I apologize for the empty file; I didn't realize that the file wasn't read in before I sent it. OK, so trying again, here is the article about New Orleans that I posted last year (!!):
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I recently returned from four days in New Orleans, and I want to share my experiences with the net. First, I want to wholeheartedly recommend the Gault Millau (prounounced go-me-oh) guide to New Orleans. The restaurant reviews were consistently on the mark, and they even panned a few famous places. We found this book indispensable.
Also, I want to say that when I asked a local resident what restaurants she would recommend, she told me to avoid K-Pauls, stating that it had been cited by the health department several times. Besides, K-Pauls doesn't take reservations and you have to wait on a long line to get in, even before they open. We didn't eat there, but I do hear that the food is good. The health dept. stuff just turned me off.
Anyway, I apologize in advance for any spelling errors in this posting. I would normally go back and check the article, but I'm really busy and wanted to just bang this out.
Expensive Restaurants
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Commander's Palace - We were worried that it would be a famous
tourist trap, but it was not. The food was
fabulous, and the service was very good.
The trout with roasted pecans was heavenly,
the Gumbo YaYa was spicey and smooth, and
the bread pudding souffle with whiskey
sauce was incredible and decadent. Be
prepared to spend an average of $28 per
entree. The full dinners are a good
value. Make reservations at least a week
in advance, further in advance during
holidays (including Valentines's Day).
Jackets are required.
Bayona - Bayona's menu included such mouth-watering specialties
as Artichoke and Polenta Gratin, Spinach and Pear Salad,
and Garlic soup. We had appetizers of Eggplant Cavier
with Tapenade and Feta Cheese, and Cream of Garlic
Soup. Both were incredible. If you are a garlic
lover, the soup is a must; it is too strong for
the faint of palate! The Crawfish Phyllo Turnover
with Tomato-Red Pepper Coulis was filled with a
yellow curry cream cheese sauce. Quite a taste
treat.
Main courses included a very
delicate and flavorful Grilled Duck Breast with Pepper
Jelly Glaze, and Smoked Ribeye with Mushrooms and
Horshradish Chive Sauce. Vegetables were crispy
snowpeas, rice pilaf with a hint of anise, and
sweet potato puree. The duck was so succulent, it
melted in my mouth. The ribeye was smokey and flavorful.
Dessert (and we had very little room left for it) was
supurb. The fresh white grape sorbet in white wine
sauce was like eating frozen grapes. The apple and
cherry pie with cheddar cheese crust was hearty and
satisfying.
Bayona is a very elegant restaurant; a place to relax
and luxuriate in the food. Try to get a patio table,
if the weather is good. The service was absolutely
excellent. One of the best dinners we have ever had.
Entrees average $16; be prepared to spend $70 for two
with appetizers and dessert. Reservations are required,
dress can be casual.
Andrea's - Andrea's Northern Italian restaurant is located about 10
miles west of the city, in a suburb called Metarie. It is
worth the drive. In fact, if you are driving to town from
the airport, change into some nicer clothes and go to
Andrea's for lunch (we did). Chef Andrea is a local character.
He likes to come out, ask you how your dinner is, and kiss
the lady's hand. Sure to put a smile on your face. Locals seem
to come there often, as Andera seemed to know quite a few people
at the tables.
Unfortunatly, I lost my Andrea's menu, but from memory, we
had seafood consumme with a salmon quinelle, quite nice. Main
dishes were cannoloni with fresh marinara, and a chicken dish
stuffed with spinach in a cream sauce. Andrea makes his own
pasta and desserts, which was apparent. The food was terrific,
and the service was very good. It is a very elegant place, with
icey blue colonial-style (?) satin drapes and crystal chandeliers.
Dessert was a white chocolate mousse in dark chocolate tart with
fresh raspberry sauce, and tiramisu, both to die for.
Lunch was approx. $50 for two. Andrea's is rated THE BEST Italian
restaurant in N.O., and it is easy to see why.
PoBoys and Muffelettas
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Napolean House - This is a terrific place to come in the early evening, have
a drink, and enjoy the cool breezes of the courtyard, and
chow down!! The meatball sandwich with mozzarella cheese was
hearty and saucy. the muffuletta was warm with crispy bread
and was difficult to stop eating! The seafood gumbo was
hearty, and the jambalaya was quite good. Linger and enjoy
the atmosphere of a house built for Napolean, while listening
to all sorts of classical music (from opera to baroque!)
