New Orleans Restaurants????
 

Anyone got the lowdown on somthing new and classy in NOLA? I have been to most of the better known ones like: Bayona, Pelican Club, anything owned by the Brennans, or Emeril Lagasse, etc., and I'm kind of tiring of those places...

Any suggestions, and please don't tell me Mother's :D

M8

This weekend, we are doing:

La Cote Brasserie

New Orleans Grill

Dick & Jenny's

All three of these will be new to me... and all have excellent ratings.

You'll enjoy Dick & Jenny's, it's a great place.

For something a little different, the food at Jacques Imo's is worth the wait -- although I'd hardly describe it as 'classy'.

I'm a fan of Cuvee, if you're looking for something a little more classy. Some people like Cobalt, but I don't find it terribly special. Herbsaint is a solid choice, although not new.

here we go again...
 

For (relatively) new and definitely classy, head to Stella! on Chartres, a couple of blocks the Quarter side from Esplanade.

Outstanding!

Have you tried GW Fins?

Formerly known as the Grill Room. It is a fabulous dinner but be prepared to pay big $$$. I don't bat an eye usually at what some consider "expensive" but geez Louise is this place spendy! Report back with your review. I would like to hear your take on it. It's also hotter than he!! right now in NOLA, dress cool but bring a shawl for the arctic chill airconditioning that seems to be blowing in every building.

A restaurant that is making lots of buzz with the locals is Ralph's on the Park. It doesn't show it on web page but you have to love a restaurant that has menu section called "Liquid Starters," only in New Orleans!

I second this. And would like to add August (in the CBD just off Canal) and Herbsaint (Warehouse District, just beyond the CBD).

Commander's Palace has a great brunch :)

If you mean the restaurant at the Windsor Court Hotel...been there done that. I thought it was just okay. I did like the bar area, however, since it's cigar friendly.

M8

This is one of Susan Spicer's restaurants. I thought it was okay, but I prefer here Bayona restaurant, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the world, and the one of her three where she actually works.

M8

Thanks for all the recommendations
 

I've done Dick & Jenny's already, and most of the ones above. However, Stella! is new to me. I hated that Brando movie, simply because of the Stella! shouting --- I go to their website and what do I hear :D

Okay, so I will try this place out. I will probably visit my regular places too, Bayona and The Bombay Club, and of course the Lucky Dog stand outside the poker room at Harrah's :D

M8

P.S. Anyone been to Gabrielle's lately? I was there about five years ago and am wondering how it is now.

Dick and Jenny's has my vote!!

If not, I have heard Galatois (sp?) in the french quarter is good as well.

I second the Cuvée recommendation. I ate there last week and was pleased. Smallish portions (if sharing apps, e.g.), but everything was interesting and fresh. Le Petit Grocery has some current buzz. Pascal Manale's in the Garden District is a standby for barbeque shrimp. If you're adventurous (it's in the hood), head out to Willie Mae's Scotch House (2401 St.Ann) in the Treme neighborhood for the best fried chicken in the South. This 89 year old woman just won a James Beard award.

We will be there from this Thursday through Sunday. Here are restaurants to go to based on "not your run of the mill" fine dining in NOLA:

1. Stella! - absolutely the best "newer" restaurant in NOLA, and my wife and I have eaten at them all several times over. Scott Boswell, a Louisiana native, is currently, in my opinion, the best chef in New Orleans. We attended the Iron Chef Italian dinner there last January (he worked with Iron Chef Masahiko Kobe in Japan for a while) and it was one of the great meals of my life. My wife and I will have our 10 year anniversary dinner here this Friday. It's located off Chartres Street next to the Hotel Provencial in a quite part of the French Quarter.
2. Restaurant August - John Besh, another Louisiana native, cooks up some mighty fine meals on Tchoupitoulas Street. Service can be spotty though.
3. Upperline - Jo Ann Clevenger, yet another Louisiana native, has one of the most interesting restaurants I have ever been to with walls upon walls of art by native Louisianans prominently displayed. Additionally, she will welcome you into the restaurant as if you were entering her home and escort you out after you have finished. My wife and I will be eating here on Saturday. Oh, and the food is mighty, mighty good as well.
4. GW Fins - absolutely the freshest of the freshest seafood that I have had anywhere in the world. Currently, they are offering fresh, I say again, fresh Alaskan King Crab. You would have to fly up to Alaska to savor this puppy. They also offer gulf stone crab, a different species than the one served in Florida, and it is as fresh as it gets also. Plus, the tables are seated very far apart from each other so you can enjoy the dining experience in a quite atmosphere. The waitstaff are some of the best I have ever been around. My wife and I will be eating here tomorrow. Another tip - get the apple pie for dessert.
5. Cuvee - if you love fine wine, you won't find a better wine list in New Orleans. Plus, the food can be exceptional.
6. Louis XVI - the absolute best dinner deal in NOLA, and possibly in the U.S. if you download the 2 for 1 entree coupon from the web. We have eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. Do a google search for "New Orleans coupons" and download the coupon. You might as well download them all while you're at it.
7. Brigtsen's - the best interpretation of "New Cajun" food in NOLA, in my opinion.
8. Herbsaint - this is Susan Spicer's and Donald Link's restaurant with a fresh, emphasis on fresh, take on Creole cooking. We ate here about a month ago and loved it. Unfortunately, it will be closed down until August 1 because of a fire.
9. Jacque Imo's - outstanding Cajun food, fun atmosphere, good prices - quintessential cajun food with the amazing attention to detail setting it apart from other Cajun food contenders. Be advised, no reservation, but the place is so much fun you won't mind having a drink and waiting for a table.

