Say Hey, Kid

Ahhh, the great Willie Mays. That was his nickname: The Say Hey Kid. You all remember him, right? The awesome Hall-of-Fame center-fielder for the New York slash San Francisco Giants, who finished his career with the New York Mets. With 660 home runs. With a .302 batting average. With a dozen Gold Gloves. Those were the days...but...don't worry; this blog has absolutely nothing to do with him.

You see, I'm talking 'bout Willie Mae's. Willie Mae's Scotch House in New Orleans, to be precise...

Willie Mae's was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but with the help of the Southern Foodways Alliance and donations of time and money from friends and neighbors, was rebuilt and reopened two years after the tragedy...

Doesn't look like much, I know, but Willie Mae's is famous for many things, and has stood on the same corner in the city's Tremé neighborhood for over 50 years, originally opening as a bar. Now, it's a food destination, notably for its fried chicken, and people come from all over to line up and get a taste. They're only open from 11 AM until 3 PM, so you can imagine that there's a wait sometimes, as there was the day Significant Eater and I went. But I'll bet the famous people don't wait as long...

You gotta figure - if Barack likes it, it must be good, no? There were lots of happy faces, so he's not the only one.

Significant Eater and I both ordered the fried chicken; there are also fried pork chops and smothered veal chops on the menu, but today was a chicken day. Along with our chicken, we had sides of red beans and rice as well as green beans with rice and gravy...

I haven't had green beans like this...well, at least since my mom opened up that can of Green Giant...but, let's also say the green beans were helped along by the perfectly cooked rice and scrumptious gravy. Okay - I'll say it - they were. But really, are you here for the vegetables?

Nope - you're here for the fried chicken...and when our platter arrived, it looked like this...

Crunchy, juicy and moist - and even somewhat delicious once you get past the salt, which there is no shortage of. Would I eat this stuff every day? No, probably not - unless I brought my cardiologist with me. But if you're heading to New Orleans, give it a try - I'm betting you won't be disappointed.

Willie Mae's Scotch House
2401 Saint Ann Street
New Orleans, LA 70119

(504) 822-9503