New Orleans dining suggestions - please read OP before suggesting

[Shadowfyre]

I know this has been done a bunch of times before, and I think I've read just about every thread from the past couple years. The problem is that all of the suggestions are very scattered - geographically and genre-istically (I made a new word!)

I don't mean to sound snippy in the thread title, but I'm looking for some very targeted suggestions and I hope to avoid people just popping in and listing their favorite restaurants. There is plenty of that in the other threads I've read.

I'm getting into NO on Saturday, Dec 22nd in the afternoon. I'm staying at the Country Inn & Suites on Magazine St., a couple blocks from Canal. We leave Monday morning, so I don't have all that much time. We won't be renting a car either.

I'll be with my wife and 12 year old son. While I'd like to hit the bars and the Hustler Club and Casino, I can't do that in good conscience while leaving my wife in the hotel with our son. Nor can we head out and leave my son alone. We'll have to come back for an adult's weekend sometime.

I live in the Chicago area. We have lots of great restaurants around here representing almost every ethnicity under the sun (and then some...). But not many that I can find that are Cajun or Creole. And, besides, when I travel, I like to experience the local cuisine.

I was thinking of possibly heading out to the Garden District and checking out Lafayette Cemetery, since that is featured in a lot of movies and I think my son might get a kick out of it. But other than that, I think we will be sticking around the French Quarter for most of our stay.

Therefore, I am mainly looking for Creole and/or Cajun food in the French Quarter or near my hotel on Magazine St. I guess there are some pretty fancy restaurants in that area. We're kinda on a budget, so please keep that in mind. My son is a picky eater, but please don't let that limit your suggestions. We already told him he has to try some different food. If he absolutely cannot eat it, we will get him some Popeye's (that's cajun, right?)

So far, I only have Cafe Dumond on my list.

I would like to try some gumbo, crawfish etouffee, oysters and maybe a po' boy if I have room in my belly.

[BottledBlondJeanie]

Not meaning to be snippy back at ya', but if you've read those threads you're "near" almost everything. You can pretty much walk/take the trolley to all the good places. Honestly, I don't know what you might be thinking by Cajun or Creole absent your last sentence. If you think that such cuisine necessitates blackening or whatnot, then try K-Paul's which is pretty tourist trappy and mediocre. I know a shit-ton of restaurants on Magazine have been mentioned specifically, and, IIRC most of them have food unique to New Orleans.

The Quarter is close enough and there are places there to go that are acceptable to locals. Oysters and po' boys at Acme are fairly good and close. You can get a peacemaker po' boy--half fried oysters, half fried shrimp, and it's wonderful. Mr. B's is lovely but pricey, and the locals I know who work around there like to lunch there. The gumbo is delicious.

For a truly unique New Orleans experience, try to get to the Hilton near the river. It houses a branch of Drago's that makes wonderful charbroiled oysters. Many have tried to duplicate them but never quite gotten there. However, if that is too far, try Acme, they have a version that is close to Drago's.

As for Canal, I have always been a sucker for the Palace Cafe. It's owned by the same folks who own Commander's and has some similar dishes, but cheaper. Yes, you can get creme brulee in other places in the world, but I swear, theirs is the best. Their duck dishes are great, and they have this thing called crab cheesecake that sounds nasty, but is one of the most wonderful things on this earth, and here's the menu: http://www.palacecafe.com/menus.html

There are a million great places and most fit what you think are very specific needs. Pull up some more threads and read carefully as most mention the trolleys and nearly all recommendations are very New Orleans-specific food. Oh, and it's Cafe Du Monde, and it's worth a one-time visit. So is Pat O's for a hurricane. I think you can bring the kid in to parts of it--maybe all during certain times.

[BottledBlondJeanie]

Shit, don't forget to drink some Abita beer. For all I know it's available to you where you live, but for a long time it was hard to get even in next-door Texas. I hate fruity beers, but draft Purple-Haze is not really fruity, is a wheat beer and is wonderful. Last time I was down there most places were pitching Turbo Dog, but it's bitter to me, and not in a hoppy way.

