Slim Goodies Diner

It's a great diner. I like sitting at the counter, in front of the grill. It's just busy, and comfy. The wait staff are always cool, and today was no different. Had Slimcheros. Eggs, meat and cheese in between 2 tortillas (I had corn), with some gravy in top. On the side are sour cream, jalapenos, and salsa. Several cups of coffee. Excellent meal. Excellent place. Try it!!!!

Hoyt ordered a custom omelet and said it was the best he ever had, and I ordered the Doc, with scrambled eggs and sausage. The sausage was to write home about and so were the pancakes. Love this place!

Hip and fun vibe to enjoy conversation with friends. The menu has a variety of options, including vegan and gluten free. Beautiful outside patio.

Friendly service fast WiFi big tables spacious airy feel. The food was delicious, hot and fresh scrambled eggs with all the trimmings plus 2 slices wholewheat toast and unlimited coffee. I prefer my pepper black is my only negative comment - excellent stop for a late hangover cure breakfast on Magazine

I learned something the other day…THRILLLIST is about as qualified to conduct restaurant ratings and food rankings as Donald Trump is to be Commander in Chief. "Ouch, Wayne. That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" But as always, there is a source for my sharp impressions. 

My direct animosity is derived from an article I stumbled across which was published August 17, 2014. The source is entitled “The 21 Best Breakfast Spots in America 2014”. Yep, it's one of 'those' lists. Now to be fair, there is an implicit disclaimer in the article’s introduction which states that the restaurants listed are the two contributors’ “favorite breakfasts in the nation”. 

Can we just acknowledge exactly how misleading that title now appears to be? While the terms “best” and “greatest” are some of the most arbitrary and vague titles existent in the English language, you need some form of quantitative data or proof to reach such a conclusion. Perhaps you could first assemble a panel of individuals in the restaurant profession (individuals who are well-educated in the culinary arts and well-versed in cooking and are thereby knowledgeable of the intricacies of taste and flavor) and then allow them to nominate some of their favorite dishes or establishments particular to whatever meal or cuisine you are ranking (I didn't say that determining the 'best' would be an easy endeavor). After you are provided a list of nominees, you could proceed to conduct a poll asking a number of diners and customers to choose what dish or establishment they preferred most. Finally, you could take the most popular selections and rank them according to votes and consequently attach the label of 'best' to them.

Then again, if popularity was any indicator of success or quality, then McDonald’s or IHOP might be worthy of such superlatives. Still, it seems as though in order to deem a restaurant as one of the best of anything in this country, you would require the opinions and experiences of more than two individuals.

So where am I going with this labyrinthine introduction?

Well, it just so happens that one of New Orleans’ very own restaurants secured a spot on this supremely subjective list. That of course would be the Magazine Street adjoining business known as Slim Goodies Diner.

The place seems harmless enough. As you enter, you are greeted by the presence of hundreds of Polaroid photographs of what appear to be satisfied customers. The pictures cover most of the walls near the front entrance and create a hospitable environment for a morning meal. There is a long bar extending towards the back, with a portion of the kitchen directly in front of the bar. And of course, there are cushioned seats running along the length of this dining area which help complete the classic diner setup. There are also booths and tables available for seating. There is also a doorway beside the end of the bar which leads into an adjacent room comprised of even more tables and booths.
 With its high ceilings and various seating options, Slim Goodies prevents you from ever feeling cramped. 

When we sat down to look at the menu, we were immediately attracted to the Creole and Cajun influences evident among what is so often standard breakfast fare. The Guatemalan served with black beans and a slice of avocado sounded tasty, as did a number of the plate options with ingredients ranging from crab meat to potato latkes. Because we were having so much trouble deciding on what to order, we asked our server for his input. He remarked that the Creole Slammer was recently voted a “top-100” breakfast in America and implied that it would be worth a try. However, he did not cite the source or publication which granted the dish such merit.

Now that’s quite a statement to make. You have just the set the bar remarkably high for yourself, my friend. When I walked through Slim Goodies doors, I had no expectations for an once-in-a-lifetime breakfast. I simply wanted some good and relatively satiating food before my 11 o’clock brunch reservations.

Of course, I had to order the dish after our server sang such praises. Even at a steep $15.50, I was willing to bet that this would be quite the payoff. After all, it was a serving of hash browns topped with two eggs and crawfish étouffée with a side of biscuit. What part about that doesn’t sound absolutely divine? Aside from the Creole Slammer, we also ordered a stack of the Sweet Cakes, which are pancakes made from sweet potato (one of my absolute favorite foods).

