Am going to NOLA for a romantic (child free) weekend with my husband. We are serious foodies. Can anyone recommend some restaurants for a romantic dinner as well as some cheap local fare for lunch and breakfast? Also 1 or 2 must does while there?
We are staying at the JW Marriott and aren't renting a car.
I've been to New Orleans several times, but not since Hurricane Katrina ... here are some activities and restaurants I can recommend.
Walking tour of the French Quarter (the http://www.neworleansonline.com site lists several - I think ours was through the parks dept.)
Steamboat ride on the Mississippi
Riding a street car through the Garden District to the end of the line, walking a bit, then catching one for the return trip
Starting the evening listening to a session at Preservation Hall
Walking through Jackson Square searching for local art to take home (I have a wonderful watercolor of NO row houses)
Photo tour of one of the cemeteries
Starting the day with a coffee (and sometimes a beignet) at Cafe du Monde
Strolling the stalls and tables at the French Market
Restaurants I enjoyed were: The Commander's Palace and Court of Two Sisters (the company paid), Mr. B's Bistro (I paid).
There was an episode in New Orleans on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" TV show recently - he talked with the founder of Cafe Reconcile, and had a meal there. I'd like to check it out next time I go.
Scroll down this forum for a trip report to New Orleans from this spring. It might give you more ideas!
Posts: 14258 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
John Besh has 3 restaurants in N.O.- August, Luke, and the steak restaurant at Harrah's casino. Make reservations before you go- we were never able to get into August.
First, a personal comment: Steak would probably be the last thing I'd choose to eat in New Orleans, however good it might be. Why? Because there's so much else!! (Also, The Court of Two Sisters hasn't gotten consistently good reviews. It is quite touristy.)
This is a good, website which lists multiple restaurants. This one is interactive and more comprehensive. We haven't been to N'Awlins since before Katrina, but I'm hoping we'll go in the next year or so. Previously, we went there regularly, and here are my comments on several places we've been or wish to go, casual and otherwise.
I'll second the recommendations for Commander's Palace and Mr. B's Bistro, especially either for a Sunday jazz brunch, and particularly the former (reservations a must!).
Arnaud's or Antoine's are both noted for classic Creole cuisine, though I think I'd choose the former. One of our favorites (and that of locals) is Galatoire's, which doesn't take reservations. There's also Brennan's, of course. Another favorite, which is a bit more casual than the others, is another Brennan family establishment, the Palace Cafe, on Canal St. We've also enjoyed the Red Fish Grill, off Iberville on Bourbon St. A non-Brennan restaurant, which is excellent, is Bacco.
Here are some suggestions for lunch, particularly if you want a good po'boy or muffaletta: The Acme Oyster House on Iberville, Felix's across the street, the Central Grocery on Decatur, the Napoleon House - especially for its atmosphere, Johnny's Po-Boys, Mother's in the CBD, and several good places in the Riverwalk Market, such as Messina's.
Outside of the Quarter, there's the famous Dooky Chase's for creole/soul food. For Cajun food with real Cajun music, try Mulate's, which is near and Riverwalk and conveniently located. (I'm not sure Michaud's is still in New Orleans, and it's gotten some poor reviews.)
Three places I've never been but which get consistently good reviews are Brigtsen's Restaurant and the Camellia Grill, both in the Riverbend area, and Susan Spicer's Bayona.
Then, of course, as mentioned, you'll have to try beignets at Cafe du Monde at least once. And ditto all of Colleen's suggestions for things to do. However, though I well might be related to Ben Jaffe (according to his late father Alan), who now runs Preservation Hall, a more comfortable place to listen to jazz - and of a somewhat different genre - would be Snug Harbor on Frenchmen St., which is just below the French Quarter.
We had an exceptional meal at Dick and Jennie's (Jenny's?) last year. It's west of the center, out on Tchoupitoulas St. What a great restaurant and a great New Orleans vibe.
