Petunia's Solo

I just booked my first solo trip to New Orleans and I%26#39;m super excited! On my first trip there, we went to Petunia%26#39;s for brunch and I%26#39;ve been thinking about going back there for another delicious crepe ever since! (I wish I could remember the name of what I ate, but I do recall it was stuffed with tons of shrimp and crab meat and was served with ratatouille.)

I%26#39;ve been reading the forums quite a bit for advice on solo dining, and agree with the ';eat at the bar'; approach for most instances. I remember waiting in an understandably long line for Petunia%26#39;s and I%26#39;m just curious if being a solo diner would be a problem? Of course, I%26#39;m going anyway, but if there are suggestions on better days or times of day to go, I%26#39;d certainly try to steer myself toward those. :) Thanks!

Petunia's Solo

No, solo dining won%26#39;t be a problem at all. I took a friend to Petunia%26#39;s two weeks ago, and we went around 2pm on the weekend, and there was no line. We also saw two or three solo diners at that time too.

It%26#39;s the St. Francis crepe, by the way - one of my favorites! :)

Petunia's Solo

As a mostly solo traveller in NOLA for 14 years, I have had only a few occasions where I have received serve worse than groups. Once was Petunia%26#39;s,where I was alone and a group of eight arrived after me, got menus and were served BEFORE they took my order!

We ere the only two tables there.

I%26#39;m older now, and don%26#39;t know why I put up with it. But that was years ago. I have been back toPetunias several times, no prob. Best time is late a.m., when you can order breakfast or their brunch special.

I now know to politely ask for a better table if they try to stick me in a corner next to the kitchen door, etc.

If serve staff ignore or forget me in deference to others, I%26#39;ll stand up next to my table, or block the aisle. Smile, ';Did you forget me? I must have succeeded in losing all that weight I was trying to lose, so you can%26#39;t see me.';

No need to get angry; smiling sarcasm works better.

Once I walked into the kitchen,where my waiter was sitting,smoking,on a break? I asked the chef if he had any waiters who are actually working at this time tonight. It looks like mine has either quit or been fired.

Of course, I have walked out of places, if bad service all around is apparent from the start.

Some people here who know me from the former AOL Travel NO message board have heard my ';solo dining at Petunia%26#39;s story'; from 2005. This is just funny. I always felt awkward dining alone. Well I worked up the nerve to just go and have breakfast by myself and not feel self conscious about it. I went to Petunias, ordered, ate, and felt good about myself in a room full of couples and groups. I went to the bathroom and was proudly walking out when a patron caught my eye, he pointed at my shoe and I saw a 2 foot trail of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of my sneaker. So much for my proud moment of eating alone! I had to slink back to the lady%26#39;s room and remove the offending object and walk back through the crowded room on my way out. Once outside, I couldn%26#39;t stop laughing! I have since gotten over my eating alone phobia. Who cares. It%26#39;s New Orleans. Have fun!

P.S.

In case any confusion, my examples of service and my responses were not Petunias, but rather episodes at various places and cities. Single diners can be given poor service, but can usually be corrected if you stand up for yourself firmly but politely.

The servers just work there for minimum wage,and I am sure they are figuring tips based on numbers of people per table. Themistakeof some is not realizing a solo table is a lot less work.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I%26#39;m even now considering trying to hit up Petunia%26#39;s twice during my stay...once for my awesome crepe, and once again to try this AMAZING French Toast I keep reading about! :)

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;The servers just work there for minimum wage,and I am sure they are figuring tips based on numbers of people per table. The mistake of some is not realizing a solo table is a lot less work.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Another mistake is their judging someone%26#39;s ability and propensity to tip well, based on that person%26#39;s appearance. Although my wife and I usually dress very casually, we often tip 50% or even 100% for superior service. Knowledge of the job (least important to us), attentiveness, and a great attitude (most important to us) will ring our bell every time. A good server can transform an average meal into a most pleasant experience

Of course, our having a daughter who was a server and a bartender has contributed greatly to our attitudes about tipping waitstaff and bartenders.

The French Toast at Petunia%26#39;s IS pretty good. I grew up eating the stuff, and we always referred to it by its English name, ';Lost Bread.'; Lost Bread and pancakes were never served without a can of Steen%26#39;s Cane Syrup on the table. I%26#39;ve never found anything else that tastes like Steen%26#39;s.

Here%26#39;s a recipe that bears some similarity to how my mom used to prepare it, and a link to the Steen%26#39;s web site.

gumbopages.com/food/breakfast/pain-perdu.html

http://www.steensyrup.com/

RodinLouisiana: I grew up in England and am curious about the ';Lost Bread'; name. We always called it ';French Toast.'; My parents are both from Scotland maybe thats what it is called there. My neighbor in England called it ';Gypsy Toast.'; It would be interesting to see if there are any other names out there.

I%26#39;m curious. Why ';lost'; bread? Is it what is leftover,and therefore last? A last use before it dries up completely.

Of course, I am sure it is no more French than the potatoes, or what we call pizza is not Italian, etc.

You nailed it, young curmudg.

:::Lost Bread

The French Cajuns call it Pain Perdu -- a slice of stale bread that would otherwise be ';lost';. Pain Perdu has humble beginings but once immersed in frothy eggs and dropped onto a hot buttered skillet, it emerges an edible delight!:::

paint nails black