Dooky Chase opened as a restaurant in 1941 and before that, it was a sandwich and lottery ticket store.  Founded by Emily and Dooky Chase Sr, whose pictures are in the entry room, it remains family-owned and run.  Their son Edgar became a musician and activist for the civil rights movement and helped organize and host strategic sessions along with dialogue that included giants like Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr.  In 1946 Edgar married Leah Lange who grew the sandwich shop to a sit-down restaurant.  Leah Chase became known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine and was shepherded in as one of the first African American fine dining restaurants in America. Continuously running since, except for a 2-year hiatus due to Hurricane Katrina, these 2 are now gone but their son, a retired lawyer, was there to greet and welcome guests. The large number of dining rooms have fed many dignitaries such as Beyoncé, Barack Obama and George W Bush, to name just a few.   The large corner location has rooms on two floors with art on the walls and no music in the background.  There were a couple of large parties meeting there during the lunch we visited and that may have been the cause of very slow service.  We arrived a bit before our reservation but would not be seated until just after our appointed time even though there were many empty tables.  Then it took 15-20 minutes before we got a menu, yet drink orders were still not ready to be taken.   Don’t know if it was our server or general overload.   Parts of the meal were excellent and others average but it’s such a historic place it feels like a place you should visit. Continue reading →