We were there for a week doing some volunteer work, and ate lots of good food, but D&J was the best of the best.
Wow, Kendal. I just Googled Dick and Jenny's and examined their dinner menu. It looks fabulous! I wasn't familiar with this restaurant. The only problem is that they do not take reservations, and I get uncomfortable waiting a while on line.
Just moved to Maine from New Orleans - lived there for 35 years and really miss the food.
Bayona and Brigtsen's are well worth a trip. Call early for reservations, locals love both places and fill them up, especially on weekends. Think about including the Upperline too.
With so many choices, I'd skip Court of Two Sisters and check out some of the other restaurants mentioned. And Palace Cafe and Red Fish Grill would not be on my list for fine dining.
If you can get there, Domilises has amazing po-boys for lunch. If you get to Dick and Jenny's just before it opens, you will probably get a table. It is quite good. Actually Bacco is a Brennan restaurant - good but not quite Bayona or Galatoires.
If you can find Tom Fitzmorris' web site (I think it is nomenu.com), you can get all the latest info. on restaurants. He has been the restaurant critic in NO for years and knows whereof he speaks.
Take the bus down Magazine Street - you can catch it at Canal and Magazine - and stop to visit all the fun shops. You can walk over to St. Charles and take the streetcar back.
Be careful with the boat rides on the river. Some of them are hours long and it's hot there. And the river, while interesting for a while, can get very monotonous. Look for a one or two hour trip at most unless you're really into barges and sweat.
Have a fun trip.
Callie
Posts: 655 | Location: Maine | Registered: 23 November 2002
A question for some of you N.O afficianados....What is the status of some restaurants that I went to years ago?
Corrine Dunbar's Tchoupitoulas Plantation Carribean Room at the Ponchartrain Hotel Gumbo Shop Clarance and Lefty's (for Po'boys) Delmonico Felix's Oyster Bar. Tujacques Larry and Katz (a bar with cheap drinks... no food)
The site Callie mentioned above (nomenu.com) has up-dated information on restaurants. Felix's, Tujaques, and the Gumbo Shop are all open in the Quarter. Emeril has reopened Delmonico's as one of his establishments. Corinne Dunbar's, unfortunately, has been closed for many years; so has Clarence & Lefty's. The Tchoupitoulas Plantation itself is still there, of course, and hosts meetings, weddings, etc., but no restaurant apparently.
According to a recent (7/18) issue of the Times-Picayune, "The Pontchartrain Hotel, a storied luxury stopover on St. Charles Avenue for such luminaries as Walt Disney and Tennessee Williams, will become a residence for upper-crust retirees." The restaurant, then, will only be open for residents.
I've just discovered that Galatoire's now DOES TAKE reservations for its newly renovated second floor. It's still first come, first served for the ground level. It that's your thing, get on line! It's worth it and order Oysters Rockefeller to start.
We were there right before Katrina. We enjoyed these two more obscure places - Petunia's (for breakfast in the French Qtr.) and Marigny Brasserie (an easy walk) I hope they're still there! Have fun. Linda
Posts: 665 | Location: Outlying area of Chicago | Registered: 15 September 2004
Just returned from a week long conference in New Orleans and we cannot wait to return.
As we shopped in the French Quarter, we asked the shop owners where they ate. An antique dealer recommended Galatoire's, that we ask to be seated downstairs, and that we have Emory as our waiter and follow his menu suggestions. We had an outstanding Sunday lunch there - a shrimp remoulade and then red fish with sauteed crabmeat; men must wear jackets and most of the women were very well-dressed with hats.
We had a breakfast at Mother's, which was close to Loews where we stayed. Loews has Cafe Adelaide, owned by one of the Brennans, and we enjoyed a nice dinner on our first evening in town. The Windsor Court Hotel has a great cafe where we had lunch. On another recommendation, we dined at Deanie's (not the original in Bucktown but in the French Quarter) where they bring you a bowl of small spicy whole red potatoes as you are seated instead of bread.
