NEW ORLEANS FRY HOUSE // NOLA COMES TO TEMERSON SQUARE

NEW ORLEANS FRY HOUSE // NOLA COMES TO TEMERSON SQUARE
New Orleans may be a few hours away but the flavors of Nola are right around the corner. Debuting last April, New Orleans Fry House aims to bring a little Cajun flavor to downtown Ttown. Owner Dan Robinson is no stranger to Tuscaloosa with roots in Tuscaloosa Burger on Bryant Drive as well as Cravings Grocery store off of University Boulevard.
Having just returned from New Orleans on a culinary and media training event, I was eager to try New Orleans Fry House. I decided to bring my hubby along for lunch with his countless trips to Nola for good food with friends. We opted for an early lunch on a Wednesday and found ourselves with ample seating to choose from. Adjacent to Edelweiss bakery and café in Temerson Square, I was impressed with the size of the restaurant, number of televisions along the walls, and nightly beer specials, perfect for a sports night in the future. We were provided with an additional menu revealing the day’s grilled specials and newest menu additions, including a sushi quality yellowfin tuna grilled rare with a touch of homemade garlic butter and rice pilaf.
Scanning the main menu I decided to go for the Natchitoches meat pie basket since it’s considered a “Louisiana must” while my husband selected the crawfish po-boy basket. We asked our server if we could each have a side of remoulade to give it a try. Our selections came in a timely fashion and I was impressed by the monstrosity of my hubby’s po-boy. Never having had meat pies before, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the pies in my basket as well as the density. Sneaking a bite of crawfish to use with my remoulade, I was pleased with the flavors that filled my mouth. My husband was equally impressed with the French bread used for his po-boy. We left the restaurant overly full but I was still left wondering if the Fry House truly represented the flavors of New Orleans considering that we only tasted a small fraction of the menu. Remembering that my current intern Paige called New Orleans her home, I decided to send her over to have lunch as well. Going for the seafood gumbo, Paige shared that she was hoping for a little more spice and kick as a Nola gal and more even heating with some uneven temperatures of the gumbo she found as she ate.
Overall, I think that the New Orleans Fry House provides another exciting option to the downtown dining scene. Though the menu boasts a significant number of selections, the challenge will be providing high quality seafood while being competitively priced against other restaurants for lunch in a college town.
New Orleans Fry House is located at 2322 4th Street in Temerson Square and is open Tuesday through Sunday. Tweet us @ThePlanetWeekly and let us know what you’re eating!
Sheena Gregg, MS, RDN,LD is a registered dietitian and local “Filipino foodie.” Follow her on Twitter @AFilipinoFoodie