The richest po’boys
The famous po’boy was invented by two brothers, Benny and Clovis Martin. They were streetcar conductors who went on to open a sandwich shop near the French Market in 1921. During the railroad strike of 1929, they served their picketing friends and former coworkers, or “poor boys,” a sandwich consisting of gravy inside a small loaf of French bread.
Today, po’boys are made with shrimp, oysters, roast beef, meatballs, duck debris, and pretty much anything else you can think of, and they’re served at dozens, if not hundreds, of joints around New Orleans. Parkway Bakery, in Mid-City, wins most of the “best of” competitions. Domilise, in Uptown, wins those Parkway does not. Johnny’s, on St. Louis Street, is probably the most visited in town because of their convenient French Quarter location.
Info
Address Erin Rose Bar, 811 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, +1 504.252.6745, www.killerpoboys.blogspot.com | Hours Wed–Mon noon–midnight| Tip If the bartender on duty at Erin Rose is burly, bearded, shaved-headed, and has sleeve tattoos, stop and talk with him. That’s Murf Reeves, also a disc jockey for WWOZ radio and a passionate and expert storytelling apostle for New Orleans. He can give you another 111 places not to miss that aren’t listed in this book.
One of the newer contenders, Killer Poboys, was opened in 2012 by April Bellows and Cam Boudreaux as a pop-up in the back of the divey Erin Rose Bar (whose motto is “Local prices. Local chaos. Local love”). Boudreaux’s expressed intent is to “explore new traditions for our city’s iconic sandwich.” Many now consider Killer’s unconventional take on New Orleans’ signature sandwich (locals say “sammitch”) head and tail above the rest. Boudreaux was previously a chef at Arnaud’s, one of the city’s classic restaurants, and his mastery of global flavors and appreciation for regionally sourced ingredients comes through in every messy bite.
Their most popular po’boy is the Dark & Stormy, made from naturally raised pork bellies from Beeler’s Farms, then marinated for 12 hours in Steen’s syrup, real ginger, and dark rum. Another highlight of the small but seasonal menu is a seared Gulf shrimp po’boy, with marinated radish, carrot, cucumber, herbs, and sriracha aioli.
A word of warning about the potato salad; it’s great, but made with enough Zatarain’s mustard to clear your sinuses.
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