[yorick73]

Try Johnny's PoBoys on St Louis St. You'll pass it up on your walk to Cafe Du Monde. The line will make you think it's a tourist trap but they have awesome PoBoys.

[kayaker]

Take the trolley through the garden district and get off at Cooter Brown's. Great oysters, po boys, beer, etc.

[yorick73]

Originally Posted by kayaker

Take the trolley through the garden district and get off at Cooter Brown's. Great oysters, po boys, beer, etc.

Great cheese fries too...but I guess that's not exactly cajun.

[Voyager]

I lived in SW Louisiana before Cajun food became popular, and I was in New Orleans over Christmas. Don't even think about Cajun food there. K-Pauls, which I went to when it was still hot, is not really Cajun either. My wife managed a bunch of real Cajun ladies, who talked about food all the time, and no one ever blackened anything.

I agree with Acme and Cafe du Monde. When we were there we did a lot of special Christmas menus, so I can't speak to the normal restaurant food.

[Dano83860]

Ralph and Kakoos in Jackson square has a great selection of platter meals. The hush puppies are to die for.

[BottledBlondJeanie]

Although to each their own, Ralph & Kacoos is a chain. There used to be more locations here in Texas, but they closed for a reason. And the food was not that different from the one in Jackson Square.

Forgot one, Stanley: http://www.stanleyrestaurant.com/ near Jackson Square is great for breakfast/brunch and not too pricey. Their versions of eggs Benedict with soft-shelled crab and fried oysters are yummy. Plus they have good pancakes for your son.

[DoctorJ]

Cochon shouldn't be too far away from you, on Tchopitoulas. It's fantastic. Mostly small plates, so you can try a lot of interesting things. If you just want lunch, go around the side to Cochon Butcher for a sandwich.

Herbsaint, the more upscale restaurant by the same chef, is also good, especially if you can sit outside and hear the streetcars roll by. But if I were picking one of the two, it's Cochon.

Bayona is great, if a bit of a splurge.

I heartily second Johnny's Po-Boys, especially for breakfast.

I like Coop's Place on Decatur for jambalaya. And touristy though it may be, The Gumbo Shop is tasty and inexpensive. Ditto Acme Oyster House, which is where my wedding reception was.

[Johnny L.A.]

Originally Posted by Shadowfyre

I would like to try some gumbo, crawfish etouffee, oysters and maybe a po' boy if I have room in my belly.

Wot, no muffalettas? This is the Emperor of Sandwiches. (A good BLT is the King of Sandwiches.) Franks, across the street from Café du Monde, has good ones. There's also Central Grocery (said to be the originator of the sandwich) just down the street from there.

Originally Posted by BottledBlondJeanie

Oysters and po' boys at Acme are fairly good and close. You can get a peacemaker po' boy--half fried oysters, half fried shrimp, and it's wonderful.

I haven't had a shrimp and oyster po'boy since my... third? trip to New Orleans. Nowadays I always go for oyster po'boys. We're going to The Big Sleazy in a couple of weeks. I'll have to have a Peacemaker while we're there.

Originally Posted by Dano83860

Ralph and Kakoos in Jackson square has a great selection of platter meals. The hush puppies are to die for.

Friends and I went to Ralph and Kakkoo's in 2008. They'd recently married, so I bought them dinner at their choice of restaurants. I can't remember what we all had, but I remember it being good. The waiter advised against the oysters since it was late in the season and he said they were not up to par. We had the alligator chunks instead.

...

I have a question. As I said, we're going in a couple of weeks. The SO is not as enamoured of the seedy underbelly of places as I am, so I suspect we'll be going to some 'nicer' places. (Although I've been to the city many times, and she's going to go to a couple/few dives whether she wants to or not! Muwahahahahaha!) Anyway, there's a place uptown that serves up some good breakfasts. It's in what looks to be a large house common to the area, and is white and I think it has columns. I think there is a U-shaped or serpentine counter for breakfast, though they have tables as well. ISTR it's not far from the end of the trolly line, or at least where it turns around. It might be fun for us to take the streetcar up there for a bite one morning. Can anyone tell me the name of the place?

