Walking into Camellia Grill is an experience in itself. As you walk past the columns guarding then entrance you feel as if you are entering an establishment that has been there for the past century.
But once you actually open the door and go inside, you are suddenly transported to New Orleans circa 1950. The only seating available is counter top with round stools all crowded together facing the grill. The sounds of grilling meat and the bustling of servers greets you as you sit down community style, right next to a perfect stranger, and wait to be helped. You you are always entertained though. Having worked in an open kitchen, where all of the food is prepared where the customer can watch, I have to say that they are some of my favorites. You can always watch as meat is thrown onto the grill with a satisfying sizzle, or you can listen to the witty and playful banter that goes on in every kitchen. It looked like the people running Camellia Grill were doing things the exact same way they had been doing for the past 20 years. And that had to be as close as possible to way things were done there for the 40 years before that. In 2012 I was sitting down in a 1950 diner in a building that looked like an 1800's townhouse. And the service was just as friendly, efficient, and affable as people describe in "the good old days". After watching my Reuben's creation take place literally 4 feet from me, I dug in. I have always loved corned beef, having it for St. Patrick's day for years, and the idea of Reubens always made since to me. The tartness of the sauerkraut perfectly balanced with the creamy consistency of the thousand island dressing never would have crossed my mind for a sandwich, but the Reuben is a winner and I tip my hat to whoever it was who first created it. It is messy, rich, and cannot be beat.
After a few bites of intense Reuben flavor, I needed a break, so I turned to the mountain of fries filling the basket casually handed to me. And here I received a wonderful surprise. Dipping the fries in ketchup, poured from a glass bottle of course, I bit into a fry that was crispy yet fluffy. Everyone can make fries that have crunch, but the real miracle is the fry that has the crunch but still retains the fluffy potato inside. Get a MacDonald's fries and you will have a wonderfully crunchy and salty experience, but you cannot taste the potato. It could be made of anything. But the fries as Camellia Grill told you that they were made of potato and don't you forget it!
Alternating between rich, powerful flavors of corned beef, kraut, cheese, and rye with the acidic ketchup that was brought on a perfectly fried platter of potato I scarfed down every bite. The food was amazing. But what really made Camellia Grill such an experience was the
people there. You do not make a reservation at Camellia Grill. you walk in expecting to eat some good old-fashioned diner fair. Business men on a lunch break, poor college student eating the tastiest meal he will have that week, and everyone in between sit down elbow to elbow on those round stools, just as they have for the past 60 years, and all enjoy the time that they have there. The most moving and greatest example of how much Camellia Grill is a place to experience as well as a place to eat is framed above the bench for people to sit on waiting for a spot. Hanging on the wall is a flower made of notes that had covered the front door while Camellia Grill had been closed down after
Hurricane Katrina . It represented the passion that all of the local and loyal customers that flock to Camellia Grill, begging for them to come back. It represented how much Camellia Grill means to the community. May it keep grilling and serving for another wonderful 60 years!
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