Copelands was the first place I went with my wife when we started dating. I have a real soft spot for that place. I think the one there closed down though unfortunately.
I haven't been the one since maybe the early 90s before we moved from New Orleans and 93. I thought most of them had shut down because Al Copeland ended up selling off most of the Popeye's stuff as well as his flagship restaurants. I remember what road the particular one that was close to our house was but it really was right across the Harvey canal.
It was such a cool restaurant too you would go in and the main dining area had this giant atrium of like a water fountain and plants and stuff everywhere, was all brick and mortar, but probably the nicest area was the side dining spot that was a another atrium, and it was just booths in a row, super quiet and I think that's where we ate most of the time unless we had family visiting, that was on the big dining room.
We probably went there once a month. I also remember cross the road, there was a strip center that had Ruby Reds hamburgers. It was a grilled hamburger joint and you got buckets of peanuts that you would eat and throw the shells on the floor and as a kid that was such a fun thing, but their burgers were legendary. And I guess if you went West closer towards the canal you at Chelsea's, which I believed was started by the owners of Brennan's. It was named after the dudes granddaughter or something but it was a frozen custard and hamburger stand.
They only ever did three flavors of Frozen Custard, chocolate and vanilla, and the flavor of the day. Mom used to get the calendar and then on those specific days where there was a flavor that she really loved we would go after school and get some ice cream. If it was report card day and you made good grades which my sister and I always did, we got to go to Chelsea's.
Their hamburgers and Cajun French fries, specifically the chili cheese fries, it was all God tier 80s food. And then you would get to get a hot fudge and caray turtle sundae.
I miss New Orleans just because the food was so wonderful maybe it's not the same, but even like the corner gas station used to have great po boys. That's something I haven't had in a long time, I'd kill somebody ever a good fried oyster oh boy right now which was my favorite as a little kid for some weird reason, but I'd also settle for crawfish, or catfish, and even shrimp. And you never put cheese on a po' boy, it's only iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, and hot sauce. You can have onions sometimes but it's not typical.
There really is no greater sandwich, especially if you love seafood.