[mozchron]

Cafe Maspero is cheap and good. ALso the aforementioned Johnny Po'Boys. DOn't forget Cafe DuMonde.

[kayaker]

Buy coffee mugs from Cafe DuMonde. I'm drinking from one now!

[Johnny L.A.]

Originally Posted by kayaker

Buy coffee mugs from Cafe DuMonde. I'm drinking from one now!

Incidentally, I've always enjoyed the coffee in New Orleans. Many places use Community Coffee. (ISTR that they helped us out with caffeine supplies during our first film there, too.) For years I bought French Roast from Trader Joe's. Nowadays I've been ordering multiple 32-ounce bags of Dark Roast from Community Coffee. I like it better than Trader Joe's. They have frequent 20%-off sales, and free shipping promotions. (They have free shipping if your order exceeds a certain amount as well.) Since I stock up when they have these promotions, my coffee -- and I drink a lot of coffee -- comes out to about five and a half bucks a pound. And I don't have to remember to buy it at the store. The UPS guy just brings it to my door.

Anyway, try Community Coffee at whatever restaurant you happen to be in. If you like it, it's easy to have a little bit of New Orleans sent to your home later.

[tsarina]

If you don't mind paying a little extra, a bunch of restaurants around town do a special prix-fixe Reveillon menu during December. Here's a link - maybe you can show it to your son and ask him what looks good to him (a lot of these places are in the Quarter or an easy taxi/streetcar ride away): http://www.nomenu.com/joomla1/index....282&Itemid=217

You're not going to get good Cajun food anywhere in town, so stick to Creole and New Orleans Italian food (served at neighborhood restaurants like Mandina's and Liuzza's) if you want an "authentic" dining experience.

[kayaker]

Great breakfast in the French Quarter at The Coffee Pot!

Eggs Conti $13.50
Two poached eggs topped with chicken livers, sauteed with onions and peppers in a brown gravy and served with your choice of grits or home fries.
Eggs Creole $12.25
A blend of eggs, green onion, mushrooms, and red bell pepper covered in a light Creole sauce and served with your choice of grits or home fries and toast or biscuit.
Eggs Jonathan $13.75
The Coffee Pot version of Eggs Benedict, two poached eggs on top of grilled ham, Creole tomato, and fried gulf shrimp topped with hollandaise sauce. Served with grits or home fries.
Eggs Sardou $13.50
Two poached eggs placed on top of creamed spinach and artichoke bottoms on an English muffin then topped with hollandaise sauce.

[living_in_hell]

1. Leave your iPhone in your hotel. Trust me on this.
2. Breakfast or Brunch at The Ruby Slipper on Magazine. You can sit outside and drink your brunch cocktail while you wait for your table!
3. The Bon Ton Cafe for dinner is meh...but if you don't try their bread pudding you will always regret it forever and ever. It's amazing.
4. Mother's on Poydras--bring your appetite to that one. The sides alone are awesome. Great collards. Awesome po boys.
5. Definitely get Abita beer, Zapps chips (crawtators and pickle!), and Aunt Sally's pralines
6. Down by the Garden District--Tracey's is great (casual, outdoor seating, good grub). There's also another place near there, which had beer taps on the outdoor courtyard wall, as their fountain. Awesome.

Enjoy! It's a great place. Just be safe and aware of your surroundings, and again--no iPhones!

[MPB in Salt Lake]

A favorite place of mine that often gets overlooked in these threads is Lil' Dizzy's, which is located in the Whitney Bank Building (there's a Wyndham hotel there now) on Poydras St., just a 5 minute walk from Canal St. The original Lil' Dizzy's location is still open on Esplanade, but that's a ways from where you are staying.

If you go, be sure to get the house specialty, trout baquet, which is a fillet of speckled trout topped with fresh lump crab meat covered in a decadent lemon butter sauce.

Johnny's Po Boys is a true New Orleans institution, and Maspero's is excellent, reasonably priced and casual enough for a vulgar old hoon like myself, who doesn't like dress up when enjoying yet another wild Crescent City debauch....

Drago's chargrilled oysters are sublime, a garlic lovers delight.

