Since JazzFest is coming up in a few weeks, I thought I would repost a "guide" which I post here from time to time. It has been updated since the last posting. I would appreciate any feedback on the restaurants listed here.
If you wish to be sure to reach some N.O. people with further queries/commentaries about N.O. food, you can post to the neworleans.general newsgroup by MAILing your posting to [email removed].
Enjoy!
----
About New Orleans restaurants: reservations are expected at all but the most casual restaurants and a few others (like K-Paul's) where you must wait in line. Prices are moderate by most big city standards and certainly cheap by New York or Los Angeles standards. At the better ones (including my top 5 listed below), entrees are in the $ 15-25 range and appetizers in the $ 4-8 range for the most part.
----
My comments: first my top 5, in alphabetic order
--------
Brigtsen's
Frank Brigtsen was the night chef for Paul Prudhomme (who originated the Cajun food fad). A few years ago he struck out on his own in a small cottage in Uptown New Orleans and quickly bested his mentor's food. His cooking is still Cajun, but not as heavy, and he does not get carried away with pepper (or hot sauce) the way that Paul does. His menu varies from time to time, but I have never had a bad dish there. Reservations 861-7610; dinner only Tuesday-Saturday; 723 Dante Street (Uptown/Riverbend, about 2 blocks from the end of St. Charles, near where the streetcar line turns into Carrollton Avenue, about 6 miles from the French Quarter); on-street parking.
Commander's Palace
A large elegant restaurant with elegant food and elegant service, and not outrageously expensive. The food is a modern version of New Orleans Creole. Their turtle soup may be the best in the world, and their version of bread pudding (it's a souffle) also may be the best. Recently (Dec. 91) I had 2 classic appetizers, Oysters Commander (poached, served with artichoke hearts and a cream sauce) and Shrimp Remoulade, both of which were superb; the second appetizer was gratis because the wine arrived late, after the first appetizer. Another Commander's classic, fish Grieg, was fantastic too, topped with crabmeat in a version of meuniere sauce; when crayfish are in season, they replace the crabmeat. Most of the same food is available at lunch at lower prices, and there are lunch specials as well. Reservations 899-8221; open every day, lunch and dinner (and a Jazz Brunch on Saturday and Sunday!); 1403 Washington Avenue (Uptown/Upper Garden District, 4-5 blocks from St. Charles, about 3 miles from the French Quarter); complimentary valet parking and easy to get a taxi after dinner here; very popular, most expensive of my top 5.
Emeril's
Emeril Lagasse was the chef that brought Commander's back to its current status, after going downhill in the 70's and early 80's. Now in his own restaurant, his food is Creole-Southwestern-New America. The menu changes, but memorable appetizers include crabcakes with jalapeno tartar sauce and duck & andouille ravioli. It is located in a renovated warehouse, so it can be a little noisy; service is somewhat informal and sometimes erratic. I would not go to dinner here without a jacket and tie, but many people do. Reservations 528-9393; closed Sunday, dinner only on Saturday; 800 Tchoupitoulas (Warehouse District, 8 blocks from the French Quarter); complimentary valet parking; prime-time reservations very hard to get, call well ahead.
Gautreau's
The food is California-New America with a New Orleans flavor. Recently (Dec.
91) 4 of us dined there for $ 156, including a bottle of wine and drinks before dinner for two of us and dessert and coffee for us all. All the food was imaginative and superb. A sampling: shrimp salad with avocado and corn relish; smoked (rare) duck breast with beet vinagrette; hot crab cakes with avocado mayonnaise sauce, served with risotto cakes and new potato salad; sauteed crayfish with white beans; roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes; roasted lamb loin in pastry; grilled shrimp and avocado with red pepper puree. Reservations 899-7397; closed Sunday, dinner only on Saturday; 1728 Soniat Street (Uptown, 3-4 blocks from St. Charles, about 4 miles from the French Quarter); complimentary valet parking or easy on-street parking.
