# In NOLA from 11/5 to 11/11 - Thoughts / Suggestions please



## MontezumaBoy

Looking for some NOLA restaurant suggestions for  will be there from Nov 5 to Nov 11  I have been through the last two threads and the references which have been very helpful 

In a house (AirBnB) 3 blocks from the French Quarter for the duration just a group of 5 friends / male / foodies  no allergy crap or dont eat that BS  have access to a car and likely looking for a couple of locations in Cajun country (see further down) so that would be very helpful as well 

Higher end (in no particular order) - will probably go to at least two: Brigtsens, August, Revolution, Pesche, Cochon & Herbsaints  too many to choose from/not enough time ... leaning toward Pesche and Revolution but I did want to try out one of Beshs & Cochon calls to me  dont want it too Fancy since we are all about the food but a decent wine & beer selection would be a bonus! Will be looking at reservations in the next couple of days. 

Meat/Charcuterie: Cochon Butcher, Root, Cane & Table & Toups Meatery

Mufaletta: Acme Oyster House, Cochon Butcher, Central Grocery &/or Mothers

Poboy: Killer Poboys, Domilise's, Parkway Bakery, Luizzas, Melbas &/or Parrans

Cajun  willing to drive & stay somewhere overnight for this  since I have been trying to cook Cajun for 25+ years (but only from cookbooks - Wilson, Folse, Prudhomme, Bienvenu and many others) this will be my first sojourne to the Arcadia area so the more authentic the better  

Any distractions  bars, things to see, etc. would be great as well!

Thx,
TjA


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## Dardeau

I'll post thoroughly later, but if you reso at Peche PM me your info so I can flag you.


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## MontezumaBoy

Thx - will do! Any ideas/thoughts from you would be much appreciated! Sent this out now in hopes of giving people some time to respond ...

TjA



Dardeau said:


> I'll post thoroughly later, but if you reso at Peche PM me your info so I can flag you.


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## larrybard

Visited NO several times a few years ago while my son was visiting Tulane. One of the many restaurants I enjoyed was Dante's Kitchen. (Chicken Roasted Under A Brick was one of our favorites.) Enjoyed Cochon, Domilise's, and some others on your list. But never developed a taste for mufalettas. And perhaps I ordered the wrong dishes, but wasn't impressed with Emeril's. Maybe Jacq-imos is too touristy for you?


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## MontezumaBoy

Thx Larry - will certainly go to Mr. Lagasse's original flagship just don't know when ... PM me and let me know how the freehand is going - hope you & yours are well! TjA


larrybard said:


> Visited NO several times a few years ago while my son was visiting Tulane. One of the many restaurants I enjoyed was Dante's Kitchen. (Chicken Roasted Under A Brick was one of our favorites.) Enjoyed Cochon, Domilise's, and some others on your list. But never developed a taste for mufalettas. And perhaps I ordered the wrong dishes, but wasn't impressed with Emeril's. Maybe Jacq-imos is too touristy for you?


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## CoqaVin

What about commanders Palace, heard a lot of good things about there, never been tho


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## larrybard

I enjoyed Commander's Palace, but it may be hard to get a reservation. Pass up the cheap martini special -- IIRC it's something gimmicky like $.50


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## Chifunda




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## stump_nola

You've listed some very good places. If you go to Cochon, get the pork belly po-boy. they also serve one at killer po-boys that is damn good.
I you like BBQ, try the Joint. they have a web site for more info.
If you like oysters, give Drago's or Acme a try. The chargrilled ones are great.
Peche' I've heard is really good. Dante's Kitchen has that damn chicken under the brick thing. it's great.
Dominica has a happy hour in the late afternoon. 1/2 price pizza and some drinks. Pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven. Really good.

IMO, Central Grocery is a tourist trap. Don't care for their Muffa's. if you go there, get them to make you one fresh or they will give you a pre-made one. Cochon has a good one, Franks also and needless to say, Margaretville has a pretty good muffa.

Middendorf's is located in Ponchatoula. It's a ways away from the Quarter but have some great seafood and may be worth a trip one day. And I say a ways away, but maybe an hour or so drive.


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## Dardeau

Everything mentioned as being from Cochon is actually from Butcher. Different restaurant, different experience.


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## stump_nola

My bad Dardeau. I get them confused.


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## Dardeau

Most people do, it only bothers me because I worked there.


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## mhlee

Casamento's for me for oysters, gumbo, fried seafood and soft shell crabs (when in season). 