[Jeff Lichtman]

I'll second DoctorJ's recommendation of Cochon and Cochon Butcher.

You can get good Creole food at Mr. B's Bistro, and it's very close to where you'll be staying. Their gumbos are very good, as is their BBQ shrimp.

If you like oysters I recommend Drago's. They're best-known for their char-broiled oysters, and it can be fun to sit at the bar and watch them cook.

[Voyager]

Originally Posted by tsarina

If you don't mind paying a little extra, a bunch of restaurants around town do a special prix-fixe Reveillon menu during December. Here's a link - maybe you can show it to your son and ask him what looks good to him (a lot of these places are in the Quarter or an easy taxi/streetcar ride away): http://www.nomenu.com/joomla1/index....282&Itemid=217

You're not going to get good Cajun food anywhere in town, so stick to Creole and New Orleans Italian food (served at neighborhood restaurants like Mandina's and Liuzza's) if you want an "authentic" dining experience.

We did Reveillon at The Pelican Club last year. Very good, but I'm sure there are plenty of other good places.

Has Brennan's improved any? While we lived in Louisiana we saw Brennan's go from a good place to a travesty.

[lost4life]

Originally Posted by Johnny L.A.

I have a question. As I said, we're going in a couple of weeks. The SO is not as enamoured of the seedy underbelly of places as I am, so I suspect we'll be going to some 'nicer' places. (Although I've been to the city many times, and she's going to go to a couple/few dives whether she wants to or not! Muwahahahahaha!) Anyway, there's a place uptown that serves up some good breakfasts. It's in what looks to be a large house common to the area, and is white and I think it has columns. I think there is a U-shaped or serpentine counter for breakfast, though they have tables as well. ISTR it's not far from the end of the trolly line, or at least where it turns around. It might be fun for us to take the streetcar up there for a bite one morning. Can anyone tell me the name of the place?

Camellia Grill on Carrollton. I think they opened one in the Quarter on Chartres.

For the OP, you might want to consider Mulate's on Julia. The food is only so-so, but it's a touristy Cajun place that features live music and IIRC is family friendly, so it might be fun for your kid (been ages since I've been there).

[Ellen Cherry]

Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.

[Enright3]

Originally Posted by kayaker

Take the trolley through the garden district and get off at Cooter Brown's. Great oysters, po boys, beer, etc.

I'd do pre-check before taking the St. Charles Trolley. Last time I was there (a month or so ago) that line was under repair and I got diverted to a bus for my final desination.

[SouthernGuy]

Acme Oyster House.

http://acmeoyster.com/menu_fq.php

[Elendil's Heir]

Since you say you'll be in the French Quarter, I recommend Antoine's. Nice place. It's been more than a decade since I was last there, but I still remember, with pleasure, the crawfish etouffee. =Sigh=

http://www.antoines.com/index.html

[bump]

Originally Posted by yorick73

Try Johnny's PoBoys on St Louis St. You'll pass it up on your walk to Cafe Du Monde. The line will make you think it's a tourist trap but they have awesome PoBoys.

Listen to this man, he knows of what he speaks. Johnny's is awesome for po-boys. Stay away from Mother's on Poydras though; overrated and not worth standing in line for.

Also, if you get up early enough for brunch or breakfast, the Old Coffeepot on St. Peter between Royal and Bourbon (next to Pat O'Brien's) has very tasty food.

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by bump

Also, if you get up early enough for brunch or breakfast, the Old Coffeepot on St. Peter between Royal and Bourbon (next to Pat O'Brien's) has very tasty food.

The nice thing is you can have a leisurely brunch at the Coffeepot , chat over coffee after you eat, then pop in to Pat O'Brien's and start on Hurricanes.

[pulykamell]

To each is own, but I'm glad I didn't listen to the many naysayers on Mothers. The Ferdie sandwich is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Every town has their places the locals call "tourist traps," but I've had good experiences at most.

[Shadowfyre]

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. Keep em coming.

I should be getting to the hotel by 1:00pm or so on Saturday. So I'm thinking we'll have lunch and dinner on Saturday, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Sunday. We'll probably just grab breakfast at the hotel on Monday morning since we have to get out of there kinda early.

