Story: What'll it be, Baby?

Be sure to visit the Bluebird Cafe on a clear morning...or bring an umbrella. Marker on the back of a paper place mat taped to the door reads "Since 1988...with a few interruptions" and instructs you to wait outside for a table. But, don't let first impressions deceive. This place is a New Orleans must for breakfast and worth the wait on the sidewalk.

The menu includes Louisiana favorites like home-fries and grits, as well as fresh squeezed orange juice, omelets, and the Cafe's signature plate, the Powerhouse Breakfast - complete with your choice of buckwheat, banana, blueberry, or chocolate chip pancakes. The huevos rancheros plate is a stack of ingredients - black beans, tortilla, egg, and salsa in every bite. Not a breakfast person? Order up a chicken sandwich with home-fries. The meals come out to about $10 each - a price to make even a college student on a budget return for more.

While the food may not be gourmet, the price, atmosphere, and service will remind you that you don't care. Colorful posters of rosters advertise the restaurant and its menu - some for sale for as little as $35. With her sweet and slow Louisiana accent, our server vocalized her approval of our breakfast choices (especially if anyone opted for home-fries over a piece of toast) and everyone at the table was either "baby" or "sweetheart."

After your friendly taste of southern food and culture, be sure to head two blocks lakeside to St Charles Street to enjoy the architecture and, during Marti Gras season, the seemingly endless parades.