Bayona for a very nice high-end lunch or dinner.
Clover Grill for wonderful greasy breakfast any time of day. Best hash browns in the universe. Warning: you will walk away smelling like their grease.
I just meant that some parts of the Mardi Gras atmosphere and general party atmosphere are always there if you want them and tourists will encounter them year round regardless of who is doing it. I know that not all locals party that much although there is an unusual amount of hedonism in the local population as well compared to most other cities.
Had lunch at Mr. B’s back in July, and it was superb!
Really though… New Orleans isn’t that hot. I mean, it’s no more uncomfortable than Houston, Dallas or Austin- the latter two are higher temps but drier, and Houston has an almost identical climate.
Yes… you will. But it’s worth it.
Comparing the climate in July for New Orleans with Houston is accurate but I don’t think that is a good dismissal of the hotter than hell comments. I think those are the two hottest feeling large cities in the U.S. in terms of personal comfort in the summer. Dallas and Austin are very hot as well but not as bad even if the thermometer goes up higher for them because of the humidity difference. My ex-MIL is from Canada and she had some serious issues visiting us in New Orleans even in September.
Hell, I am from Northern Louisiana and I was shocked at how hot it got in the summer when I moved there. I got heat exhaustion twice at work (catering) and had to be stripped, given ice packs, and put right in front of an air conditioner for an hour before I got better. People don’t instantly die from the heat in the summer there but you have to be prepared for it and know your limits. The combination of alcohol and heat and sometimes exhaustion just means you need to pace yourself and go inside with the air conditioning when you think you need to. It doesn’t cool down all that much at night either which people from some other places find strange.
There is nothing wrong with visiting New Orleans in July. It is just hotter and a little more quiet and probably cheaper in some ways but the heat is striking if you don’t know what to expect. A Canadian tourist should be aware of that.
Have a drink at Johnny White’s, or you haven’t really been to New Orleans.
Since no one has mentioned it, I say make sure to get a meal at Lil Dizzy’s—It is located in the Wyndham Whitney Hotel, but it is NOT a hotel restaurant. It has been around for years and the food is exceptional. Order the Sole Baquet. You wont believe how good it is!!!
That makes me very happy!
When I was in NO a couple years ago, natives told me to go there. They were right.
I gotta third Ralph and Kacoo’s - it was the first Quarter restaurant Mr. singular and I ate at when we moved to New Orleans, and it remains our favorite. Try the turtle soup!
Mrs. R and I were just in NO a couple weeks ago. We had a good meal at the Royal House, with key lime pie to die for. We had an indifferent meal at M-something (I can’t remember the name; they’re located near the east end of the French Market).
We had a lovely muffaletta at Frank’s Place, an unpromising-looking joint whose waitstaff was a real collection of characters.
And we took a swamp-boat tour–on the way to the tour kickoff place, the tour bus driver was raving about Deanies’ barbequed shrimp. So we stopped in there, and oh my god, the barbequed shrimp were absolutely friggin’ delicious. Messy; but delicious.
Yeah… I think it’s on Rue-something. 
Best (half) muffuletta I’ve had. Did Johnny twist your arm to try the tiramisu? 
.
Pppppppppppll!
Yeah, the muffaletta was monstrous. Mrs R and I split one–but we each got our own Bloody Mary.
We breakfast at the Old Coffeepot; it is great! Pat Obrien’s makes good mint juleps. Monaghan’s Erin Rose (on Conti St) has frozen coffee drinks (alcoholic) and they open early.
I looked it up in our little “food diary”. It was Montel’s.
I dont know if its still offered, but Ralph and Kacoo’s had an appetizer happy hour, where you could get a dozen or so appetizer size plates (1/2 dozen oysters, small order of grilled gulf shrimp, cup of seafood gumbo) for 3 or 4 bucks per plate if you ate in the bar. They also offered cheap draught beers and well cocktails, all served before the dinner rush from 4-7 pm. It was a great way to sample several items and become familiar with the menu, all for a really reasonable price…
This is one thing I liked about Ralph & Kacoo’s. We were going to have oysters, but the waiter was kind enough to tell us that it was late in the season and the oysters tasted a bit watery. Very helpful staff.
As I mentioned, we had the blackened alligator. The funny thing is that my friend’s new wife doesn’t speak English, and she didn’t realise we were eating el cocodrilo until we were nearly done with it. (She kept eating it after she knew.)
The Erin Rose also has one of the best Bloody Mary’s in the Quarter, and they’re like $3-$4 during the day. I think they close at 5:00am, clean up, then reopen at 6:00am. Definitely check it out when you need a break. It’s a fun little place.
Oh, yes! Great Bloody Marys. My gf is a friend of the owners, so we spend extra time there. Frozen coffee drinks as a wake up. Then a Bloody Mary or three for breakfast (with pickled/spiced green beans!). After that, we start drinking for real.
Last time we were in NOLA, at Erin Rose we watched a guy being “seduced” by a “woman” who walked into the bar wearing short-shorts and a bikini top. The grand-finale involved her untucking her penis and displaying it.
Up until then, the guy thought it was a woman. He was really getting into her dancing/rubbing against him. When he realized what was going on, he screamed and ran out. The rest of the bar patrons had figured it out from the start and just went back to what we were doing.
Good times!
Yeah, some of the best looking women I’ve ever seen were men in New Orleans.
Everybody’s a friend of Troy and Angie. I’ve got their number on speed dial! Some people go there and don’t get it. Me, I spend half my vacation there. It’s the best locals/tourist mix I know of. Unfortunately Angie doesn’t work the bar much anymore, but it’s a blast when she does. Poysyn should definitely give it a try.