(Written last July and also posted on yelp.com)
“The Corner” in New Orleans should rename itself “Lame Rip Off.”
I was drawn in because the sign said “Breakfast Served All Day” and it had large windows and antique tables. Looked like a winner.
But the first thing I noticed when I came in was sports flags all over the ceiling and a staff dressed in the black and white jerseys of football referees, complete with whistles. The stripes of their uniforms, along with their demeanor, made them seem more like prison inmates. They were sad, lost, miserable souls without a smile to be found, numbed by it all as 80’s pop hits, such as Steve Winwood’s “Roll With It” blasted from the stereo over the practically empty restaurant. 
I’d also noticed a sign saying “We serve bottled water only,” which I took to mean something like “Our glasses of water are fresh, right from the cooler, not from the tap.” But I found out the truth when I asked for a glass of water from the waiter, who had all the excitement and enthusiasm of the perpetually bored cartoon dog “Droopy.”
“You gotta buy a bottle o’water, Chief” he said.
Translation: this tourist trap, corporate chain like blight on the otherwise shining city of New Orleans will not serve you a glass of water. They make you pay for an overpriced bottle.
This should have been my clue to leave, but I wanted to give this place a chance. It was right on Jackson Square in the center of a city with great food all around. How bad could it be? Undaunted and determined to attain the breakfast I so desired, I ordered an ice tea. Then I looked at the menu. The prices seemed reasonable, at first.
“What do these come with?” I asked my server about the eight dollar omelettes.
“Nothing, chief. There’s the sides right there.” he said, pointing to the lower section of the menu, which showed home fries for $4 and toast for $2.50. In other words…you pay $8.00 for a plain omelette that comes with nothing. Then you have to pay another $6.50 for toast and home fries.
At this point, I probably should have paid for my ice tea, cut my losses and gotten the hell out of there. But I was hungry and a bit hungover. I figured, at the very least, this place would at least provide me a good meal, despite prices that were comparable to room service at the Westin.
When the ‘omelette’ arrived, it was a thin strip of egg over the ‘toppings,’ each of which I was charged an extra 1.50 for! The ‘home fries’ were those cheap, crispy, frozen, plastic like ones that you get only in the cheapest of diners. And the toast had all the freshness and authenticity of Wonder Bread.
I took a couple bites and decided not to waste my appetite, bite the proverbial bullet, go somewhere else and call this a valuable lesson. When the bill came, the total was $22 (gratuity had been included). Twenty two dollars for a cheap, lame, pathetic excuse for a breakfast.
To the owners of The Corner: Shame on you.
To everyone else: New Orleans, La. is filled with great restaurants, some of the best I’ve ever eaten in. But if you ever find yourself visiting there do NOT, by any means, ever eat at a restaurant called “The Corner” at Jackson Square.