New Orleans Dining 02: Tropical Isle

Last night I got back from the trade show and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up, it was 11:00 PM and I was starving. So off to the Internet I went to try and find a French Quarter restaurant open late. I didn't have too much luck; there were a couple possibilities, but many of the websites haven't been updated for a post-Katrina world.

But careful reading eventually paid off. The most important thing I read that night was the sandwich board outside the Tropical Isle that said "Food Now Being Served"

The Tropical Isle apparently has several branches in the area. They are best known for their Frightening beverage "The Hand Grenade." They carefully protect their trademark and keep the recipe a secret. Rumor has it that it contains copious amounts of Everclear.

So for dinner I had a Shrimp Po Boy and fries, along with a Corona (I'll save the hand grenade for a time when I don't need the next few days). A Shrimp Po Boy is basically a small hero sandwich with deep fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato. Here's a sample recipe.

The bread was a little over toasted. And, of course, the sandwich was almost impossible to eat with my hands. I made it work though. The plastic knife and fork couldn't quite cut it, and besides, I was reading a book at the time. (The trick to eating out alone is to bring reading material. The trick to reading while eating is to order things that do not require a knife). The shrimp was good, and overall, the sandwich was good, solid, late night bar food.

The fries were great. They were the thinner-than-normal fries I am seeing more of these days. They were hot and crisp. Just what you want in a fry.

Tropical Isle, like most Bourbon ST bars has live music. The singer/guitarist sang John Denver, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, and others. He was talented and did a good job even though there were only 3 or 4 customers in the bar.

The food wasn't as wonderful as the dinner I had the night before, but for simple, late night fare and good bar food, The Tropical Isle is a fine choice.