New Orleans report

A while back I posted a message asking for New Orleans restaurant recommendations. Lots of folks responded, and now that we are back from our trip I wanted to provide a report on our experiences. Needless to say, you cannot have the final word on a restaurant after a single visit, but perhaps our observations will be of interest to some of you. We had a great time, and I thank everyone who provided ideas.

Bella Luna: Excellent in all respects. Creative and well executed dishes, attentive but unfussy service, and very pleasant surroundings. They are on the third floor and many tables have a nice view of the river. They have an unusually extensive wine-by-the-glass selection. Bella Luna is in a tie as the first place I would go back to given the chance.

Mulatte's: The only disappointment. Careless, slow service and the worst fried oysters, dried-up tough tasteless little blobs. If this is typical then they must stay in business with one-time-only customers from the convention center across the street. If you're good with a slingshot, you could kill squirrels with those oysters!

Mother's: This was a real experience!! Cafeteria style and definitely down-to-earth. Crowded, confused, disorganized, lively, noisy! Our lunch was very good, with fried oysters done just right.

Brennan's: They started off on the wrong foot by serving me a straight-up martini in a wine glass. Things got better after this, but nothing seemed to excel. Service, while very attentive, was a bit rushed (appetizers came too quickly after drinks, dinner too quickly after appetizers, etc.). While main courses were very good, the bread, dessert, and wine recommendation were all ordinary. The by-the-bottle wine list was astounding, with a $1200 bottle of Ch. Petrus getting star billing; the by-the-glass list, however, was unexceptional. Perhaps they are surviving on reputation.

Louis XVI: We found this restaurant in the St. Louis Hotel when we were wandering around the French Quarter, starving but unable to get into any of the better known places without reservations. It turned out to be a lucky choice. It is, I believe, a straight French restaurant as opposed to creole. The menu seems to emphasize classic dishes, and some might see this as a lack of creativity, but the things we had were done perfectly and that's rare enough! Service and setting were also terrific. We were seated in a covered courtyard where we could hear a fountain splashing as well as the live piano music.

Emeril's. We couldn't get dinner reservations so had to settle for lunch.

Commander's Palace: This is the place that ties with Bella Luna as our favorite. Despite being an old, established, and famous place they have not lost the creative touch. For example I had "Mississippi Rabbit" which consists of rabbit cooked three different ways. Service was impeccable. The dessert, bread pudding souffle, was one of the 2 or 3 best I have had in a long life of enjoying desserts!

Court of the Two Sisters: They are best known for their "jazz brunch" that features live music and an 80-item buffet. It is a wonderful experience, particularly if the weather is nice so you can sit in the courtyard. The quality of the buffet items varies, as you would expect, but everything is good and many items are excellent. In any case, the variety should keep anyone happy! It's best to go when you have plenty of time and are very hungry, and can spend at least an hour and a half.

Copeland's: A lot less expensive than some of the places listed here ($12-16 entrees) and you get what you pay for. Crowded, sports-bar atmosphere. The food was good but nothing special. They have several interesting local beers on tap.

Peter G. Aitken

I just returned from five days in New Orleans and for what it's worth for those who might be interested are some observations on restaurants I visited.

I made my usual first stop at The Acme Oyster House, and as usual was not disappointed with the large, flavorful beauties I ate standing at the marble topped counter BSing with John, the shucker.

Dinner at G&E Courtyard Grill was a disappointment though.  Calamari in my appetizer were small and tasteless.  Roast chicken was way overcooked and barely edible.  Service was OK, but we had to eat in the main dining room because the courtyard was booked.  It hadn't occurred to me to specify a table there when I made my res two weeks earlier.

Bistro at Maison de Ville where I have eaten before was mixed.  It is a very small place and quite busy on a Saturday night.  It appeared that they might have been understaffed.  The hostess was soto voce complaining about doing things that weren't normally part of her job.  Also, the "famous" Patrick was absent. My sweetbread appetizer was outstanding, while the rack of lamb was was overcooked.  94 Crozes Hermitage from Delas was very good and was about 30 bucks.  Service was pleasant, but took forever.

Dinner at Mr. B's Bistro was excellent as usual.  The Brennans have created a dynasty in New Orleans and for good reason.  Grilled pork chop was huge and perfectly cooked.  Gumbo YA YA was good.  My wife knocked over her water glass and four of the waitstaff re-set the table literally in thirty seconds.

I'm going back to NO in the future and would appreciate suggestions from knowledgable diners.

Just got back from the T-Giving week-end in New Orleans.  We were a group of eight so it gave us a chance to sample many offerings at the restaurants that we visited.  Stayed at the Royal Orleans to give us walking access to our eating destinations in the Quarter and music on Bourbon Street.

The highlight was K-Paul which has proven to be consistently great.  I do wish they would change the menu soon - it's a bit overdue. Stand-outs include the gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp etoufee and especially the bronzed swordfish.  And I love their cajun martinis - gin, of course.  I strongly suggest making a reservation, they take them up to a month in advance.

Thanksgiving dinner was at Mr. B's Bistro.  I've been there before and had an excellent meal but the holiday dinner was just OK, nothing special.  Probably had something to do with the frenetic pace.

Another night was at Bayonna, which was my first time there.  I had heard wonderful things and arrived with great expectations.  But, I was disappointed.  Dinner was good, but not stellar as I had hoped. Maybe I'm just getting jaded.

Our final night was spent at the Magnolia Cafe, an unassuming little place at Chartres & Iberville.  I've had great breakfasts there before and dinner was decent, unpretentious and reasonably priced.  My blackened catfish with crawfish etoufee was very good.   Caution! They don't take credit cards.

Our first breakfast was at La Madeleine.  Very good, I highly recommend the potatoe galette and eggs.   On another very rainy morning we did the obligatory beignets at Cafe du Monde.  Great beignets but I can't stand the cattle car atmosphere.  But, that tends to disappear in a powdered sugar haze of euphoria.

Final brunch was at Brennan's.  I like the atmosphere but think that it's now just overpriced and the food is just so-so.  My tasso omelette could've used some hash browns as a complement.

Two major irritations.  It seems that the Brennan restaurants (Mr. B's & Brennan's) have a standard line now.  We had reservations at both and upon contact with the host/hostess we were told our "table was just being prepared and would be ready quickly.  We should wait in the bar."  Well, 20 minutes later we were seated at both places.  Cheap shot at trying to stretch a bar bill.

My other irritation is the dismal demeanor of the American public these days when it comes to eating at decent, if not, fine restaurants.  You would think that "people" would make an effort not to look like dirtbags for Thanksgiving dinner or brunch at Brennan's. But we saw many who obviously thought a Bronco's jersey and shorts was just the ticket for the proper decorum.  One reason that I enjoy top restaurants in Europe is that the experience is complete, with people dressing for the occasion.  It's my not so humble opinion that the casual trend sometimes extends too far into places where it's not warranted.