Yum, yummier, yummiest! Mother's is the ultimate brunch/lunch spot for hangovers or for any occasion when calories don't matter and you just need solid, tasty grub. Because this is New Orleans, solid, tasty grub can be a sublime experience. There will likely be a line when you stroll up at noon, including a few souls wearing dark sunglasses and already drinking hurricaines. But that's all right; it's a pleasure to chat with people--and a great chance to pick up tips on what to do in the evenings. The host guarding the door was an extremely pleasant fellow who told me all about his nephew making millions up in New York. Thanks. As a New York editor, I needed that!
Inside, the smell of gumbo and cured ham will make you even more famished than you are already. Now here's the only tricky part--the system takes a bit of getting used to. You order your food, and then you sort of hang out and wait for someone to holler at you that it's ready. Don't let this throw you off. Order the biscuits--they are works of art--melting in your mouth like no other biscuits you've ever encountered in a restaurant. Get ham on your biscuit if you like ham--it's sweet and perfectly tender. My cup of red beans and rice was also delicious, but heavy on the sausage, so if you aren't a carnivore, you won't like it. But then if you aren't a carnivore, what are you doing here anyway?