1012 Corridor

South Louisianans will slap just about any meat that once moved between two slices of French bread, slather on some mayonnaise, dress it up with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and chow down. So where are the best places on the corridor to find po-boy paradise? Here are a few executive favorites.

Acme Oyster House

New Orleans, Metairie, Covington, Baton Rouge

They call it The Peacemaker. Just think about this: fried shrimp and oysters, Tabasco-infused mayonnaise, Leidenheimer French bread. Acme CFO Sheri Baker insists it’s the “best po-boy God ever created.

Legend has it that when a husband stayed out late with the boys, he could bring home a Peacemaker so his significant other would not beat the hell out of him,” she says. “Nothing else needs to be said.”

Crabby Jack’s

Jefferson

The parking lot is pocked with potholes. The bathroom is unisex and is said to smell like an ashtray. It’s in an old storefront somewhere in the suburban wasteland between New Orleans and the Huey P. Long Bridge. So why are people lined up out the door at lunchtime? Why do all the reviewers rave? For the po-boys, that’s why. The ones made of pulled-duck smothered in brown gravy, or of panneed rabbit, or of fried-green tomatoes. “Awesome, overstuffed, tasty, nothing wrong with it,” says John H. Musser V of Murphy Rogers Sloss & Gambel.

Frosty’s

Metairie

We submit for your consideration the Vietnamese po-boy, with savory barbecue pork, crunchy vegetables and a hint of cilantro on what Louisiana Economic Development Executive Counsel Leu Anne Lester Greco calls a “splendid bun.” And what defines the splendid bun? According to Greco, it’s a crusty outside, soft center, like a traditional New Orleans po-boy bun, but with a bit of rice flour giving it a unique taste and texture.

Bear’s

Covington

Deborah Frank swears by Bear’s. Her favorite is The Fergie (roast beef and ham), followed closely by the Fried Shrimp Po-Boy. “The Fergie is fabulous and juicy,” she says. “The shrimp po-boy is fried just perfectly and loaded to the point of overflow. The best po-boys on the Northshore!”

Po-Boy Express

Denham Springs

Shrimp po-boys are Rick Foster’s favorite, and the Denham Springs businessman indulges himself at Po-Boy Express as often as he can. “Hands down this has to be my favorite sandwich ever,” he says. “The combination of the shrimp (plump, seasoned just right and grilled to perfection), cheese, onions and jalapenos is unequaled. I get the onion rings and not the fries with my order.”

Chris’ Po-Boys in Lafayette

Pocorello’s

Baton Rouge

Fancy some Italian flair on your po-boy? Randi Deaton of the Outpatient Cath Lab recommends the meatball sub from Pocorello’s, with its New Orleans-style bread, homemade sauce and Provolone cheese. Says Deaton: “It is fabulous!”

Old Tyme Grocery

Lafayette

The name says it all. Step back into the 1950s—red-checkered floors, drinks in the cooler, food served in a basket and all. But the sandwiches are why folks keep coming back. “It rocks,” says Brandi Williams, communications coordinator for LUBA Workers’ Comp. “The bread is always fresh, the fried shrimp are the best I’ve ever tasted and fall out of the sides while eating. Scrumptious.”

Chris’ Po-Boys

Lafayette

What puts Chris’ Po-Boys on BancorpSouth President Teddy Eastin’s list of must-eats? Just four things: The bread, the quick service, the reasonable price ... and the “awesome cup of chicken and sausage gumbo.” Julie Anna Guidry, an assistant professor of marketing at the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business and fan of Chris’ roast beef po-boy, likes the fact that that the bread is “not too tough and there’s no tug-of-war between my mouth and the sandwich. Plus, their roast beef is perfectly seasoned and dripping with a rich gravy.”

Darrell’s

Lake Charles

South Louisiana food lover and amateur food critic Jay Ducote has traveled from New Orleans to Sulphur—and even to Chicago and New York City—in search of his favorite po-boy. Turns out it isn’t in his hometown of Baton Rouge. It’s the Darrell’s Special with jalapeno mayonnaise in Lake Charles. “It consists of beautiful ham, succulent turkey and juicy roast beef topped with their savory roast beef gravy,” he writes. “It is served with generous portions of provolone, Swiss and American cheeses and topped with mustard, lettuce and their homemade jalapeno mayo. The buttery French bread is soft, flaky and melts in your mouth to create an amazing sensation ... ” OK, stop. You had us at roast beef gravy.