Reviews of the places we ate:

La Cote Brasserie - excellent food, wonderful varied (and reasonable) wine list. This was our first evening's dinner and we dined at the chefs table. In addition to the six course tasting menu, we also started with a tableside raw bar which turned out to be an amazing tower of cold seafood - two dozen oysters (both domestic and import), mussels, jumbo shrimp, lobster tails, tuna tartare, several seafood salads/cerviches. Almost a meal by itself. The tasting was fabulous - perfectly portioned and well timed. Probably the best meal we had all weekend - my one gripe would be the lighting in the restaurant. Its a hotel lobby restaurant and brightly lit - I kept imagining myself in a Marriott Courtyard breakfast buffet rather than a "nice" restaurant. I imagine if this place continues to get good buzz, it will be packed although it was rather quiet on the Thursday we were there.

Restaurant August - a fabulous lunchtime spot - three courses (plus a glass of wine on Fridays) for $20. I started with fried gulf oysters topped with Louisiana caviar, continued with jumbo gulf shrimp on grits, and finished with a nice cheese plate. My other companions had other tasty combos - portions were good for lunch (generous but not enough to put you to sleep at your desk) and service quick.

New Orleans Grill - dining here is like dining in a museum. Very fancy-schmancy. I like good food and I can appreciate atmosphere, but this place was so quiet I was scared to move for fear I would drop a fork and have six waiters charging the table. The food was good - although truthfully I thought the first two restaurants I mentioned were better, especially when you factor the price. Definitely a "do once, preferably when someone else is paying" kind of experience.

Lunch on both Saturday and Sunday was at Remoulade - one day was raw oysters and a shrimp po-boy, the other was the combo fried seafood and bread pudding. Both were excellent. Service is slow and a bit off, but the food makes up for it and its easy to get out on Bourbon Street when you are done.

Dick & Jenny's was closed for their summer holiday. Our host had a couple of other suggestions but our group was so burned out on fine (or even mid-range) dining that we begged for simple - and that came in the form of Crescent City Brewing Company. Crowded place - but casual - and good mix of beer, seafood, and standard bar fare. It was perfect for our group who spent the afternoon on Bourbon Street and recharged us for another marathon that night.

Its funny... the more I visit New Orleans, the simpler my tastes become. I can't handle too much rich food and after a weekend like this, I'm ready to eat salad and sushi for a month!