William L.
Yelp
"Ye Olde College Inn" a long time ago was a boxy brick building with a suspended office ceiling and gold chandeliers inside and "1/2 Loaf, Whole Loaf" sign on the side outside.
My parents ate there before I was born. For some reason (probably because we moved to Metairie), they never took me there, but I went back in college on my own and was quite fond of the oyster loaf and the quirky, somewhat run down dining room with bar along one side.
That's all memory now, with the original restaurant razed and the College Inn relocated to a renovated building next door. The imprimatur of owner John Blancher, the resurrector of Rock'n'Bowl, is clearly in evidence, with an updated menu, crisp service, attention to detail in decor (and thank goodness, the formerly lacking cleanliness!), and last but not least, the menu. The Oyster Loaf is still there (actually as "po-boy", but same idea), but so are many fresh and contemporary items. Thai Duck and Orzo, for example, are two things that were never on the old menu.
The bar is also excellent, as one would expect from the proprietor of Rock'n'Bowl. It's full service, and they offer seasonal and special drinks.
The prices have gone up accordingly, so it's not the same old cheap eats for college kids place it was during the Johnson administration, but there are plenty of other economical choices around the universities to satisfy that need. Instead, we now have another place serving modern cuisine, but flavored by the distinct personality of Mr. Blancher who I dare say is underrated as a star restaurateur in New Orleans.