Leah Chase is a legend in the New Orleans dining scene, with the way she developed Dooky Chase’s into a Creole institution where popular figures from President Obama to Beyond and Jay-Z couple stopped by for a meal. When making restaurant choices during our New Orleans trip, I made sure to include Dooky Chase’s given its iconic status. It also helped that my wife Jun is very fond of fried chicken. Unfortunately, the food that we had when we traveled to the restaurant for lunch didn’t quite live up to the expectations.

At lunchtime, there is a buffet as well as a la carte option. We decided to go with a la carte given that we didn’t want to overeat. I’ve heard great things about fried chicken at Dooky Chase’s but as two individuals who grew up with fried chicken from various mom-and-pop joints in Korea, we were underwhelmed. First of all, the chicken wasn’t quite battered and fried to that crisp state that we typically expect based on our experience with fried chicken. The meat itself also wasn’t as juicy or moist as we would’ve liked. We also sampled gumbo, which was surprisingly forgettable too. The dish that we did like a lot was the shrimp creole that offered a simple yet satisfying taste of the Creole tradition. On the other hand, the side of collard greens was unfortunately too strong in seasoning so they undermined rather than complemented the flavor of the shrimp.

We showed up at lunch time without reservations and had no problem getting seated immediately. The dining space of Dooky Chase’s is quite charming for a lunch on all occasions. There is a full bar with traditional New Orleans-based beers and cocktails if you are inclined to imbibe alongside your meal. I really wished I liked Dooky Chase’s a lot more. Yes, the place is a landmark and probably a good introductory course to exploring Creole cuisine, but overall execution fell short of our expectations.

KenScale: 7.5/10

• Creativity: 7.0/10
• Execution: 7.0/10
• Ingredients: 7.5/10
• Flavor: 7.5/10
• Texture: 7.5/10
• Value: 8.0/10

Address: 2301 Orleans Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70119

Telephone: (504) 821-0600

Website: http://www.dookychaserestaurant.com/