# Recommendations for NOLA



## El Pescador (Mar 6, 2013)

Going to be in New Orleans for a week for work(Microsoft Dynamics Convergence) and wanted some restaurant recommendations. I haven't been there in 7 years...


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## cnochef (Mar 6, 2013)

What do you like? Fine Dining, casual, hole in the wall, bars, music clubs?

Let me know and I'll give you my 5 cents worth, we visit NOLA every year.


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## mhlee (Mar 6, 2013)

I lived there for 3 years, but haven't been there in a while. Luckily, most of my favorite places are still there. Come to think of it, most of my favorite places have probably been around longer than I've been alive. 

What kind of places are you looking for? Where are you staying and will you have a car?


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## 77kath (Mar 6, 2013)

Hey, I will be in NOLA next week, too! Can I hitchhike on this thread? Will be at the Convention Center, without car.


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## Duckfat (Mar 6, 2013)

I have suddenly have a Muffuletta craving! :hungry:


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## DeepCSweede (Mar 6, 2013)

Duckfat said:


> I have suddenly have a Muffuletta craving! :hungry:



LOVE IT!! That is exactly what I thought of first too.


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## Mike9 (Mar 6, 2013)

Mmmmmm . . . Muffuletta - now I want one too.


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## cnochef (Mar 6, 2013)

What the heck let me start with some of my favorites anyways!

You are going during prime oyster, soft shell crab and crawfish season so:
Casamento's-The freshest oysters you'll ever have, fried oyster loaf and soft shell crabs. It's on Magazine Street, which is great for walking around.
Crawfish boil is more of an outside NOLA and Cajun thing, KJean in midtown is probably your best best. It's on Carrollton St. N, close to Angelo Brocato which is a must for Ice Cream. Easy to get there via Streetcar up Canal St.

John Besh's restaurant Luke in the Hilton has 50 cent oysters and great drink specials during Happy Hour.

I love Donald Link's Cochon for sharing small plates and the moonshine tasting. Plus, he has a great deli called Butcher right around the corner for hotel supplies.
It's on Tchoupitoulas St. close to Emeril's so you can grab an amazing banana cream pie there for dessert. Trust me, it's worth it.

Another John Besh restaurant Domenica in the old Roosevelt Hotel has amazing Italian food from the mortadella beignets to start, great thin crust pizzas and homemade pastas. 

I never miss getting a muffaletta from Central Grocery (and a couple of Abita beers at the liquor store a few doors down to go with it-BTW Abita strawberry beer is in season right now) or po-boys with Barq's root beer long necks (local NOLA treat) from Johnny's. Both are right in the busy part of the French Quarter. 

For late night fun, I love Coop's Place, which is a Cajun dive bar with great food and really cheap liquor further down the French Quarter near Frenchman Street. Try the rabbit jambalaya, so good.
Speaking of Frenchman Street, we usually ignore the busier and popular clubs and go to The Spotted Cat instead, more fun and locals and drink specials. 

If you're looking for a great go-to breakfast and quick lunch place, there is an excellent corner luncheon called Commerce Restaurant on Camp St. It's cheap and tasty plentiful food.

If you're in NOLA on a Sunday, make an advance reservation for brunch on the garden patio at Commander's Palace. This is one of those classic NOLA experiences that is worth every penny. They have a 3 course brunch special that also includes a cocktail. Standout items are Brandy punch, turtle soup and bread pudding souffle. Any entree you choose will be great. You can take the old St. Charles streetcar there and then walk around the Garden District afterwards and admire the beautiful homes (the house from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Sandra Bullock's mansion are just around the corner).


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## labor of love (Mar 6, 2013)

i live in baton rouge, which is an hour north of new orleans. when i visit i always hit up either cochon or herbsaint(donald links european inspired restuarant). herbsaint is really really underrated. cochon is his high volume flagship restuarant so to speak. commanders palace is touristy BS. domenica is the bomb as well. if you can afford august check it out. probably the best place in new orleans presently. if your about and about at 2 am hit up verte mart in the french quarter.


