Looking for the best restaurants in New Orleans -- not formal -- but not dives either. More on the bistro type.

Thanks!

Veronica,

Much has been written about New Orleans restaurants on FT, most posts offering great advice on must-do's and "stay away from". I would recommend using the search feature for NO restaurants and specifically, looking in the archives for 2001 & 2000. Have fun!

It's not exactly bistro but not that formal either - Emeril's in the Warehouse District is the place this celebrity chef started his rise to fame. I would say it's a place not to miss. You might also try his other restaurant in the French Quarter, but I've not been there. Mr. B's is also quite good and not too elegant.

Emerils other restaurant in NO is named "NOLA". I dined at both restaurants last year and enjoyed Emerils much more than I did NOLA. The counter seating is quite nice, as it has a full view of the kitchen, where miracles are performed, though not by Emeril, as he rarely oversees the kitchen now that he is celeb chef.

Think twice about Emeril's -- it's pretty good, but I've been there several times and I think it's somewhat predictable and overly fixated on the whole Emeril/celebrity status. It's hard to enjoy a meal there without having the Emeril souvenir plates, t-shirts and other memorobilia shoved down your throat. NOLA in the French Quarter is a better choice for this style of food, plus it seems to be less fixated with its image and more concerned about eating good food and enjoying good wine.

For Bistro-style dining, check out:
* Peristyle -- one of the best rooms in town. Great Creole/bistro dishes with eclectic southern accents. It's on the edge of the Quarter on Dumaine.
* Brigsten's -- another great N.O. place with wonderful traditional Creole cooking with some updated takes.
* Herbsaint -- eclectic, with some N.O./Creole touches. This is on St. Charles Ave.

Veronica:
I would search on Zagat.

http://www.zagat.com/

And don't miss Cafe du Monde!