Omar S.
Yelp
Some time ago, while in New Orleans to fish, eat and gamble, I finally met my Yelp friend, Shannon S., in person.
Shannon graciously invited me and my fishing partner, Keith M., to join him and some co-workers at Tchoup Yard for a drink, and I was happy for the company of new friends, but I didn't find the venue as comfortable as I'd hoped.
There were inconveniences: one was required to serve oneself at the crowded bar, and then to step gingerly over a stretch of gravel to find a seat among a ragtag array of picnic tables and patio furniture.
And that evening, the Yard's crowd was a distraction: mostly fit, white, noisy, a little snooty, and young, too, with that demographic's fondness for TV, shouting and cornhole.
[n.b. At 58 years old, I might have been the oldest person there, which, I suppose, explains my crankiness about the environment.]
Nonetheless - and I freely admit that this proves me a contrary cuss - I liked the place.
The barman, sun- and rain-sheltered by a sort of lanai, did his job with skill and youthful charm, providing me a Bulleit Rye Old Fashioned and talking up the neighborhood.
Food was provided by a truck parked on the Yard's perimeter. He still shows up, but now, I understand, Tchoup Yard also offers "pop-ups" and a kitchen whose respectable reputation is growing.
There were no mosquitoes or biting gnats to plague us, but it was an early, breezy mid-October evening, so we might just have gotten lucky.
And, importantly, once my friends and I were ensconced at a table away from the bar crowd and the games, we did pass a pleasant time together.
The Tchoup Yard's vibe was backyard barbecue. I was glad to be invited.