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## bear1889 (Mar 6, 2013)

Cochon at corner of Andrew Higgins and Tchoupitoulas. If go east towards the river on A Higgins there was a hole in the wall c-store that had the best oyster po boy I've had, they also had some great Cajun country cold cuts. Of course just directly east of Cochon is their butcher/sandwich shop owned by the same chef. Great food. Cochon serves a fusion of country/creole cooking. The one dish I remember most are the sherried rabbit livers as an appetizer. For NOLA Italian I can recommend Mandina's neighborhood restaurant, turtle soup, po boys, creole eggplant, etc., its on Canal.


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## cnochef (Mar 6, 2013)

labor of love said:


> commanders palace is touristy BS



Sorry I couldn't disagree more. Every meal I have eaten there has been spectacular and the service impeccable. It is one of the few restaurants recognized for it's excellence by both locals and visitors, not to mention critics and respected publications/organizations.

http://www.commanderspalace.com/recognition/


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## cclin (Mar 6, 2013)

cancel.........


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## DWSmith (Mar 6, 2013)

My wife and I will be passing through NOLA in late June so these suggestions are very welcomed. We will arrive late on a Friday and fly out on Sunday morning so we will have some time to look around a little and maybe eat outselves silly.


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## cnochef (Mar 6, 2013)

FYI Antoine's Restaurant, for classic Creole cooking in the French Quarter, has an amazing lunch special: $20.12 for 3 courses and 25 cent martinis to go with it!


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## mhlee (Mar 6, 2013)

Alright, since we've started . . . 

+1 to Casamento's. It's probably my favorite restaurant in all of NOLA. My usual meal there was a dozen oysters, cup of gumbo, and a soft shell crab loaf (unfortunately, not in season yet) and several Dixie beers. 

Galatoire's for lunch. No coat requirement, and better food than all of the other old Creole restaurants. I love the Crabmeat Maison. 

Brigtsen's for Cajun food on the Riverbend where St. Charles meets South Carrolton. I much preferred Brigtsen's to K-Paul's. 

For po-boy's, since my favorite place is long gone (Louisiana Seafood Exchange counter taken over by Crabby Jack's; but Crabby Jack's seems to still have a similar menu), I would go with some place classic like Domilise's. 

Unfortunately, all of John Besh's and Donald Link's restaurants came after I lived there. I will have to say, though, that Emeril's was consistently good. And, I was always impressed by Bayona. FWIW, nearly all of the local attorneys I got to know recommended the Bon Ton Cafe in the Central Business District for lunch.

I also loved Zachary's that was in the Riverbend area. The owner apparently opened up Lil' Dizzy's Cafe. They had great fried chicken and jambalaya. I've heard/read/seen lots of great things about Willie Mae's Scotch House's fried chicken. 

I'm hoping to go back next year. I've got a lot of eating to do there to get current.


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## labor of love (Mar 6, 2013)

cnochef said:


> Sorry I couldn't disagree more. Every meal I have eaten there has been spectacular and the service impeccable. It is one of the few restaurants recognized for it's excellence by both locals and visitors, not to mention critics and respected publications/organizations.
> 
> http://www.commanderspalace.com/recognition/


i didnt say it wasnt good. it is touristy BS though. i know very few people locally that like commanders.


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## El Pescador (Mar 6, 2013)

Thanks Guys. I won't be spending my own money so I'm ready to get my eat on.


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## Burl Source (Mar 6, 2013)

Just walk around.
When you can't understand the accent and you hear zydego music in the background,
then you are probably in the right place.

_I hope you are ready to suck some crawdad heads.
_
:shocked3:

That just sounds wrong.


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## stereo.pete (Mar 6, 2013)

This is easy, go to Stella for dinner and Stanley's for breakfast. Trust me!


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## labor of love (Mar 7, 2013)

new orleans is a food city, no doubt. i would strongly encourage anyone visiting to try
some stuff besides commanders,galatoires,etc etc etc...or any other restaurant thats a zillion years old. its not that these landmarks arent good(i worked at galatoires for a couple of years,believe me i respect what they do) but to me, those places dont represent modern new orleans cuisine as the people know it. the big places more or less cater to your perception of new orleans FWIW. the average joe in new orleans is more or less a foodie/drunk and you shouldnt have a problem getting good local recomendations.


