R&O's

Photo by renee b. photography.

Last week we all endured a frightening episode of deja vu when Hurricane Isaac stalled over the city on the seventh anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. Fortunately, the reinforced levee system operated as expected, and the city was spared any major flood damage. Unfortunately, Entergy turned in a 2005 FEMA-like performance when it came to the task of restoring power. But those of us who were without air condition for a few days should consider ourselves lucky in light of the loss felt by our neighbors in La Place, Plaquemines Parish, and the like.

When a storm approaches and we're either riding it out at home or evacuating to higher ground, New Orleanians often pass the time talking about the simple pleasures which we cannot wait to enjoy once life returns to normalcy. A ride on the streetcar down St. Charles. A jog around Audubon Park. A loaf of seeded Italian po-boy bread filled with roast beef debris.

In the September issue of OffBeat Magazine, we review R&O's, a bucktown staple where generations of families have come for a taste of our indigenous Creole-Italian cuisine. R&O's has always been a restaurant which caters to every taste. Fried shrimp? Yeah, they got that. Craving a po-boy? No problem. Grandma wants spaghetti and meatballs? Consider it done. Child will only eat pizza? Let him have it, along with the complimentary entertainment which comes from peeking through the kitchen window and watching the dough fly through the air.

No cotton candy foie gras. No sous vide tenderloin of Colorado lamb. No specialty cocktail menu. Just a place where locals come to get a good meal at a fair price. A simple pleasure certainly worth returning home for.

R&O's - Par
216 Old Hammond Hwy
(504) 831-1248