We love all kinds of cuisine here at Glover Gardens, from fancy French food to farmers’ market fare and everything in between – as long as it is fab (translated as tasty, made well and served graciously). Add in fun and creativity and it’s a real winner. Slim Goodies Diner in New Orleans is all that – fab food in a fun ambience that’s served with personality.
We made a trek to Slim Goodies Diner from Gumbo Cove (our little place in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi) on the day after Thanksgiving, 2021. We were happy to show our vaccination cards at the door and wait a few minutes outside to gain entry to the warm and quirky environment escorted by Deborah, who we later learned is the owner.
Deborah is friendly and cheeky and remembers your name just from reviewing your vaccine status, which is pretty impressive. And she also stops by each table a couple of times during your meal, just to make sure you’re happy – and maybe to share another joke or gentle gibe. She’s seemingly everywhere at the same time.
The decor is crayola-NOLA-bright and diner-artsy, with Polaroids of previous guests and amusing captions adorning the walls of the long, narrow dining room (there’s also outside seating on a lovely patio in back). Busy servers dart nimbly back and forth from the tables to the kitchens, without any crashes of big trays laden with blue plate specials and with their own cheeky comments shared along the way. The place is FUN.
The coffee is dark and rich and the mimosas are large and bubbly, both perfect for a casual brunch in the Big Easy.
The saying is “go big or go home”… so of course we went big. No little waffles or granola parfaits for us on a holiday trip, no way! “Live now, pay later” also worked for our diet strategy that day. Check out the diner deliciousness in the only three pics I was able to snap before gobbledom commenced.
The dishes were named with the same creative and quirky flair that the staff and decor sport, for instance, The Grill-Meister’s choice above, “The Crabby Wife,” which was a combination of crab balls and two scrambled eggs topped with crawfish etouffee. Delicious, he decreed it. And of course, that’s the only way he’s going to get a crabby wife!! 😁
Don’t blame me for the name of my dish! “The Jewish Coonass” is described (explained) on the menu: “A little ditty, mixing New York with New Orleans, two potato latkes over fresh grilled spinach, two eggs & topped with crawfish etouffee”. Double-yumski!
The Buffalo Chicken Tenders chosen by our Musical Millennial were tossed in Crystal hot sauce and served with honey mustard and hash browns. It was Crystal-icious.
In short, everything was STELLAR.
And everyone in the restaurant was having a good time, including us. Deborah wouldn’t have it any other way.
So – we’ll be back!
For the Slim Goodies Diner backstory, we learned from their web site that they’ve been in business since 2003, which means they survived Hurricane Katrina and its business-devastating aftermath—and all the hurricanes since then. Here’s what they say:
Slim Goodies Diner came from a deeply rooted New Orleans background and we’ve been Cooking with Love ever since. Our mission is to share the iconic cultural creole food and service standards that New Orleans is known for. Inspired daily to provide a place for family and friends to gather together in a casual, eclectic, artsy environment.
NOLA Strong & Tru, determined to survive every storm no matter it’s origin. Here to stay, come Hell or high water.
Freshness and creativity are our favorite ingredients. Our menu is varied and the service is unmatched. If you’re looking for a superb culinary experience, stop by or order online!
Slim Goodies Diner
Check out this photo from their web site, which is truly diner-drool-worthy!
How did we hear about Slim Goodies? From a NOLA-based blogger friend, who said, when we asked for brunch recommendation, a place that locals love: “Slim Goodies – It’s colorful and a lot of fun. Food is very good.” Thanks, Ray! Maybe we’ll see you there sometime. 😊
© 2022, Glover Gardens
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Maybe we’ll be there but by June we will have ditched this swamp for the open space of our farm.
June is so soon!