New Orleans: Clover Grill

Last weekend I accompanied six wonderful women to New Orleans to celebrate our friend Francesca's upcoming birthday. For months before we left, we rounded up tons of recommendations and made a Google map that contained far more bars, restaurants, shops, historic homes and cemeteries than we could see in three days. We did, however, manage to make quite a dent, starting with Clover Grill.

After checking in to our hotel (the brand-new and always-lovely Ace) we were ready for lunch and decided upon the Clover Grill. Clover Grill has been open 24 hours on Bourbon Street since 1934. It's tiny, and very pink inside with a row of counter stools and a few tables. I love all of the handpainted signage and the front window, which showcases diner diners in a very Edward Hopper-esque way, especially at night.

The menu is filled with puns and commentary such as "If you are not served in 5 minutes, relax, it may be another 5. This is not New York City." As any respectable diner should, they have 24-hour breakfast, but I ordered one of the "world famous" burgers and was not disappointed. I am generally wary of diner meats (bacon excluded) but I'm not exaggerating when I say this was one of the best burgers I've had, period. The burgers are steamed on the grill under a hubcab and topped with a slice of cheese almost as thick as the burger itself.

Our server was really helpful, nice and funny and I lost track of how many times I commented that "this place is literally perfect," or "I'm so happy right now," during our lunch. Clover Grill was the perfect start to our wonderful weekend and very much like the city itself—delicious, friendly and covered in just the right amount of grime.