom Waits would feel right at home in. The food is amazing.
It's frustrating when you not only waste your money on lousy food and bad service but also lose the chance to go for something much better, which totally ruins your time.
I can imagine how pissed off you were, Alex. I had my own share during my trip when this evil waitress tried to convince me to accept a glass of wine with tiny cork pieces floating around. I still remember what she said: "What's wrong? This is peeerrrfect." (OK lady, are you blind or are you trying to mess with me?) What's even more sad is that we still stayed there while feeling all uncomfortable as we didn't really have any other choice. We were just too hungry and tired, and no other decent restaurants nearby. (And no wonder they overcharged us, of course.) Unfortunately I forgot the name of the place, else I would have warned everyone here!
P.S. If anyone found my previous post unpleasant, my apology - I just realized that it might sound a bit too unfair so I deleted it, eeps! I think it's still such a wonderful island and it's not like this particular person or restaurant represents the whole city, but when it comes to food my general experience there was not so good and I can't help but recall that afternoon (and some evenings too) whenever I hear the name of the city. Too bad.
Alex,
Sorry you had to endure The Corner in New Orleans. It appears once you are in the restaurant; they back you into “the corner” with their ridiculous prices.
With the landscape becoming more homogenized by corporations, we hope to find something fresh or unique at locally owned establishments. Because of these higher expectations, it’s even more disappointing when the people and/ or businesses don’t rise to the challenge. Glad to learn the rest of your time in NOLA was a far better experience.
In Rhode Island (Just having a little fun, not intending to offend anyone.), we would probably say something like … “Forget ‘bout it. It’s over. You don’t need ‘em. D’here dead to you.” If you want mangia and little vino, then when you come to Providence with TSO, we’ll take you to Federal Hill. Oh, excuse me – we’d say “Da Hill”. “It’ll be alright. When it comes to d’is dining dilemma, we got your back.” (Have no idea where that came from. It’s morning. Must have more coffee. Besides, you’ve probably already been to “the hill” a few times.):)
How ironic, I'm reading about the omelet you had to tolerate while waiting for my friends to arrive to go to breakfast at place overlooking the bay. However, I know our breakfast will be half the price and a lot nicer.
Perhaps the management and staff of “The Corner” need to spend some time in “the corner” themselves contemplating the meaning of customer service and a twenty-two dollar breakfast.
I am enthused to hear some thoughts on food, but surprised you did not splurge for the real places there? All my life, I have had to hear about the real food in Cajun Country, listen to French Cajun music, and yes even steam crabs...for Christmas. Arnaud's Restaurant is a must, if you really want to get the cuture, its worth every penny, a server from there actually taught me 5 star service for my Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa days, but my Father says, he goes to Paul Prudhomme, K-Pauls, every time without fail, at least twice a year -- that is his favorite restaurant hands down, anywhere USA. http://www.chefpaul.com/site297.php
Endulge your senses, I know you might be worried about prices, but I am thinking- you will find a like'n to Chicken and Andouille Gumbo ---CHEERS!
Wish I was there...
The traveler is at such a disadvantage when attempting to dine in an unfamiliar place. Every time I have a sub par meal or poor service, I think where I could have had excellent food in familiar surroundings. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a website where we could punch in a zipcode and find the best local cuisine, with reviews by locals (not professional food critics)? I could tell you in my home zip code where to find the best chili dogs, Sicilian pizza, donuts (delicious, different, and decadent),pasta, and a 3 egg omelette with several toppings, choice of 3 breads for toast, homefries made from fresh potatoes and coffee (for under $6).
All I have to say is I live to eat, so when I have a terrible meal I almost feel as if I am in a terrible nightmare I can't wake up from. I look at food as an art form and understand that some cooks don't revere food the same way and treat the egg(in your experience) like it's a cheap whore. The egg needs to be caressed and seasoned with the love it needs. It also needs to be whispered sweet words of encouragement by the home fries. I think I shall write a romance about food, bol!
Breakfast is very important for me.
Because, If I dos'nt have my breakfast, my brain says "Give me something!!".
And I can not do my morning works enough.
"Breadfast Blues"...
Good title, I think :)
Do you know why breakfast is called "breakfast" ?
You are native. So, It,s very easy,
isn't it ? :)
I figured I'm not the only one that has experienced something like this. You know, I could forgive the awful atmosphere, odd service and even the high bill, as long as the food was very good. But it was absolute garbage.
The other night I dined with friends in NYC's oldest steakhouse, The Old Homestead. Expensive, yes, but the food and the experience are worth every penny. I may have to do a post about it. A great meal such as that is something truly worth spending $$ on. Unfortunately, when I was in N.O. it was for a very brief time before the tour bus left, so not much time to explore the higher end restaurants. I had discovered Coop's Place on previous visit when the locals told me that's where they eat, so I knew they'd be good. Also, I remember a great cafe called 'Mother's' Est. 1938 whose sign boasts: 'World's Best Baked Ham.' (I'm not big on ham, so I can't verify this claim...
Yes, Kyoko, breakfast is called breakfast because, after not eating through the night, it is the meal where you 'break' the 'fast': )
Dude, with 35$ (more 13$ only) you do a nice breakfast here in Rio, in Copacabala Palace Hotel (one of most traditional hotels), and eat close to swimming! lol
Put in your "foodnotes"
The Old Homestead rocks. They have a simply unnatural Colossal Crab Cocktail. They have a sister rest in Atlantic City @ Borgata. Would love to hear your thoughts on this place.
Andrew
PS: I'm the person who recomended "Mothers" next time you're in N.O.
Also, the 'Colossal Shrimp' @ Old Homestead are not to be believed. Shrimp just don't get that big (and tasty).
RE: Mother's- yeah, I remembered the meal, but had totally forgot the name of the place, hence not making the connection. Good call. Best red beans and rice yet.
Yes, Brazil I recall as having some of the best food and the best prices.
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