Bon Ton Cafe in New Orleans

Bon Ton Café on Magazine Street in New Orleans is a must!

My parents invited us to go to the restaurant, after having been there with my aunt and uncle a few weeks ago.   It doesn’t look like a big restaurant from the street view in the Warehouse District, but it has plenty of room inside, along with a quaint New Orleans style brick interior and some of the friendliest staff you will ever find.

Something to note is that this restaurant is not open during the weekends!   We went for lunch.  If you go, ask for Joy as your waitress.  She’s great.  She remembered my parents from their first visit and even recalled what my parents do for a living and that it was my Mom’s sister and her husband that came with them the first time.

Oh and Joy is a trip, she has to start or stop every sentence with “Bebe” in a Southern drawl.

My meal started with turtle soup.  I’ve never tried this before.  Honestly?  I’m not sure I’d get it again.  It had good flavoring, but the sauce was too thick for my preference.   You’re supposed to pour sherry over the soup, but I only added a touch.  Mom said adding more would have made the soup less thick, which is what I should have done.

My entrée was a mix…. I asked Joy what the difference was between Red Fish Bon Ton and Red Fish Alzina.  Bon Ton has the crabmeat and Alzina has the crawfish.  Joy suggested that since this was my first time trying things that I should do half and half.  What a great idea!  The red fish was cooked to perfection and the crabmeat was real crab, not that imitation stuff.  Both variations were delicious, but I prefer the crabmeat as I don’t eat it that often.

Mom ordered the same thing she had the first time…. Crabmeat Au Gratin.  She let me taste some of it.  O M G.  I will DEFINITELY order that if I go back to Bon Ton Café.  When my parents went with my aunt and uncle, both my mom and my aunt ordered the crabmeat au gratin… my aunt, after tasting it, said (repeatedly), “This is better that good sex!”

My husband enjoyed the steak.  (He’s allergic to shellfish.  He said the steak was tender, but couldn’t hold a flame to my Dad’s filet mignon.  Dad should open a restaurant.)

For dessert, the four of us split one order of bread pudding and trust me, it was the perfect size between all of us.  Mom, Dad and Greg ordered coffee, but I didn’t as I have never acquired the taste for it.  (Love the smell, don’t like the taste.)

While sipping the coffee and waiting for the dessert, Dad said, “This coffee is strong.  It’ll take the hair off your chest.”  Greg laughed and said, “Hey, maybe it will take the hair off my stomach!”  My husband doesn’t have much hair… anywhere, but on his stomach, there is a little light patch of fuzzy hair that we joke about.

Dad said, “Well, I have fuzzy buns.”  I busted out laughing, claiming TMI.  But Greg couldn’t let that go, he warned Dad, “That’s going to be your new nickname – Fuzzy Butt!”  I don’t remember what all followed, but I know I was laughing so hard I cried.

That’s when the waitress appeared with the dessert and oh WOW, you can taste the whiskey!  It was delicious.  But then… the waitress told Greg, “Since this is the first time you’ve been here and you live here… the regulars do this with their coffee…”  Joy took the whiskey sauce that was left over from the bread pudding and poured it into Greg’s coffee!

My husband was in shock, “He’s fuzzy butt 1 (pointing to Dad) and just for that, you are fuzzy butt 2.”  Joy laughed and said, “Normally I want to be number 1 (which, yeah, imagine the snickers from this), but I don’t want to take that away from your father-in-law, so I’ll be number 2.”  (snort laugh)

Now that Greg was a “regular,” he tried the coffee and was surprised that it was actually a lot better with the sauce.

All in all, a wonderful meal, great company, lots of laughter, perfect atmosphere and delightful service.  So, if you’re a native or visiting, stop by Bon Ton Café.  It’s a little on the pricey side, but it’s New Orleans cuisine and it’s excellent!

If you’d like to see the lunch menu, click here.