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## mhlee (Mar 7, 2013)

As a former New Orleans resident who now lives far away, I absolutely look forward to going to NOLA to eat classic Cajun and Creole food because you absolutely cannot get that food anywhere else. I agree that those places are not emblematic of "modern" New Orleans food, but what makes "modern" New Orleans food? The stuff that Dominique Macquet has been cooking since the late 90's, New Orleans food that has other ethnic influences and ingredients, modern techniques? 

In my opinion, modern New Orleans food is closer to the contemporary food that is being made in other cities in the US. Is it still unique? Yes. But where else in the world can you get New Orleans remoulade, Oysters Rockefeller, gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee, etc.? Honestly, in my opinion, nowhere. (I've made the mistake of trying new Orleans food wherever I can in any city that supposedly has a good New Orleans/Cajun/Creole restaurant. Almost every one has been a huge disappointment.)

There is no doubt that I plan on trying Domenica, Herbstaint, Cochon, Stella, August, etc. But the first places I'm going to go to are Casamento's and Galatoire's. (Mind you, I have hate the service at Galatoire's because both times I've been there, the waiter has been dismissive, likely because I'm Asian, even though I was properly dressed and absolutely polite.) That's how much I like and miss the food at those restaurants.


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## mhlee (Mar 7, 2013)

I should add that I've never had bad service at Casamento's. That place is easily one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Every single person that I've taken to Casamento's has absolutely loved it. For the price of an entree at a high-end New Orleans restaurant, you can eat until you're absolutely stuffed. 

And, I should have added that I'm not being dismissive of modern New Orleans restaurants. I just disagree that the older restaurants are "catering" to the perception of what New Orleans cuisine is. They've been around for over a century - they're the standard bearers of classic New Orleans dishes - and don't believe that those older restaurants should be dismissed. They've been around for so long because they're timeless and the dishes that they make are, similarly, timeless. 

The thing about New Orleans that makes it so unique, in my experience, is the absolute bounty of seafood there. (Which, of course, made me so absolutely F**KING mad about the Deepwater Horizon incident - BP should have not been allowed to settle that claim; BP and Transocean and all responsible parties should have been required to annually contribute to a relief fund for DECADES to alleviate and remedy ongoing problems from the spill. Sorry for the rant.) Where else in the US can you get such plentiful oysters, shrimp, crawfish, blue crabs, soft shell crabs when in season, Speckled Trout (which makes delicious sushi when pristine - I just had this for the first time last month here in LA) and Redfish, at absolutely and comparatively cheap prices? 

Most of the older restaurants feature seafood extensively, and seafood is the foundation of so many classic dishes. They also serve a bounty of seafood - there's no skimping. 

I also can't even begin to count how many overstuffed King Shrimp Po-Boys I had from the Louisiana Seafood Exchange off of Jefferson. When I lived in River Ridge, I ate there weekly. My buddies and I would buy a case of beer, and each of us would get one overstuffed King Po-Boy (or, as my friend Tom used to get, the "football", i.e. fried seafood in a whole loaf of muffaletta bread). I think when I lived there, a King (IIRC, a 12 inch Po-Boy) was $7.95 or $8.95. Whole "whale" sized soft shell crabs were $4 bucks at the market. Beautiful whole white shrimp (16-20 head on) from Lake Ponchartrain during season were $5 bucks a pound. A whole bag of oysters (over 140 oysters when I counted them because I shucked every single one) was $20 in 1995. I was selling them for a 75 cents a piece in Northern California before I moved to New Orleans. I've never seen prices like that anywhere before, or since. 

New Orleans is one of the best food cities I've had the privilege of living in. But, I strongly believe that, if you go to New Orleans, and decide not to eat at at least a few of the classic restaurants, whether it's a Po-Boy shop, classic Creole restaurant, oyster restaurant, barbecue shrimp restaurant, etc., you're really missing one of the most unique experiences. (And, yes, I include Commander's Palace among these restaurants. The turtle soup with sherry is a truly classic dish in my opinion. And, I've always had a good meal there.) Come to think of it, I was invited to eat there with some of the most prominent New Orleans attorneys and judges there - they, all locals, chose to eat there of all of the restaurants in New Orleans at that time (1998). They could have gone to any restaurant in New Orleans, including the Windsor Court, Tujague's, Galatoire's, Antoine's, Arnaud's, Dominique's (then at a hotel in the Quarter), Bayona, Brigtsen's, Upperline, etc., but they chose Commander's. 

