Photo du Jour: Drago's Charbroiled Oysters

I'm not a big fan of the Metairie Fat City scene, however Drago's delivers--and delivers damn good. The crusty 1970's Disco Stu surroundings of Fat City and the "Don't Park Here, I'll Tow Your Ass" signs all over the place at neighboring businesses are worth dealing with to get to Drago's. Drago's is an all-around seafood place, but the signature dish (pictured above) is the charbroiled oysters. These things are insanely good. We arrived at the restaurant at about 6pm tonight and although being crowded only had to wait for twenty or so minutes for a table. Upon finishing, a conservative estimate of at least 200 people were waiting for tables, so many in fact that the crowd spilled out the front door into the parking lot. The place is that popular--and good.

Another reason to support these guys is that the Drago Family took it upon themselves to help their community by providing free food for weeks to residents in some of the hardest hit areas of New Orleans. As families were picking up the pieces of their lives at their damaged homes in the weeks following the storm, Drago's was there offering complimentary lunches and drinks to make things just a little bit easier. They stepped up and deserve to be commended for their kindness and unquestioned support of New Orleans.

Hey, that reminds me . . . You know who didn't step up after Hurricane Katrina? You got it: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse--which is ironic because Hurricane Betsy in 1965 played a significant role in Ruth Fertel's founding of the restaurant. Her name (and her steak) was "made" as she provided cooked food to aid in the cleanup and recovery of the city. Hurricane Katrina did play a significant role to the modern-day Ruth's Chris Steakhouse too: CEO Craig Miller deserted New Orleans moving the corporate headquarters from Metairie to Orlando less than two weeks after the storm. I sure hope Mr. Miller is proud of himself when he thinks of his place and Ruth Fertel's legacy. A soulless place for a soulless CEO--sounds like a perfect match.

Oh, and I've heard a rumor that Ruth's Chris Sellout is to not reopen the Broad Street location, but instead to relocate it to Lafayette Square across from Gallier Hall. I don't think that The Sellout deserves such a grand, traditional New Orleans location personally . . .

REMEMBER, BOYCOTT RUTH'S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE.


Still waiting to hear from you, Mr. Miller . . .
seymourdfair@gmail.com