A Change in Perspective at Stanley
Scott and Tanya Boswell at Stanley, on Jackson Square.
Facing the aftermath of the city's shutdown, Stanley Restaurant's owners Scott and Tanya Boswell discover a surprising sense of purpose and pleasure in the little things - while keeping their eyes on the horizon.
- by Kim Ranjbar
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Known for an all-day brunch menu that features eggs Benedict poor boys and bananas Foster French toast, Stanley Restaurant has been feeding French Quarter diners since 2008.
Owner and chef Scott Boswell and his business partner and wife Tanya originally opened Stanley next door to their fine-dining restaurant Stella! on Chartres Street, but after the levee failures of 2005, they successfully outbid Starbucks to secure their current location on Jackson Square. Stella! closed in 2014, but Stanley has remained strong, withstanding even the current COVID-19 crisis.
The Breakfast Seafood Platter includes shrimp and oysters, topped with a soft-shelled crab.
In the beginning of the outbreak, the Boswells shuttered Stanley. But with stimulus money, PPP loans, and reduced staff and hours, Stanley Restaurant opened its doors again in mid-May. With limited seating options due to mandate restrictions, the Boswells decided to take it outside.
“I've taken over a little part of Jackson Square and just did what I could and it's been good,” says Tanya. “People like our setup and say ‘Oh! I feel like I'm in Europe!’ I figured some people are eating outside in parking lots, so why not eat while looking at the gorgeous St. Louis Cathedral.”
Al fresco dining on Jackson Square at Stanley.
The view from Stanley
Before the pandemic, putting tables out in Jackson Square would've been problematic; artists, street performers, musicians and fortune tellers had all staked their own pieces of property around the square. But now, it's become more communal.
“I'm glad the artists are there because people are eating and looking at their beautiful art and hopefully supporting them,” says Tanya. “It just helps everybody to have some action around here.”
The millions of tourists that typically flood the French Quarter every year have been greatly reduced, but there are still people driving in from neighboring states on the Gulf Coast. So far this fall, the Boswells say they see the bulk of their business on weekends.
A signature dish, Eggs Stanley, with cornmeal crusted oysters.
Chef Boswell finds himself invigorated by the responsibilities he's had to assume since the pandemic began, keeping the restaurant going regardless of obvious obstacles. One driving force was a feeling of responsibility to the first wave of visitors to return; the Boswells didn't want them finding closed doors at one of the city's most popular locations.
An unexpected bonus of the last few months for Chef Boswell has been his reinvestment in the French Quarter. “I think this pandemic has really been an eye-opener to get down to Jackson Square again, where I haven't been for some time now, and to be interactive with my team and my staff as much as I can.”
In addition to doing a lot of the prep work and purchasing, Boswell has added a couple of items to Stanley's “starters” section of the menu, like french fried frog legs with horseradish potato salad and lemon-Tabasco honey butter, and boudin croquettes with house-made boudin, Velveeta and a RO-TEL tomato fondue. The frog leg dish was created by the chef almost a decade ago, but didn’t come to fruition until now.
“I was going to have french fried frog legs wrapped in butcher paper and have people walking around the French Quarter eating frogs legs,” Scott said, laughing. “The only problem is there would be little frog bones discarded everywhere.”
Along with their classic brunch items, Stanley Restaurant is still offering stellar burgers and sandwiches such as their mouth-watering Reuben made with Cajun corned beef pastrami and the ever popular cornmeal-crusted oyster poor boy. Italian sodas and their own, house made ice cream, created in an exquisite, Italian Carpigiani machine, remain favored draws. They have also added New Orleans' classic sno-balls. “I don't really have the sno-ball machine I really want though,” admits Scott. “I would like the bigger, Cadillac, Sno-Wizard machine.”
Through the recent hardships and a murky, uncertain tomorrow, the Boswells can't help planning for the future. Whether hinting at an expanded menu or dreaming of more locations, it's the small, everyday delights that keep them going.
“I just know that I am having more pleasure than I've had in a while,” says Scott. “It's been our sole business model, since the beginning, to create a great product people can relate to and want to be a part of.
“We just keep moving forward knowing that at some point the pendulum is going to tip and we'll be back to working in the black.”