Local Diners

March 9

I am thankful for local diners, especially the one pictured here, Louie's Cafe in Baton Rouge near LSU on State Street. Louie's is a 24 hour diner which has been in operation since 1941. The chef dressed in red is Frenchie; the one in the foreground is Fred, I think. Frenchie actually trained at Le Cordon Bleu in France. I love to sit on the barstool where there is maximum interaction with Frenchie, who is very talkative and entertaining. This eatery has wonderful omelets and hash browns beyond compare. Maybe not so much for heart healthy, although they do have veggie omelets! My good friend Larry Broussard goes to Louie's nearly before every LSU home football game and sometimes for basketball. He enjoys the hamburger with sprouts. I like the Mitchell omelet and the Veggie Omelet. Of course, we both love the hash browns.

louie’s

louie’s a baton rouge tradition

small and so very quaint

the locals gather for talk

for food there’s no complaint

the chef frenchie knows food

frenchie knows football

frenchie has an opinion

on just about any call

one time i photographed him

he must have felt some kind of strife

or was joking with me

as he posed with a threatening knife.

© rt tulley