In New Orleans, It's the Monday Muffuletta Conundrum
From May 22 to May 31, I traveled across country, from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, California. Here's a snippet from that week.
Left: Frank's, the muffuletta imposter. Right: Central Grocery's original muffuletta, the superior of the two, even if they look eerily similar here.
Nobody warned me to avoid New Orleans on a Monday. So after miles of building up the city's sandwich staple, the muffuletta, only to find the mother source Central Grocery closed on Mondays, I felt cheated.
Granted, it was Memorial Day Monday, but that didn't matter. Central Grocery is always closed on Mondays. Outside the shop, a herd of us victims huddled, as if awaiting an aproned man with the golden key from inside who would exclusively prepare for us the beautiful stack of ham, Genoa salami, mortadella, provolone and chopped olives on olive oil-drenched, sesame seedy Italian bread. When he never came, I placed an emergency call to New Orleans Times-Picuyane restaurant critic Brett Anderson who revealed, not too surprisingly, that no good alternative exists in the walkable French Quarter.
But we were desperate. On the same block, Frank's, a sit-down restaurant, sadly not a charming Italian market like Central Grocery, had one so we sucked it up, and tried it for comparison purposes. The results, after the jump.
What separated Frank's decent muffuletta from a famously great one? Definitely the bread. The cold cut quality wasn't notably different, though Frank's skimped a bit. And the olives offered the same olivey punch either way. We concluded that, as with most sandwiches, bread is huge.
"It comes from the same bakery," our Frank's waitress claimed. Huh? Dry and thick, Frank's bread had nothing on the more compact, olive oiled-up bread next door at Central Grocery, as we discovered Tuesday. This woman must have been brainwashed, but according to muffuletta master Anderson, both breads are in fact from Leidenheimer bakery.
Different in flavor and design, the bread disparity is confusing, but could be due to Central Grocery's history with the Leidenheimer business. As the story goes, the sandwich was first invented in 1906 at Central Grocery (not Frank's or any other restaurant). When other muffuletta makers wanted to jump on board, they requested the same great bread. Whether or not they got, or are getting, the original Central Grocery recipe, the bakers will not confirm.
If you have to be in New Orleans on a Monday, Frank's will hold you over until Tuesday, but Anderson suggests other options like Cafe Freret, DiMartino's Muffulettas, Ignatius, Liuzza's and Mike Serio's Po-boys & Deli, as he mentioned in this piece from October of 2006.
Central Grocery
923 Decatur Street, New Orleans LA 7011 (map)
504-523-1620
wikipedia.org/Central_Grocery
Frank's
933 Decatur Street, New Orleans LA 70116 (map)
504-525-1602
franksrestaurantneworleans.com
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
10 Comments:
While in NOLA for the BCSNCG in January, I, too, faced the Monday dilemma.
The name of the cafe across the street evades me - French Market Cafe? We had wonderful Bloody Marys on Sunday, and ate their brunch buffet on Monday (after learning we would not be eating at the Mother Lode of Muffulettas), which was also passable.
The snarky server at the cafe as we passed by on Tuesday convinced me we would never again spend another dime in the place. To his "ours is better" statement, I replied "It's the history". He couldn't let it go..."You'll be sorry."
Sadly, travel plans took us out of the city before we could have THAT sandwich. But...sharing a Roast Beef Po'Boy and Muffuletta at Abita Brewing in Abita Springs was a very pleasurable experience.
thewrighttaste at 10:30AM on 06/16/08
Monday in NOLA, also known as "wash day," are traditionally red beans and rice days. Slow cook 'em while you launder. Try that next time you find yourself in NOLA on a Monday!
lambowner at 11:11AM on 06/16/08
Am I the only person ever to not really care about the Central Grocery muffuletta? It's fine, and I enjoy the olive salad, but I'd probably go for at least 10 other New Orleans sandwiches before stepping into the CG (at least three of them being served at Crabby Jack's...)
Zach Brooks at 11:57AM on 06/16/08
Ditto on being unimpressed with the Central Market muffaletta. I preferred them from Progress Market, while it was open. Current FQ muffaletta favorite is Napolean House.
omnivore at 12:04PM on 06/16/08
I have to echo the comments of lambowner. I was honestly puzzled to come across an article dealing with food in New Orleans on a Monday that was about something other than red beans and rice.
RegrettableFoodie at 12:07PM on 06/16/08
Agreed. Only a doofus would even attempt to eat something other than RBR on a Monday. It's like complaining you couldn't get a good steak in Vatican City on a Friday during Lent.
Garvey at 2:44PM on 06/16/08
If you are headed for the garden district, don't leave without ordering something from Cafe Freret. Its loved by the students at Loyola and Tulane universities, who refer to it only as "Saucey's". I think I tried everything that was on the menu in 2003, when my husband cooked there. And it was all delicious.
MommaO at 3:11PM on 06/16/08
Thanks for the tip! I'm going to NOLA in August and can't wait to try the Muffaletta at Central Grocery. Muffalettas have to be the best sandwich invention ever...
natalie2040 at 12:19PM on 06/23/08
Exactly!!! The same thing happened to me, the first time in New Orleans
.I had read of the "Great' Muffuletta sandwich of Central Grocery and was cahrged to go. Went on Monday and it was closed. We went to Frank's and liked it. The next day we made it to the Central Grocery. What a difference. The "Central Grocery" is the only place to get a Muffuletta, far superior to Frank's. The Muffuletta at central Grocery is the type of item you salivate and absolutely go Crazy for. Frank's is good, but you won't salivate for it. The Muffuletta at "Central Grocery" is a absolute "Masterpiece' and the ambiance is superior to frank's as well. To bad the "Owners of Central Grocery" are such "Miserable" "Grumpy SOBS" they truly are. We noticed it the first time we went and the 10 times of been there since on 6 trips to the great City of New Orleans. These people give Italian-Americans a bad name as far as personality is concerned, but the make such a incridble sandwich that you overlook their "TERRIBLE" Social Skills. These guys should be jumping up-and-down with joy for all the money they are making from loyal customers. The place is a "Gold Mine." Just go in, wait on line, get your Muffuletta, ignore their "Horrible Personalities," sit down and enjoy one of the Greatest Sandwiches on the Planet, the "Muffuletta' at CENTRAL GROCERY in New Orleans, LA...
Daniel, a Italian- American (Sicilian) New Yorker who Loves the great city of New Orleans and the Central grocery Muffuletta, dispite its MISERABLE PROPRIORTERS
hemypicasso at 1:21PM on 08/28/09
I too believed the Progress Market's muffuletta to be better than Central's. I wasn't impressed with Serio's. Current favorite is Napolean House, preferable warmed.
omnivore at 12:45PM on 11/19/09