According to my fellow conference attendee, Deanie's had the best bread pudding of all that she tried - a coconut custard pudding. Mother's was like baked French toast. Windsor Court was best presentation - a Bananas Foster bread pudding. The conference final night banquet was the worst - a lump with raisins and indiscriminately applied sauce - spooned by a waitress who splashed everyone's finery with the concoction.
On the opposite corner from Deanie's is Harold Clarke Couture. He was gracious enough to allow us into his shop which featured the most exquisite gowns. Another exquisite emporium is Fleur de Paris where the hats range in price up into the thousands and you can get custom made hats if your head is larger than "one size fits all". One in particular caught my eye but at $1099, a tad pricey for my budget.
We took a "city tour" and saw the area where Katrina wreaked havoc, the levee that has been repaired, houses where the high water marks are still apparent - everyone was so nice and so grateful to have people visit their city. We never felt hurried or in the way, but very welcome as tourists even if we weren't spending money.
Posts: 779 | Location: Birch Bay, WA | Registered: 02 December 2002
Chris, Thanks so much to taking the time to post your impressions. I've been ambivalent about returning to New Orleans ... I didn't want my happy memories overlaid with sadness and anger for the current environment. A friend and I are talking about a US trip together next year - I think I'll add NO as one of our destination choices.
quote:
An antique dealer recommended Galatoire's, that we ask to be seated downstairs, and that we have Emory as our waiter and follow his menu suggestions. We had an outstanding Sunday lunch there - a shrimp remoulade and then red fish with sauteed crabmeat; men must wear jackets and most of the women were very well-dressed with hats.
How very civilized! Sounds wonderful.
Posts: 14258 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
So many great places have been listed...I'll add a couple
One of my favorite places is Jacques Imo's on Oak Street (not far from St. Charles & Carrollton, at the Riverbend. Take the St. Charles streetcar (the green ones)from downtown...they are finally running again!). They don't take reservations, but it's great!
Mother's has the best po-boys in town...get a debris po-boy. YUM!
I prefer Commander's for lunch...1/2 the price, same great food and service, and best of all, 25 cent martinis during the week
Bella Luna used to be a great place for a romantic dinner...I'm not sure if they re-opened.
Anne
Posts: 195 | Location: Louisiana | Registered: 01 May 2005
I can second the Bayona recommendation, but it's hard to get into w/o a reservation, at least it was pre-Katrina. Another Susan Spicer restaurant is Herbsaint on Charles Street in the CBD--it's more casual. Would be great for lunch. Ate there w/o a reservation pre-Katrina. Also had a great meal during Jazz Fest 2005 (again, pre-Katrina) at Stella on Chartres Street (don't know if it reopened). I've also eaten very well at the Palace Cafe, although it's noisy and crowded. All my meals were at the bar. The food was excellent, but it's casual. You might also try Nola, which I believe is Emeril's, and I also ate well, again, at the bar for lunch, at the original Emeril's.
For music skip Bourbon Street and head to the places on Frenchman Street in the Faubourg Marigny. For serious jazz, it's hard to beat Snug Harbor. There's tons of other good places on the the block. Walk down Frenchman Street and let your ears guide you. Consult the Gambit, which you can find online. It's the best guide to entertainment and the arts. Uptown there's the Maple Leaf in the Carrollton district (take a cab) and downtown Donna's on Rampart Street is a lot of fun, especially on Monday's, when I believe Bob French still plays.
To get into the NoLa mood, listen to www.wwoz.org--tune in to some live local music.
Another unusual place is Rock and Bowl (a bowling alley that hosts bands on two levels). Again, don't know what the post-Katrina situation is there, but it's one of those places that has to be seen to be believed. You take a cab there.
Wish I were going!
Posts: 70 | Location: New York City | Registered: 16 June 2007
