Stormin' Norman at The Acme Oyster House

We made a trip to New Orleans in late December, and while we only had 24 hours to get all our eating in, we managed to stop at the Acme Oyster House in the mid-afternoon for a dozen oysters and a side dish of red beans and rice. We have been going to the Acme for about 20 years now, and over that time it has become a place of some renown. In our early days there you would never see a line. The place is far bigger than it looks, and the turn over is at a dizzying pace. It is not at all uncommon to get a seat, place your order within 5 minutes, and 10 minutes after that your food has arrived. The wait staff move about at a brisk clip, refilling iced tea glasses and inquiring about whether you need something more, without seeming rushed.

Now it is a place of some fame, and on our recent visit we waited about 20 minutes outside just to get a seat at the bar--the upside of the bar, besides that it is a great place to sit when you are by yourself, is that you get to watch the oyster shuckers shucking. We were fortunate enough to be seated right in front of Stormin' Norman Conerly, who has been shucking oysters at the Acme for longer than we have been going there, and has been featured on the Food Network. We always enjoy the food at the Acme, and the company is usually pretty good too, but watching a master of his craft is an added plus. Later the same day we watched the oyster shuckers at Luke's and it was so clear who the artist really is. Norm, hands down (pun intended).