Here is what I am thinking so far:

Saturday lunch: Johhny's Po-Boys since it is only a couple blocks away from the hotel and we'll probably be pretty hungry after travelling. Maybe a Seafood Muffaletta?

Saturday dinner: Cochon, since it is closed on Sundays.

Saturday night desert: Cafe Du Monde before heading back to the hotel and bed.

Sunday Breakfast: Ruby Slipper. Very close to the hotel and the Eggs Cochon sounds delicious.

Sunday Lunch: Maybe Tracey's mentioned by living_in_hell. We should be in the Garden district around lunch time to see Lafayette Cemetery before it closes at 3:00pm. Any other ideas on what to eat in the area? Maybe some place that serves good gumbo?

Sunday Dinner: ACME Oyster House since we'll be in the area already. Maybe share a 1/2 and 1/2 platter with my wife?

Bon Ton Cafe is closed Saturdays and Sundays. And I love bread pudding.

So it looks like I've got my staples pretty much met except for gumbo.

Why no iphones, living_in_hell? I take it you mean no smart phones? I have a galaxy s3. Should I leave that behind as well? I was going to use it as my camera.

ETA: not sure that I'll have clothes nice enough for Antoine's. That place looks fancy as hell...

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

To each is own, but I'm glad I didn't listen to the many naysayers on Mothers. The Ferdie sandwich is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Every town has their places the locals call "tourist traps," but I've had good experiences at most.

I should add, though, that Central Grocery's muffuletta is the real can't miss sandwich for me.

[Chef Troy]

There's a place across from the Convention Center called Mulate's that makes some really killer grilled alligator and other Cajun (as opposed to Creole) favorites.

Pere Antoine's (not to be confused with Antoine's) on Royal St. has great jambalaya, and is reasonably priced.

Edit: Also on Royal St., The Court of Two Sisters has a completely decadent jazz brunch every day, with pretty much everything you could ever want to eat. Oh SOO good.

[lost4life]

Originally Posted by Shadowfyre

Why no iphones, living_in_hell? I take it you mean no smart phones? I have a galaxy s3. Should I leave that behind as well? I was going to use it as my camera.

I assume he's talking about phone snatchers, talked about in this thread. I posted a video of a phone snatching on Bourbon Street. You can certainly use them, just be aware that they are a targeted item.

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by Chef Troy

Edit: Also on Royal St., The Court of Two Sisters has a completely decadent jazz brunch every day, with pretty much everything you could ever want to eat. Oh SOO good.

And if you like the food, they sell their cookbook.

[ralph124c]

No recommendations for Antoine's? Oldest restaurant in NOLA!

[Bob Ducca]

Tracey's is a great choice if you're in the area. You can't miss their Roast Beef Po'Boy. It's the one that used to be at Parasol's, but the owners sold and took the recipe to Tracey's. I dream of them.

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by ralph124c

No recommendations for Antoine's? Oldest restaurant in NOLA!

Glasses, dude.

[listedmia]

Originally Posted by DoctorJ

....
I like Coop's Place on Decatur for jambalaya. And touristy though it may be, The Gumbo Shop is tasty and inexpensive. Ditto Acme Oyster House, which is where my wedding reception was.

Coop's is great and I have a vested interest in you going there But it should be noted that it is 21 and up because of the presence of video poker machines, so no bringing the kids. Buffa's on Esplanade and Maison on Frenchman are in the same part of the world, but I can't recall if they have age restrictions or not. Buffa's has great food but a slightly divey appearance, while Maison is more fancy/trendy and has live music a lot of the time.

[Bob Ducca]

Originally Posted by Chef Troy

Pere Antoine's (not to be confused with Antoine's) on Royal St. has great jambalaya, and is reasonably priced.

I don't doubt your experience, but Pere Antoine's has laughably bad Yelp reviews. There are some hilarious reviews written about them there.