I don't ever recall seeing Muffalettas at Acme or Mother's. You'll want to check the menus before assuming that certain places have certain dishes. 

If you're going to go to Commander's, I recommend going at lunch. I recommend going to higher end places for lunch because the prices are less (menus are often a little smaller), but the quality is good. I haven't been, but the next time I'm there, I'm going to go to Willie Mae's Scotch House for the fried chicken. 

For music, I'd go to the Maple Leaf Bar. If you want to try the original New Orleans barbecue shrimp, go to Pascal's Manale restaurant.


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## labor of love

CoqaVin said:


> What about commanders Palace, heard a lot of good things about there, never been tho



dont bother with commanders.


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## CoqaVin

You would know I'm sure being from there, I just heard good things about it, why skip it?


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## JDA_NC

CoqaVin said:


> You would know I'm sure being from there, I just heard good things about it, why skip it?



My take -- and hopefully people who are more familiar with NOLA will correct me if they feel otherwise:

Commander's is an institution, so a lot of it less about the food than the experience itself. Riding the streetcar, walking past the cemetery, getting dressed up, all the history, old school service, etc. It's extremely famous, active in media, and a tourist hot-spot, and while the food is good, it's a (very) high volume restaurant so in many ways it's a production kitchen. Not the super high end, fine dining that many people assume or expect. For example, if you look at this list, http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Restaurants-cFineDining-g191 - it's sandwiched between a bunch of 3 Michelin star restaurants. That's definitely a stretch... to be polite.

New Orleans is absolutely loaded with amazing restaurants, and I think that's why you'll see many people saying to pass on it.

Just my two cents.


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## MontezumaBoy

Thx All - really appreciate the time spent to give me your thoughts and opinions ...

Line up is as follows;

Wed Dinner at R'Evolution 
Thurs Dinner at Peche
Fri Dinner at Cochon
Sat - TBD
Sun - Going West to Cajjjjjjjuuuunnnnnnnn Country so we shall see ... spending the night at .... TBD
Mon - Open to ideas but probably burnt out ...

Will send PM's to the appropriate folks and will follow up with a KKF Kitchen Review ... 

TjA

PS For what it is worth will check out Commander's and the other sites and will humble myself appropriately if I did not choose correctly ...


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## Chifunda

You can find many things in New Orleans: great food, great music, some wonderful people, and the true meaning of the word "hangover."

Have a blast!


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## larrybard

MontezumaBoy said:


> Line up is as follows;
> 
> Wed Dinner at R'Evolution
> Thurs Dinner at Peche
> Fri Dinner at Cochon
> Sat - TBD
> Sun - Going West to Cajjjjjjjuuuunnnnnnnn Country so we shall see ... spending the night at .... TBD
> Mon - Open to ideas but probably burnt out ...



Looks like a good lineup, but since it's only dinners, I hope it's not mutually exclusive with some interesting lunches. Would be a shame if you visited NOLA and didn't have a po' boy, for example. Maybe even Willie Mae's fried chicken too. And manged to fit in a few beignets; Cafe du Monde may be a bit touristy and cliched, but the beignets are in fact quite good.


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## MontezumaBoy

Hi Larry,

No as you probably guessed just tossing out the dinner BS ... we R definitely doing all the others - just don't know how I will be able to "eat out" that much as I travel too bloody much as it is and "eating out" no matter how good gets pretty old quickly, at least for me ... I think I will have to go on walk about and see if there is something interesting to cook myself ... and I know I will find it in NOLA as they have IMO some of the best damn sourcing available for seafood ... but I will be certainly be eating my fair share of Po'boys for sure!

TjA



larrybard said:


> Looks like a good lineup, but since it's only dinners, I hope it's not mutually exclusive with some interesting lunches. Would be a shame if you visited NOLA and didn't have a po' boy, for example. Maybe even Willie Mae's fried chicken too. And manged to fit in a few beignets; Cafe du Monde may be a bit touristy and cliched, but the beignets are in fact quite good.


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## MontezumaBoy

Hopefully not the depth of the move version ... but we shall see ... love the Avatar by the way!


Chifunda said:


> You can find many things in New Orleans: great food, great music, some wonderful people, and the true meaning of the word "hangover."
> 
> Have a blast!


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## TexasMethod

I just visited NOLA for the second time in September. 

My favorites we tried were Cafe Amelie, Luke, Dominica, and Stanley.
Luke and Dominica both had really great happy hours, 50cent oysters at Luke and half off beer/wine/pizza at Dominica.
Stanleys for breakfast, the boudain eggs benedict was really good. 