Sandwiches average $4.50, all sorts of drinks are available,
as are Italian desserts, averaging $2.00.
Streetcar Sandwiches - Located at the edge of the Garden Distric, Streetcar Sandwiches
is located right on the St. Charles streetcar line. This is a
nice place to sit and eat while watching the streetcars roll by.
The sandwiches are very good; in fact, this was rated the Best
PoBoy by Food & Wine magazine a few years ago. The bread is
crusty, and the meat is tender. The jambalaya, however, was
just o.k. If you like hot sauce, you'll find plenty of it at
the "hot sauce bar", about 40 varieties! Grab an outside table
and enjoy the afternoon or evening.
After eating at Streetcar Sandwiches, if you want some good
pastries for dessert, walk down the street to La Bonbonniere at
1114 S. Carrollton. The pastries melt in your mouth without
being too sweet. Everything is home-made, and the proprietor
has a great cajun accent, besides! ;-)
Mother's - Be prepared to wait in line at Mothers. Not to get in, but on the buffet
line! Mothers serves no-nonsense home cooking. They bake their own ham
and specialize in sandwiches like a "Debris Sandwich", made with
pan drippings and roast beef. The Ferdi contains baked ham, roast beef,
debris and gravy, and dressing. The place is crowded and noisy, but when
you are inhaling food this good, who cares? We also tried their red
beans and rice, quite hearty. The jambalaya was among the best we had.
We only regretted that we didn't have room to try the File Gumbo or the
Bread Pudding. Be prepared to have an eating orgy at Mothers. Lunch
with 2 sodas cost us under $20.
ADDENDUM: A friend returned from New Orleans in Jan. 1993 and reported
that the food at Mothers was not very good because it had
changed ownership in the past year. So, perhaps you should
go at your own risk.
R & O's - Located in the western suburb of Metarie, R & O's is kind of hard to
find, so call and get directions. It is worth the drive and the searching,
because the sandwiches are incredible and HEAVY! The place is across the
street from Lake Ponchantrain. We suggest that you do take-out from
R & O's and have a picnic in the nearby little park! Just go down
Bonnbelle St. to the park entrance. There are no benches, so either
spread a blanket or sit in the car (parked so that you have a nice view of
the lake). Afterward, you can walk around and use up some of those calories!
It's a nice quiet getaway picnic with terrific food.
Cafe Au Lait and Beignets
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Cafe du Monde - Open 24-hours, you can get a sugar high and a caffeine rush anytime
at Cafe du Monde. The beignets (warm chewy but light donuts topped
with MOUNDS of powdered sugar) are satisfying and fun. And
inexpensive, at an order of 3 for only 80 cents! The cafe au lait
(half coffee, half milk) was very good. But, for those of us who
want no caffeine, alas, there is no decaf. Also, the hot cocoa was
very disappointing. It was the same yucky sweet stuff you get in
envelopes. But if it's "leaded" coffee and beignets you want, this
is the place to go.
Cafe Beignet - Serves the same fare as Cafe du Monde, but with the added advantage
of serving decaf, alchoholic drinks, and other food. You can have
a small meal of Beignet Cor Don Bleu (a beignet stuffed with ham
and cheese, served with "gator" fries), cajun onion rings, or
shrimp with steamed rice. The food, while not being gourmet, is
satisfying if you're hungry at 2 a.m. and all the other places are
closed! There is also entertainment at night. Located down the street
from Cafe du Monde at the edge of Jax Brewery, same prices as
Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets. The sandwiches average
$5; the shrimp is $8. Special drinks average $3.50. Open 24 hours.
Music
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Maple Leaf Bar - Located near the St. Charles Streetcar line on a side street (Oak
St.), The Maple Leaf features zydeco, cajun, ragtime, and reggae.
The night we were there, we saw SunPies's Blues and Zydeco Show.
Admission was something like $5 pp. The music was HOT! The place
has been there for years and has a tin ceiling. There is also an
open-air patio in the back if you want to get away from the music
or want to cool down. There is a small dance floor, but people were
dancing all around, front and back. Grab a chair and set your feet
a'tappen! Down the street from the Maple Leaf is another bar,
Muddy Waters. We didn't go there, but it looked good, too. Next to
the Maple Leaf is this crawfish bar. Looked very interesting!