Pelican Club
Not just another New American-Creole restaurant; the food shows a bit of Oriental influence at times. A sampling of appetizers is representative: beef satay with jalapeno- pineapple chutney; duck and pork spring rolls; scallop-stuffed artichoke with roasted garlic buerre blanc; crawfish chili with white beans, creme fraiche, and salsa. Their jambalaya is "paella style" and can be very spicy hot. The cioppino (Italian fish stew) is huge and fantastic. Recently (Jan. 92) they had a Whole Bass Thai Style, with a curry crayfish sauce; it was fantastic. Reservations 523-1504; lunch and dinner every day; 312 Exchange Alley, off Bienville in the French Quarter; pay parking in the Monteleone Hotel just across Bienville.
----
Other favorites
---------------
Bozo's - great seafood, fried or boiled, and great gumbo; modest priced and casual; 3117 21st Street, just off Causeway Blvd., across from the Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie; 831-8666, but I have never tried to make a reservation; closed Sunday & Monday; parking in their lot.
Camellia Grill - lunch counter with great breakfast (waffles, omelets) and sandwiches, open early morning until past midnight, very popular; Uptown/Riverbend on the streetcar line at 626 S. Carrollton, just after it turns at the end of St. Charles; on-street parking; cash only.
Constantin's - Creole-New American cooking, with creative dishes like chicken turkonion: a chicken breast with smoked sausage and fried eggplant covered with a turkey gravy with caramelized onions. Casual at lunch and informal at dinner. Lunch service is too slow for a business lunch, so try dinner. Reservations 861-2111; 8402 Oak Street, 5-6 blocks above Carrollton Avenue; on-street parking; closed Sunday.
Domilise's - great po-boys for lunch in a small bar. 5240 Annunciation, Uptown; on-street parking; closed Sunday; cash only.
Flagon's Wine Bar - a wine bar with an excellent bistro. How about: poached oysters with cavier followed by lobster sauteed with crayfish ravioli! An excellent selection of wines by the glass. Reservations 895-6471; 3222 Magazine, 3-4 miles from the French Quarter, Uptown; complimentary valet parking next store at Monroe's.
Liuzza's - bar with about 15 crowded tables in the back room; wonderful New Orleans-Creole-Italian neighborhood food like eggplant with seafood stuffing and paneed veal; across the street from Mercy Hospital, but the food is NOT low-fat or low-cal; most patrons drink beer but there do have jug wine by the glass; cheap and popular; 3600 block Bienville in Mid-City (official street address is 234 N. Telemachus); on-street parking; cash only.
Mandina's - a modest-priced New Orleans-Creole-Italian restaurant, VERY popular with the locals; perhaps the best oyster & artichoke soup; 3800 Canal Street, near Carrollton in Mid-City about 3-4 miles from French Quarter, on-street parking nearby; come early (before 6:30) for dinner or be prepared to stand in line; cash only. (There is now a branch in the French Quarter which I have not been to; but the reviews say that while the food is not exactly the same, it is a good.)
Middendorf's - best fried catfish around, if you happen to be driving to/from the west. It is about 40 miles west, at Pass Machac, on I-55 between the intersections with I-10 and I-12. A large family restaurant, very modestly priced. My favorite version of the catfish is thin slices of the filet, but it also has a large mostly seafood menu. The town is Akers, LA, I am told, but you can hardly tell there is a "town" there; the restaurant is easy to find because about the only other signs of human life in sight are bait shops and boat launches. Open 7 days a week.
Mosca`s - Creole-Italian food at its best, with very free use of garlic. Most dishes are big enough to split, so bring a crowd and eat family style. A group of 4 or 5 can make a wonderful meal of: Italian crabmeat salad (appetizer, might need 2); marinated crab (appetizer); oysters Mosca (baked in a well-seasoned bread crumb casserole); chicken al a grande (roasted); spaghetti bordelaise; and maybe some of their "home-made" Italian sausage. Unfortunately it is 4 miles on the other side of the Huey Long Bridge, about 15 miles from the Quarter, on a dark stretch of U.S. 90; so bring a designated driver. Cash only, and not really cheap, but well worth the trip. Dinner only, closed Sunday and Monday, and no reservations on weekends.
