ROUSES.COM
29
I
’m certain my first ever sandwich was
eaten at Domilise’s. It’s quite possible
that my first ever restaurant meal was
eaten there as well. My own children have
been eating there since before they could
feed themselves (my 16 year-old daughter
still eats fried shrimp and American cheese
pieces off a paper plate like she’s 2 ...), and
my dad had his first Domilise’s po-boy in
1954. My brother’s senior yearbook portrait
was taken with him standing in front of
Domilise’s front door, and it still hangs on
the wall inside today. So I think it’s fair to
say that the place feels like home.
When I was a kid, we ate at Domilise’s by the
Rouses Uptown nearly every Saturday, and
after making absolute messes of ourselves
each week, my siblings and I would be
forced by Ms. Dot — the ever-present
proprietress, po-boy maker extraordinaire,
and surrogate grandmother to our family,
who sadly passed away in 2013 — to remove
our shirts before heading for home. When
we returned the following weekend, the
shirts would be returned to us — laundered
and folded with the same love Ms. Dot
made our lunch with, and ready to be worn
(and smeared with ketchup) once again. It
was that kind of a joint, and it still is.
Domilise’s is an institution so painfully
unpretentious that the staff seems
genuinely uncomfortable with all of the
media attention they receive. There’s no
advertising, no self-promotion and certainly
no Facebook page. If you don’t know where
it is, ask someone at the Rouses up the
street on Tchoupitoulas.
My po-boy of choice? Large shrimp, dressed
— no mayo, no pickle — with roast beef
gravy on top. And it wouldn’t be the same
on any French bread but Leidenheimer’s.
(Unfortunately, Leidenheimer’s is only
available in the New Orleans area, but like
everything local, you’ll find it at Rouses.
—Ali Rouse Royster)
How’s the rest of the
food at Domilise’s, you ask? I really couldn’t
say — I’ve eaten the exact same
sandwich for as long as I can
remember, and as a bit of a
believer in karma, I won’t risk
good fortune by breaking my
streak, even for this article. But
I hear other items on the menu
- oyster, roast beef, catfish,
hamburger, hot sausage — are
delicious. I do know that many
people still mourn the passing
of the beloved pepper wiener
sandwich - there’s even an RIP
devotional on the wall menu.
Seems the sausage maker quit producing
the spicy links a while back, and they’ve
apparently never been forgiven ...
There are so many amazing places to get
lunch in New Orleans, it’s honestly hard
to keep track. This food town is quickly
becoming a foodie town, and for that, I’m
genuinely thrilled. But to me, heaven on
Earth is sitting at the bar at Domilise’s with a
cold draft, a bag of Zapp’s, and my same old
shrimp po-boy. It just doesn’t get any better.
ONE MORE BITE
Making po-boys at home? Domilise’s
dips their shrimp in a mixture of flour,
water and evaporated milk, then a
dry cornmeal coating.
Domi i e'
by
Brad Gottsegen +
photos by
Frank Aymami
[Top Left] Brad Gottsegen and Family dining at
Domilise’s.
PO BOYS