(Sorry for the length of my posts.)


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## labor of love (Mar 7, 2013)

yes, the classics are classics for a reason. But theres no reason to go to one of the infamous super mega multi million dollar establishments. THOUSANDS of places in louisiana are still cooking traditional fare. and i can tell you for a FACT that commanders and galatoires remoulade recipe,gumbo recipe, jambalaya recipe, etoufee recipe, and many many other recipes are very very similar. youre buying ultimately the same product no matter where you go. dont let big name brands fool you.


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## Dardeau (Mar 7, 2013)

I couldn't disagree more about Stella. I would rather spend my cash elsewhere. Bayona, Domenica, maurepas, gautreau's, herbsaint, patois, Company burger, cowbell, high hat cafe, brightsen's, Charlie's seafood in harahan (if you have a car) for food. Bar Tonique, Cure, and Belloq for cocktails. And if you make it to Cochon in the pm, pm me with your reso info and I'll come say hi.


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## labor of love (Mar 7, 2013)

these 2 menus blow my mind!
http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Cochon-Menu-2.18.13.pdf
http://www.herbsaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HS-Feb-Dinner-Menu.pdf


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## stereo.pete (Mar 7, 2013)

Ooh I forgot about herbsaint, my wife and I went there for lunch last time we visited and it was awesome. We never had a chance to go to Cochon but I've heard great things.


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## Duckfat (Mar 7, 2013)

Is the Acme Oyster House still around? Cafe DuMond, K-pauls, Bayona....The trouble I have with NOLA is narrowing my choices down to a manageable number.


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## Dardeau (Mar 7, 2013)

I will wholeheartedly agree with you about Herbsaint. Wonderful, well thought out food and a tasty and reasonable wine list. They did a little remodel last summer and the dining room is even nicer than it was before. Also of you are coming for a convention go ahead and get your resos now, especially for Cochon or anything else a short walk from the convention center. 25,000 other people will also be trying to go to the same restaurants. And remember to say hello to me if you come to Cochon, the Microsoft Convention is always absurdly busy, so PM me when your reso is so I can look out for you.


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## mhlee (Mar 7, 2013)

Dardeau said:


> I couldn't disagree more about Stella. I would rather spend my cash elsewhere. Bayona, Domenica, maurepas, gautreau's, herbsaint, patois, Company burger, cowbell, high hat cafe, brightsen's, Charlie's seafood in harahan (if you have a car) for food. Bar Tonique, Cure, and Belloq for cocktails. And if you make it to Cochon in the pm, pm me with your reso info and I'll come say hi.



Good to know about Stella. I always forget about Gautreau's. My friends used to live blocks away from that place.

I'm glad to see that Bayona and Brigtsen's are still recommended by a local. I have great memories of both places.


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## stereo.pete (Mar 7, 2013)

mhlee said:


> Good to know about Stella. I always forget about Gautreau's. My friends used to live blocks away from that place.
> 
> I'm glad to see that Bayona and Brigtsen's are still recommended by a local. I have great memories of both places.



Stella is the furthest thing from being a bad restaurant or a restaurant that is afraid to change with the times (commanders). Long story short, I would bet you would not have a bad dinner there. And without a doubt the best breakfast in the French Quarter is at Stanley's, which is owned by the same chef!


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## pumbaa (Mar 8, 2013)

August was nice, and now my friend is a pastry chef there so even more of an incentive, but the food was very good.


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## cnochef (Mar 8, 2013)

mhlee said:


> soft shell crab loaf (unfortunately, not in season yet)



I follow Rouse's on Facebook and they have fresh Louisiana soft shell crabs on sale for $2.99 each right now. I wish I was in NOLA!


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## 77kath (Mar 14, 2013)

Just had lunch at Herbsaint. Yum! Great recommendation, thanks.


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## labor of love (Mar 14, 2013)

77kath said:


> Just had lunch at Herbsaint. Yum! Great recommendation, thanks.


nice! what did you order?


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## 77kath (Mar 14, 2013)

Mussels and fries. My husband had the flatbread with sausage and fennel and some wonderful sauce, which he claimed was the perfect pizza. Oh, and Chardonnay. Now I want a nap!


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## Dardeau (Mar 30, 2013)

Pescador, the Microsoft convention is over. How was your visit, and where did you eat?


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