Angelo Brocato for gelato was a nice little place run by what seemed to be a nice italian lady and her kids. They fill their cannoli's to order and they are awesome. 

I was really disappointed in Cochon, I had better food and service at Cochon butcher a few days later. We also went back to Acme Oyster House because last year we had great oysters, and this year they were pretty bad. I think the shucker added to the sub par quality with bad technique(lots of grit and dirt from his hands).

It's hard to go wrong though, really. When I went we tried to hit as many happy hours and restaurants possible by ordering just a few items and sharing. 

Have fun!


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## Chifunda

MontezumaBoy said:


> love the Avatar by the way!



Thanks. Came across it while hunting in Zambia and took a quick snap. I'd like to think it was part of some bizarre ritual involving scantily clad nubile maidens and the full moon but probably just a skull on a stick.


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## wayfarerkitchen804

Maybe check out Mondo out in Lakeview. If you're ever in the mood for great "junk food" and burritos, Juan's Flying Burrito in Midcity and Garden District is pretty awesome too.


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## stump_nola

MontezumaBoy said:


> Thx All - really appreciate the time spent to give me your thoughts and opinions ...
> 
> Line up is as follows;
> 
> Wed Dinner at R'Evolution
> Thurs Dinner at Peche
> Fri Dinner at Cochon
> Sat - TBD
> Sun - Going West to Cajjjjjjjuuuunnnnnnnn Country so we shall see ... spending the night at .... TBD
> Mon - Open to ideas but probably burnt out ...
> 
> Will send PM's to the appropriate folks and will follow up with a KKF Kitchen Review ...
> 
> TjA
> 
> PS For what it is worth will check out Commander's and the other sites and will humble myself appropriately if I did not choose correctly ...



What part of Cajun country will you be traveling to on Sunday?


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## Dardeau

I definitely thumbs down Juan's. Mediocre food followed by world class discomfort. I still haven't made it out to Mondo yet, but I love Bayona and Susan is one of the most fun ladies you will ever meet. 

I've said it before, on and off KKF, the boudin Benedict at Stanley makes me insane. The plating is the antithesis of everything I believe in. It's three ******* inches tall, and most of that is room temp, dry, Poboy bread. 

I believe food should, through its plating, show a diner how to eat it. There should never be a "what utensils" or "hands?" question. 

Also sous vide poached eggs are for bustas.

Rant over.


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## MontezumaBoy

Any suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated - will likely go out to Lafayette and "hand out" a little concerned with it being Suday so will be doing some research over the next few days ... kinda open to all ideas at this point but No. 1 is authentic, authentic, ...

Thx for taking the time to help with this!

Tom



stump_nola said:


> What part of Cajun country will you be traveling to on Sunday?


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## MontezumaBoy

The fact that you thought about it - in my mind should make it so! After all nubile maidens and skulls on sticks always go hand in hand! I have spent a lot of time in Namibia, Zim and SA so know what you are talking about ...


Chifunda said:


> Thanks. Came across it while hunting in Zambia and took a quick snap. I'd like to think it was part of some bizarre ritual involving scantily clad nubile maidens and the full moon but probably just a skull on a stick.


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## stump_nola

Not sure which route you will take to Lafayette, so I will assume you will take Highway 90 then Highway 49 to Lafayette. There is a seafood place in Des Allemands that has some really good seafood. The fried catfish chips are thin cut and they pile it high. The place will be on the left when you get into Des Allemands. Here's a link.
http://spahrsseafood.com/

As for Lafayette, it's a nice area but not sure what you are looking to do. Avery Island is the home of Tabasco and they are located in New Iberia, which is before you get to Lafayette.
Here's a link and they are open in Sunday's.
http://www.tabasco.com/avery-island/visitor-information/


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## MontezumaBoy

Hi Stump,

Thx for the info - not exactly sure what/where we will do as far as going out there but you thoughts will help ... At the end of the day I am really just looking for great Cajun food so point me in that direction and I will go ... If there is some place you know / want / love that you just "have to go to" let me know what it is and why - then we will make our own decision ... no pressure ... just what you would do if you had 2 days off and needed some Cajun food (like you were stuck in San Diego or something ... LOL). Really appreciate your feedback and time!

