It’s a very chill last full day for us in New Orleans and we’ve run out of activities to do so we just walk around and plan our meals for the day and see what we have left that we want to cross off. It’s football day and our hotel is so close to the big New Orleans Saints stadium that we can just see the traffic and flood of gold and white all over the sidewalks. We’re not huge football fans, Christel being from a different country and me being a late support of The Bills, so we try to lay a little low today to avoid all the Sunday crowds. I need to get some Oysters since I haven’t yet and we decide for lunch we’re gonna tackle a place that was on our Concierge’s list and that we’ve gotten as a recommendation from some of our local Uber drivers. Tip for all of you guys out there traveling, skip the online travel recommendations and just listen to the locals, they never let you down.
LOCATION: 401 Poydras St. New Orleans, LA 70130
Mother’s Restaurant in a tiny bit out of our way meaning it’s not walking distance so we call an Uber and head out for lunch. Mother’s is a pretty cool space with exposed brick walls and a long counter full of cooks and steaming hot food on the line. It’s a little crowded with rooms full of tables occupied by fellow lunchers and very quick women busing tables and checking in on patrons. We line up while we decide what to order and make our way to the cash register, eyeing all the food along the way. Christel and I scope out a table and a two top opens up just for us by the window so a nice woman clears it for us and she saves the seat while I wait to order. Mother’s is known for their baked ham and their Ferdi Special Sandwich so Christel and I debate between the two and decided to share a regular order of the Famous Ferdi Special and a cup of Jerry’s Jambalaya because through all our eating here in New Orleans we still haven’t knocked that one off the list yet. This menu is extensive with tons of options but we’re pretty excited for our order. We keep hearing recommendations for this Ferdi Special and even the description alone sounds great - it’s their famous ham, roast beef, and their original Debris with au jus gravy along with shredded cabbage, pickles, and mayo. I guess Mother’s coined the term debris which are the bits of roast beef that have fallen into the gravy during carving. These little richly flavored gravy bits of meat are added to each sandwich for extra extra flavor. The Jerry’s Jambalaya is rice cooked with chicken, smoked sausage, vegetables, herbs and seasonings that give it a slight spicy kick.
It doesn’t take long for our order to come out and we get ready to dig in. This sandwich is messy, there’s au jus that’s soaked through the bottom piece of bread and makes it fall apart in your hands but it’s so good that it doesn’t take long before it’s all gone anyways. This sandwich is so good and filling, it has a perfect balance of softness and crunch and everything blends so well together. We’re both content with splitting this order because we’re full from our respective halves but this is a sandwich you come back for again and again. It’s easy to see why people order this and recommend it to visitors. This place is busy but it should be with this quality and the amount of food we’re eating. This was an amazing choice. The jambalaya is also good. We should’ve ordered more than a cup because you want to eat more. The flavors are so good and the meat is mixed in so well but there’s a lot of it so you don’t feel like you’re getting ripped off. I like this more than gumbo/etouffee and wish I had it sooner and at more places. I guess I’m a proponent to jambalaya. It wins my vote in this three dish battle.
I’m already dreaming of going back to Mother’s again for this atmosphere. These woman who work the dining room are so sweet and helpful. They pop in just when you need them and are so fast. The one that was in charge of our section of the dining room was super nice and easy to talk to. I’m living the atmosphere of this place and the hospitality we’ve been experiencing during our trip.