Our food arrived not long after we ordered, but my anticipation was almost immediately dimmed. A frown spread across my face at the sight of the minuscule Creole Slammer. It was comparable in size to a dish that would be valued at approximately $8-10 at any other diner or breakfast joint. Not to mention, the food itself wasn’t all that easy on the eyes. The biscuit was small and hardly looked homemade and there was barely any étouffée roux covering the hash browns and eggs. For those of you unfamiliar with French culinary terminology, étouffée translates to “smothered”. Meaning: there should have been a substantial amount of roux covering my plate (think biscuits and gravy volume). Instead, the dish looked relatively dry. Some of the lack of moisture was due in part to our decision to order our eggs scrambled (my date has a dysfunctional issue regarding non-scrambled eggs), but that still does not forgive the conservative serving of roux.

On the other hand, the Sweet Cakes looked fantastic, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into them. Our server provided us with some Steen’s cane syrup as a condiment, but, honestly, those pancakes required no syrup or sauce of any kind. They were some of the moistest and most well-seasoned pancakes I have ever had. I don’t know if I will ever be able to eat plain, old buttermilk griddlecakes again after these lovelies. When paired with the Steen’s cane syrup, they were essentially perfect. To say this is one of my favorite breakfast items I have ever consumed would not be hyperbole in the least.

But in regards to the award-winning Creole Slammer…where do I begin? As I mentioned previously, the biscuit was small and nothing special. It very well could have been previously frozen as far as I know. The crawfish were decently seasoned but nothing compared to what you would expect if they were fresh. And I can’t even evaluate the roux because there was hardly any to begin with. The eggs were what you would expect while the shredded hash browns were both modestly served and, like the biscuit, just okay. When I stop to think about the $15+ price tag attached to this dish, it makes me pretty aggravated.

Say what you want about the price being justified as a result of the crawfish not being in season, but I think it’s absolutely ridiculous when you realize that a similar dish containing crabmeat was only 50 cents more.

To top it all off, the server informed us that they accept only cash for payment. I guess the blame should fall on me for not conducting a more thorough research beforehand, but I saw no indication when we walked in or while gazing at the menu related to the payment policy. Plus, I was not provided my change after paying cash. A tip should never, and I repeat...NEVER, be assumed on the part of the wait staff.

This meal was so polarizing due to my love for the Sweet Cakes and my displeasure regarding the Creole Slammer. I can’t definitively say whether Slim Goodies is a treat or trap, but I certainly feel as though I did not get my money’s worth.

Try it out for yourself to determine what side of the fence you fall on. As for me, I’m currently sitting directly on the fence. There were plenty of other dishes which caught my attention, so I can’t say I wouldn’t be open to the prospect of returning. Until then, I would advise anyone not to set their expectations too high and to take any acclaim with a grain of salt…something the Creole Slammer needed.

Sweet Cakes Taste: 10/10 Creole Slammer Taste: 6/10

Cost: 6/10

Dining Area/Décor: 6/10

Customer Service: 8/10

Location: 8/10

Best diner food. The best. never disappointed. busy on weekends but worth the wait. I love the slimcherros/guatemalen. more or less the same but so fantastic. take all my friends who visit here

Tasty tasty. Delicious breakfast!

Great food!!! The gluten-free waffles were delicious! Chicken was amazing! Little goat egg dish was yummy!

No vegan mayo for my BLAT sandwich (blt with avocado with no tomato sub onion) but it was actually pretty good. My friend ordered the country fried steak with eggs and loved it. Service was great. Lots of vegetarian dishes, with vegan options as well. Think tofu scrambles and black bean burgers.

Great place for breakfast or brunch. The food is fun and unique and works really well. (Though maybe reconsider using Jewish in the name of a dish containing shellfish, hm?) I'm afraid I found the food to be seasoned a bit on the tourist (aka bland) side of things, so do be sure to ask for hot sauce.

Had the best meal at this impromptu brunch. The wait was less than 10 minutes on a Saturday. The appetizer (fries with crawfish) was amazing and the coffee was very good. They even have boozy drinks. The pink mimosa was also delicious. Everyone’s meal was satisfactory. We even had our photo taken to add to their unique wall of Polaroids. I would highly recommend to anyone wanting a delicious brunch near Magazine street.

We really LOVED this place! I had the sweet potato waffle with pecans, my daughter had the pancakes, and my wife had the Greek omelette. This is a quirky place away from the Quarter. Can’t wait to go back for lunch.