TjA



stump_nola said:


> Not sure which route you will take to Lafayette, so I will assume you will take Highway 90 then Highway 49 to Lafayette. There is a seafood place in Des Allemands that has some really good seafood. The fried catfish chips are thin cut and they pile it high. The place will be on the left when you get into Des Allemands. Here's a link.
> http://spahrsseafood.com/
> 
> As for Lafayette, it's a nice area but not sure what you are looking to do. Avery Island is the home of Tabasco and they are located in New Iberia, which is before you get to Lafayette.
> Here's a link and they are open in Sunday's.
> http://www.tabasco.com/avery-island/visitor-information/


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## labor of love

Bergeron's cajun meats is a really great place to try if you're looking for authentic Cajun. It's located in Port Allen, which is right after Baton Rouge. It's basically a huge shack in the middle of nowhere, they offer a lot of smoked meats and they make fantastic boudin. Only open for lunch I'm pretty sure. They make this smoked chicken patty sandwich thing that blows me away.


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## mhlee

Dardeau said:


> I definitely thumbs down Juan's. Mediocre food followed by world class discomfort. I still haven't made it out to Mondo yet, but I love Bayona and Susan is one of the most fun ladies you will ever meet.
> 
> I've said it before, on and off KKF, the boudin Benedict at Stanley makes me insane. The plating is the antithesis of everything I believe in. It's three ******* inches tall, and most of that is room temp, dry, Poboy bread.
> 
> I believe food should, through its plating, show a diner how to eat it. There should never be a "what utensils" or "hands?" question.
> 
> Also sous vide poached eggs are for bustas.
> 
> Rant over.



I hated Juan's when I lived in NOLA. Some things don't change. 

I also loved Bayona. I've only been there twice, but the food was great and the service was outstanding.


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## MontezumaBoy

Thx Labor - sounds excellent / still trying to figure out the whole cajun thing and probably just be to f'd up but want to give it a shot! Will report back when I get back ... assuming I survive the trip ... very old friends that haven't scene each other for quite a while and now we actually have $$


labor of love said:


> Bergeron's cajun meats is a really great place to try if you're looking for authentic Cajun. It's located in Port Allen, which is right after Baton Rouge. It's basically a huge shack in the middle of nowhere, they offer a lot of smoked meats and they make fantastic boudin. Only open for lunch I'm pretty sure. They make this smoked chicken patty sandwich thing that blows me away.


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## MontezumaBoy

Thx TexasM - much appreciated! Hopefully i don't have the same experience at Cochon but will probably have lunch at C Butcher as well ...


TexasMethod said:


> I just visited NOLA for the second time in September.
> 
> My favorites we tried were Cafe Amelie, Luke, Dominica, and Stanley.
> Luke and Dominica both had really great happy hours, 50cent oysters at Luke and half off beer/wine/pizza at Dominica.
> Stanleys for breakfast, the boudain eggs benedict was really good.
> 
> Angelo Brocato for gelato was a nice little place run by what seemed to be a nice italian lady and her kids. They fill their cannoli's to order and they are awesome.
> 
> I was really disappointed in Cochon, I had better food and service at Cochon butcher a few days later. We also went back to Acme Oyster House because last year we had great oysters, and this year they were pretty bad. I think the shucker added to the sub par quality with bad technique(lots of grit and dirt from his hands).
> 
> It's hard to go wrong though, really. When I went we tried to hit as many happy hours and restaurants possible by ordering just a few items and sharing.
> 
> Have fun!


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## labor of love

Dardeau said:


> Also sous vide poached eggs are for bustas.


true story.


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## MontezumaBoy

Summary;

R'Evolution  everything was excellent & on point. Timing & service - I cant speak more about really superb. Wine list is incredible IMO and well worth the $$$.

Peche  everything was excellent. Service was impeccable and will definitely be back. Oysters were spot on! Thx Dardeau for the suggestions/advice (PS if you would be willing to give me a couple of pointers for the mignonette you use on those oysters I would be mucho grateful! No recipe just pointers ... thx)

Cochon  things did not work out perfectly here unfortunately. Not due to the efforts in the back of the house only the service left much to be desired. After a few choice words were exchanged with said service things did improve but a bit too late to save the day ... Food was great though and was what I had hoped for.

We ate quite a bit around town ... Mothers, ACME and of course Crystal burger & lucky dog (had too but in fairness this was typically in the 2 to 3 AM range ...) to name just a few ... did manage to get out of town for a day but not much accomplished as we were all pretty spent ... fun though and lovely country ...

Great time was had by all (still recovering!) and just want to say thanks for helping a wondering KKFer ...

Much appreciated!
TjA


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