Mr. B’s Sunday Jazz Brunch

I’ve been to Mr. B’s in the French Quarter several times over the past 2 years and I always enjoy the food. This was my first time experiencing their brunch - the previous visits were for dinner. We went for a late brunch on a Sunday in mid-July and it was not crowded. We were able to make reservations the night before through Open Table. The dining room was not loud and the tables were well spaced. The lighting is not overly harsh. They had a jazz band with a talented singer. The band was wonderful to experience - the elderly singer (such a joy to listen to) appeared to be blind and it was touching to see how his band took care of him. You could see the love and respect between them. We were lucky to experience that. I just wish I had been able to experience it from more of a distance - the band moved around the room and at one point came to stand by our table. I was already feeling overheated and had started to sweat (perimenopause + half of a mimosa? social anxiety? already feeling overstimulated from my day?) and when the band came over to us it became a bad scene for me - the sweat started pouring out. I felt trapped - to get up and go to the bathroom felt like it would draw more attention to me than I could handle in that moment. My dining companion and I just looked at each other awkwardly as the band performed 3 feet away from us and I kept wiping sweat off of my forehead. They were too polite to comment on it but I was mortified. I want to be very clear - the band was absolutely lovely and were a great addition to the experience…when they were standing on the other side of the room from me. If I could re-do the meal I would make a request to be seated in a corner of the restaurant that the band was unlikely to perform in.

Mr. B’s can get quite crowded for dinner. You can eat at the bar if you don’t have a reservation and can find an open seat but this option gets quite loud. When I tried it I really struggled to hear my companion speak and I don’t recommend it if you’re uncomfortable being surrounded by crowds of people trying to order a drink at the bar.