[Bob Ducca]

Originally Posted by listedmia

Coop's is great and I have a vested interest in you going there But it should be noted that it is 21 and up because of the presence of video poker machines, so no bringing the kids. Buffa's on Esplanade and Maison on Frenchman are in the same part of the world, but I can't recall if they have age restrictions or not. Buffa's has great food but a slightly divey appearance, while Maison is more fancy/trendy and has live music a lot of the time.

My wife and I LOVE Coop's. What is your vested interest? Their rabbit jambalaya is crazy good! (of course... let's not mention the level of cleanliness of the place)

[Elendil's Heir]

Originally Posted by kayaker

Glasses, dude.

To wit: post 25.

[adhemar]

Coops is really good but might be a little far with a small child in tow. The have a gumbo trio that should satisfy your gumbo wish if you can get down there.

Drago's is close to the street car line and well worth the visit. I don't like oysters but thier barbeque shrimp po boy is definatley worth going back for.

Camilla Grille was really good but the wait (on New Years Day) was daunting.

I thing Johnny's Po boy and Mothers are both over rated but then I have been spoiled by the "we never close" po boy place that was on Chef Menteur. And the Verdi Marte grilled shrimp po boy which is also a long walk with a kid.

I have rarely had a bad meal in new orleans but some places were more memorable than others. Deanie's is the only one recently that was awful enough to never go back.

[adhemar]

as a funny aside, a bunch of my friends from Memphis and I went to New orleans for the French Quarter music festival. We went for dinner at a restaurant that used to be jail or something. We asked the waiter what he recommended on their menu and he told us that the Memphis style ribs were popular. We decided that we didn't come all that way to eat ribs like from home.

[Bob Ducca]

Originally Posted by adhemar

Coops is really good but might be a little far with a small child in tow. The have a gumbo trio that should satisfy your gumbo wish if you can get down there.

Drago's is close to the street car line and well worth the visit. I don't like oysters but thier barbeque shrimp po boy is definatley worth going back for.

Camilla Grille was really good but the wait (on New Years Day) was daunting.

I thing Johnny's Po boy and Mothers are both over rated but then I have been spoiled by the "we never close" po boy place that was on Chef Menteur. And the Verdi Marte grilled shrimp po boy which is also a long walk with a kid.

I have rarely had a bad meal in new orleans but some places were more memorable than others. Deanie's is the only one recently that was awful enough to never go back.

I love the All That Jazz Po boy from Verti Marte, I was so happy they rebuilt after the fire.

[Little Nemo]

I ate at K-Paul's when I was in New Orleans and I enjoyed it. Not outrageously priced and it appears to be only six blocks away from the OP's hotel.

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by ralph124c

No recommendations for Antoine's? Oldest restaurant in NOLA!

But not a place for a casual dining. Or a moderately priced meal.

[Chef Troy]

Originally Posted by Bob Ducca

I don't doubt your experience, but Pere Antoine's has laughably bad Yelp reviews. There are some hilarious reviews written about them there.

Well, I have to admit that I haven't been there in twenty years. Shame on me for recommending them on such old experience. I've been to the other places I mentioned more recently than that, though.

[lost4life]

Originally Posted by Bob Ducca

My wife and I LOVE Coop's. What is your vested interest? Their rabbit jambalaya is crazy good! (of course... let's not mention the level of cleanliness of the place)

I'm too lazy to search, but in another NOLA thread, someone said they were/are a bartender there, so I'll assume it's listedmia.

Tell your son you're taking him to a restaurant called Oceana, then watch their Kitchen Nightmares episode

[yorick73]

Originally Posted by adhemar

I have rarely had a bad meal in new orleans but some places were more memorable than others. Deanie's is the only one recently that was awful enough to never go back.

I used to love Deanie's. Of course I haven't been there in over a decade since I moved. What was so bad about it? Did you go to the Bucktown location?

[adhemar]

I went to the French Quarter location, the service took forever to get waited on even though there were very few other patrons. My food took a really long time to come out and was over seasoned (salty) and cold. The crawfish balls were raw in the middle. I had beg servers to get a refill of tea.

[MikeF]

We went to the FQ Deanies for BBQ shrimp (I'd never had them before) not long ago. The service was very good. The BBQ shrimp were also good but it was a real battle getting them out of their shells. Is that normal?