one thirteen restaurant — Restaurant in Hammond

I have been to several restaurants here in Hammond but, I still have quite a few to go because I always try a place two to three times before I even think of sending in a review. It takes these many visits to really get a good feel for the food, quality, service, atmosphere, etc. You can go once and have the absolute best culinary experience of your life, and then on the next visit be extraordinarily disappointed with everything. Trust me, it has happened to me several times and in both ways. I read through the first 100 reviews on here and I am really confused as to some of the reviews left and why there are giving this place lower stars than they actually deserve. Now, don't get me wrong, I am no hot shot food critic, although I think I may get into that lol. But, I have extensive dining experiences visiting Michelin rated, 5 star rated, world famous, celebrity chef owned, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I love food and drink, and I love the atmosphere of a good restaurant. Now, to address the negative reviews I read and my take: #1:Complaints of loud music. Think of New York City and Los Angeles, this is what you find. These are the types of restaurants the hip and chic, famous, celebrities, etc. type of people are going to these days. It has more of a night club vibe to it, but it's a restaurant. Look at the décor, the uniforms of the staff, the drink menu, the bar itself... You can tell this is the vibe they are going for! I understand it isn't for everyone, and you are entitled to your opinions. But that is why you go to this type of restaurant for, to get that night club vibe without actually having to go to a night club! This is the "Sex in the City" "Housewives of Blah Blah" type of place for girl's night out, or the guys go to check out the "pre-game plan", and where they go to get food and then sip on cocktails together. #2: Every item I have ordered to eat here has been nothing short of exquisite! The flavors, quality of food, and the selections for each season have been consistent every time I have gone. I really enjoy how the chef/s here pair their flavors and use the current season's freshest ingredients to create their dishes. Seasonal menus really are the best!! Bravo for incorporating so much into your dishes. #3: The flavors and the visuals of each dish are quite pleasing! One thing you learn in culinary school is that the first sense you must appeal to when creating a dish is smell. The second is sight. And the last is taste! If the food is aromatic, it will carry into the dining room and prepares your guests for the experience. Second, the way you present your dish is absolutely paramount. If it looks sloppy and not visually pleasing, the chances are the guest will not enjoy their food. But, if it looks good, colorful, and symmetrical, the guest will have a better experience with their tasting, even if the flavors aren't the best! #4: The service has been really the best I have experienced out here in Hammond and is up there with the best of them. I have had one slightly negative experience where my beverage was empty for a little longer than I wanted, but, it wasn't nearly a negative enough experience to garner the loss of a whole star. #4: The cocktails that are crafted here are wonderful and compliment the menu famously! I always take the servers recommendations for which cocktail to order and their wine list is always more than satisfactory for a small town location! I really can see this spot being a top earner in a larger market such as NOLA, NYC, and LA. Hats off to you all. You have a fan for life! I give you all a 4.7 out of 5 star...

One Thirteen

Nice ambiance. Jazz music playing on speaker system. Asian atmosphere. Cherry blossom decorations adorn the atrium space which has white marble on the one wall which for some reason reminds me of New York and it was nice to not be in Louisiana for a few minutes and all of a sudden. The other walls in the building are warm with wooden tones and restored brick, so there is a flow ending with some contrast. But like I said, it put me somewhere else for a moment which is what an experience seeker is looking for.

I was greeted by a female “manager”, notably not a “hostess” which was refreshing. A male hostess would be absolute growth, but a beautiful woman to look at is the oldest trick in the book and it works. For her credit, she did show me where to sit while looking the part of upper class in a white pant suit and perfect hair.

My appetizer (meal) of citrus tuna and the headache of special directions to hold the jalepenos cost $19.00. The tuna was nice for a poor yogi like myself just wanting something healthy for lunch, but was missing a spark. Soy sauce is nice, but again, an old trick. The avocado, fresh herb, seeds and crunch of cucumber on bottom made each bite work. I thought it needed something else and refuse to believe a jalepeno could have been it.

What I got for free was water, lemon slices on the side, and warm bread with olive oil and some type of cheese sprinkle that I had to pull apart to eat. Fine for being alone but if a man were in front of me I’d rather not. Maybe that’s my grandma talking.

Rounding out the experience was the most fundamental touch every dining experience should have, a real rose on each table.

In my opinion, the money spent for the experience of having a nice lunch was well worth it. $19 is a great price to pay for the luxury of having a rose at my table, knowing that I would have paid $20 for it’s bouquet at the grocery store and another $20 for tuna, $5 for soy sauce.

All in all, you can’t beat One Thirteen.

Hammond, La...

My wife and I found out about this restaurant from Miracle Pop Up. We originally were only going to go for the Christmas pop up experience but we decided to treat ourselves to a nice brunch. Big mistake. We were impressed by the menu selection and based on the prices, we thought we were in for a nice dining experience. Upon seating, our waiter took our drink orders and we both ordered a Miracle Pop Up signature cocktail. Our drinks took 30 minutes to come out. Our appetizer came out before our drinks did. I asked our waiter how long was it going to take until our cocktails came out and pointed out that it’s been 30 minutes since we ordered them and with only 10 other patrons dining in the restaurant at the time. He told us that the owner was in the restaurant and that the bartenders were prioritizing him over the patrons and said he understood how unfair that was to us. That definitely took us by surprise that he even said that. Our drinks finally arrived after 30 minutes which then the manager approached us and not once did he apologize for our wait, rather he explained that the Miracle Pop Up cocktails were complicated to make hence the wait. We told him what our waiter had said about the bartenders prioritizing the owner and he said “no, they are not doing that. The owner is here, but they are not doing that.” Either way, if the drinks were “complicated” or the owner was being prioritized, I don’t think that yielded a 30 minute wait time on the cocktails. Then our food arrived and I was completely disappointed in my meal. I had ordered the steak and eggs and the steak was the size of a tennis ball and I only received one egg. I had ordered my egg over medium and it was so runny. For the price of $30, the meal did not match the price. My wife’s burger was good but nothing to write home about. This was our first time attending and definitely our last. Highly...