Camellia Grill
Encyclopedia
The Camellia Grill is a landmark diner
in the Carrollton section
of New Orleans
. It is on Carrollton Avenue
near its intersection with St. Charles Avenue
on the St. Charles Streetcar
line.
The Camellia Grill opened in 1946. Despite suffering little physical damage, the restaurant was closed after Hurricane Katrina
until April 2007, when it reopened under new ownership. During this period of closure, the Camellia Grill's front door was festooned with hundreds of notes from locals and tourists who missed it.
The restaurant only offers counter service and its staff is usually gregarious. It is well known for its long-serving waiters, the most famous of whom was probably Harry Tervalon, Sr., who was the first waiter hired in 1946, and who even after his 1996 retirement remained associated with the restaurant (including cutting the ribbon when the Grill finally reopened after Katrina), until his death in August 2007. The establishment is noted for such casual cuisine as giant omelette
s, cheeseburgers, "freezes", and pecan pie
heated on the grill.
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
in the Carrollton section
Carrollton, Louisiana
Carrollton is a neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, which includes the Carrollton Historic District. It is the part of Uptown New Orleans farthest up river from the French Quarter...
of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. It is on Carrollton Avenue
Carrollton Avenue
Carrollton Avenue is a major thoroughfare stretching across the Uptown/Carrollton and Mid-City districts of New Orleans. South Carrollton Avenue runs from St. Charles Avenue in the Riverbend in a northeast lakebound direction through Carrollton and into Mid-City...
near its intersection with St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles Avenue is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. and the home of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the hundreds of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the Uptown section of the route. The southern live oak trees, particularly found in...
on the St. Charles Streetcar
Streetcars in New Orleans
Streetcars in New Orleans have been an integral part of the city's public transportation network since the first half of the 19th century. The longest of New Orleans' streetcar lines, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world,...
line.
The Camellia Grill opened in 1946. Despite suffering little physical damage, the restaurant was closed after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
until April 2007, when it reopened under new ownership. During this period of closure, the Camellia Grill's front door was festooned with hundreds of notes from locals and tourists who missed it.
The restaurant only offers counter service and its staff is usually gregarious. It is well known for its long-serving waiters, the most famous of whom was probably Harry Tervalon, Sr., who was the first waiter hired in 1946, and who even after his 1996 retirement remained associated with the restaurant (including cutting the ribbon when the Grill finally reopened after Katrina), until his death in August 2007. The establishment is noted for such casual cuisine as giant omelette
Omelette
In cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat , or some combination of the above...
s, cheeseburgers, "freezes", and pecan pie
Pecan pie
Pecan pie is a sweet pie made primarily of corn syrup and pecan nuts. It is popularly served at holiday meals and is also considered a specialty of Southern U.S. cuisine. Most pecan pie recipes include salt and vanilla as flavorings. Chocolate and bourbon whiskey are other popular additions to the...
heated on the grill.
External links
- Ian McNulty, "Camellia Grill to Spread Its Roots", Gambit WeeklyGambit WeeklyGambit is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based free alternative weekly newspaper that was established in 1981 as Gambit Weekly. Gambit features reporting about local politics, news, food and drink, arts, music, film, events, environmental issues and other topics, as well as listings...
, Sept. 5, 2006 - "Camellia Grill to open this week", Nola.com, April 16, 2007
- Roadfood.com review by Michael SternJane and Michael SternJane Grossman Stern and Michael Stern are American writers who specialize in books about travel, food, and popular culture...
- Video of reopened CG.
- Brett Anderson, "Legendary Camellia Grill Waiter Dies", Nola.com, August 23, 2007.
- Recipe for Camellia Grill's Famous Pecan Pie Karey Stoltz, November 2008