Tipitina's - This seems to be a major concert venue. The place is large, but
probably holds under 1,000 people. Go on Sunday afternoon for their
Fais-do-do. This is an afternoon/early evening concert with free
red beans and rice. It starts at 5 p.m. till 9 p.m. and features
a cajun band. This is a great place to dance. I have never seen
so many happy people dancing in one place! Cajun dancing looks
a lot like country/western (Texas 2-step, etc). Take some
Cajun dance lessons beforehand, and you'll just have blast here!
Mudbugs - If you want country/western dancing, and if you don't mind going over the
bridge to Gretna, try Mudbugs. It is a really huge new dancing bar with
several dance floors and pool tables at the perimeter. On Sunday afternoon
they have a Fais-do-do with (I think) red beans and rice. If you get there
after ~10 p.m., there is no cover charge and there is DJ'd country/western
dancing music, and it is not crowded at all (almost empty, in fact), so
you'd have a several dance floors to yourself!
Where to find music - Get a copy of the OffBeat newspaper. It is small; the size of the
TV section you get in the Sunday paper. It is filled with all the
concert and music happenings for the coming month. I think we found
our copy at the Maple Leaf or at Muddy Waters.
Misc.
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Natchez Cruise - OK, this sounds like a tourist trap, but it is really fun. We took
the moonlight cruise and DID NOT have dinner. The food (buffet line)
looked so-so, and truthfully, I don't think I'd waste an extra $19
to eat on the ship. But for $15 pp, you can listen to some great
Dixieland music and cruise down the Mississippi river on this very
good replica of a paddlewheel steamboat. The cruise is 2 hours, and
we thought it was very romantic and lots of fun. Located across from
Jax brewery. Buy your tickets at the gazebo. Look in the tourist
books for coupons for $2 or so off the price.
Jax Brewery - This is a bunch of stores in a large brewery converted to a mall.
It's fun to roam around. Do sample the fudge at Fudgetime. Really,
it is terrific; not too sweet or choking. We didn't buy more than
a small slab, because we knew we'd eat it all up if we bought more!
Every half hour, they put on a little show.
Radio stations - Yknow, darned if I can remember the station, but on Sunday from
1 to 2:30, there is a really good French Cajun show on the radio.
Just scan the dial and you'll find it!,
Burbon Street - It lives up to its reputation. Even if you decide not to drink, you
can have a good time just people-watching. There are numerous
burlesque shows. They close off the street to traffic in the evening,
so everyone wanders around the street with drinks. You can even buy
laughing gas at the tourist shops. Really outrageous. If you want to
drink, be sure to have a Hurricane at Pat O'Briens. They are strong
and good! Burbon Street is one place to forget your inhibitions and
soak in the New Orleans street culture.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - This old, old building is now a bar. In the front there is a
jukebox and a blacksmith hearth. In the back is a piano
player. This is a very romantic place to get in out of the
rain. The place has great atmosphere.
Gay community - None of the tour books mention this, but the upper part of Burbon St.
seems to contain a gay community. I say "seems to" because I'm not
gay, but saw many obviously gay couples walking around. There is also
a bar (don't remember the name) that I assume is a gay bar. I
suppose if you want more info on this, you could find out.
French Market - This is interesting, but the flea market was (IMHO) overpriced. If
you've seen the Seattle Pike market, or the San Francisco wharf,
the French Market will seem really small to you. Interesting to
wander around, but we didn't stay very long.
St. Charles Streetcar - This is a lot of fun and very relaxing. The streetcar goes
along the edge of the Garden District and there are many
beautiful homes to see. Worth an hour of your time.
Hotel - If you are renting a car, you might like the hotel we stayed at. It is the
Best Western West Bank. Yes, it's across the river. It's only 15-20 mins
drive into town from there. The place was very quiet, with three levels all
facing a courtyard. It has a pool, a kiddie pool, and a really nice large
enclosed jacuzzi. Contintental breakfast is included. Color TV with cable.
With AAA discount, came to $45 per night for a room with a king bed. There is
also a "Superstore" within a 3 min. walk of the place, in case you need to
get something. It's also a good place to pick up coffee with chickory at
less than you'd pay in town. Oh, and the hotel has a BBQ pit and a little
poolside bar/lounge. Overall, a very nice place if you don't want to stay
in town. When we went out to eat at a good restaurant, we took a change of
clothes with us so we could "dress down" later without having to go back
to our room.
Well, that's all I can think of! Feel free to email me if you want any more info or if you want to correct me on anything. The opinions are strictly those of me and my husband.
-LynnNew Orleans, LA