Mother's - a classic and VERY POPULAR informal restaurant for breakfast, sandwiches, and hot plates, now open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week. Cafeteria style service, with the line winding out among the tables and with the kitchen help regularly cutting through the line with slabs of roast beef and heaping trays of jamabalaya. My favorite is the Ralph po-boy: ham, roast beef, cheese, cabbage slaw, yellow and creole mustard, pickles (optional for me), and roast beef gravy (actually debris). 401 Poydras, in the Central Business District, between the French Quarter and the Convention Center; one hour of free parking in the lot next door on weekends and after 5 weekdays; cash only.
Palace Cafe - a new enterprise by some younger members of the Brennan's family (Brennan's, Commander's Palace, Mr. B's). Relatively casual, fairly large, with hearty servings of innovative Creole-Cajun-New American food at reasonable prices. The seafood stew is a meal in itself, and I have never made it to dessert because of the size of the servings. And the "home-made" potato chips with red bean dip are great. You can dress or come casual, and maybe even take a chance showing up without reservations. The kitchen has large picture-window glass walls, but unfortunately the nearest tables and booths are in the smoking section. Reservations 523-1661; on the edge of the French Quarter at 605 Canal Street; open every day, lunch and dinner; free parking at the nearby Holiday Inn on Royal Street.
Parasol's - great po-boy's in a sandwich shop which is in a room behind the bar. 2533 Constance, in the Irish Channel (near the Garden District); closed Sunday and Tuesday; on-street parking; cash only.
----
Lunch and light fare
----------
Acme Oyster House - oyster bar, sandwiches, and some hot dishes. 724
Iberville in the Quarter.
Cafe Maspero's - large great sandwiches. 601 Decatur, in the Quarter;
lunch and dinner, open late and very popular.
Central Grocery - home of the muffaletta (two kinds of salami, ham, cheese,
and olive salad on a large roll of Italian bread - enough to split);
sandwich bar in a small Italian grocery; 923 Decatur in the Quarter.
Jax Brewery - There are a number of small outlets with some very good New
Orleans food on the food floor of this shopping "mall". A good place to
go if your group wants a sampling of a variety of local cuisine. 600
block of Decatur in the Quarter.
Martin Wine Cellar - imaginative sandwiches (Deli Deluxe: corn beef,
pastrami, Swiss chess, Russian dressing, and brown mustard on an onion
roll, served hot!) in the deli of a fantastic wine (and liquor) store;
3827 Baronne, Uptown, a two block walk from the streetcar line; now also
another store in Metairie, at 713 Elmeer, corner Veterans Hwy.; parking
in their lot.
Riverwalk - much like Jax Brewery above, with a few standard fast food
outlets thrown in. Poydras Street at the river, behind the Hilton Hotel.
WestEnd Cafe - informal, modestly priced near Lakefront at entrance to West
End Park; great boiled seafood and po-boys plus other fare (mostly
seafood); strange gumbo, tastes like they use cloves; 8536
Pontchartrain Blvd.; parking in their lot; open 7 days.
----
Some good ethnic restaurants in the modest/medium price category.
----------------------------
Genghis Khan (Korean), 4053 Tulane Avenue near Carrollton Avenue. Kung's Dynasty (Chinese), 1912 St. Charles Avenue - also has a branch
in the Riverwalk downtown with a smaller menu.
Taj Mahal, 923 Metairie Road in Metairie.
Thai Pepper, 8600 Oak Street, Uptown about 8-10 blocks beyond Carrollton Ave. The Little Greek, 2051 Metairie Road in Metairie.
----
I have not been in years, but others say they are still good.
------------------------
Chistian's
Clancy's (one report from Dec. 91 rated it poor)
Mr. B's
Ruth's Chris (THE place for steaks)New Orleans, LA