No good finishing without lunch recommendations. If you go nowhere else to eat in NOLA, you have to go to Drago's several blocks off of North Causeway Boulevard and try the charbroiled oysters. They are, without a doubt, the single best piece of food I have ever put in my mouth. I had tried to get my wife to eat oysters for 15 years to no avail. One bite and she now eats oysters - 'nuff said. They also have a 1 1/2 pound Maine lobster for $15.99, but I prefer the crab stuffed lobster tail. This is my favorite all-around place to eat in New Orleans when you take into account the food, atmosphere, service, and price. Most New Orleanians will tell you the same thing.

Off the opposite end of Causeway Boulevard (this time South Causeway) on Jefferson Highway, you will find the quintessential NOLA poorboys at Crabby Jack's. They are so good it hurts. Jack Leonardi, the Jack in Jacque Imo's, is the owner, and everything else is worth eating as well. Be prepared for a long wait as well, but it's worth it.

One other suggestion - if you like wine with dinner, go to the Vieux Carre winestore on Chartres street next to K-Paul's (actually worth going to if you haven't eaten there, although lot's of tourists) and ask to be taken into the back wine cellar where there is an amazing amount of fine wines. Buy your dinner wines here and take them with you to the restaurants. You will have to pay a corkage fee, but most of the restaurants charge from $10-$20 (a few are $30). You can save A LOT of money this way and still have great wine with your meals - easily enough to pay for your breakfast and lunch each day if you would have popped for a bottle from a restaurants wine list.

I will agree with Drago's which has awesome char-broiled Oysters. if you have a car stop and eat lunch here on your way back to the airport. This is not a tourist place by an stretch of the imagination it's in an area of town called "Fat City" which is a little seedy by Metairie standards. The food is worth the wait.

I disagree with Crabby Jack's as the "best" po-boy. Check out LaBella's, World Deli, or Come Back Inn if you want a really good po-boy in the Metairie/Jefferson area. My personal fave is Come Back Inn.

Come Back Inn
8016 West Metairie Avenue
Metairie, LA
Just East of Williams Blvd., near the airport
504-467-9316

Let's not forget The Galley, in old Metairie, on Metairie Road! ^

And thanks above on the wine tip... my in-laws have never mentioned this. Will definitely stop at Langensteins for a bottle of Cain's best before our next trip to wherever.

Ralph's is superb... in the Brennan's style... and the old GM from Commander's is in charge there, so say no more.

P.S. Anyone been to Gabrielle's lately? I was there about five years ago and am wondering how it is now.[/QUOTE]

Gabrielle's is still extraordinary - probably my favorite "classy" restaurant in N.O., although probably most people would not consider it a "fancy" place. But the food, location and wine are first class.

Cuvee for dinner its the BEST!

Saturn Bar for cocktails after!

How did you like Dick & Jenny's? We'll be in NOLA in August and I was thinking of trying it out.

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!

techgirl, thanks for the reviews. I'm thinking we might try The Bombay Club this trip. Since I get in rather late Friday evening, we only have one night for a nice dinner.

Has anyone been to Dominique's? Their menu looks like a blend of Key West and New Orlean's ... two of my favorite places :D

Martinis at 8
 

Although I am something of a new member of the Flyertalk community and do more reading than posting I couldn't resist your thread. I have been considering for some time posting a definitive list of restaurants (at least my opinion of them) in New Orleans as the information on the board is a bit thin. In any event, new is not something we generally like down here, but classy and excellent we have no shortage of. Here are a few thoughts:

Dick and Jenny's (4501 Tchoupitoulas St)- I have to second others on this, D&Js is currently one of our favorite restaurants in town. It is out of the way if you are staying downtown or in the Quarter, but well worth the trip, kind of looks like a hole from the outside but the food is excellent. If I had to give you only one restaurant to go to this would be it. I don't think they take reservations (you might call) so if you aren’t interested in cocktailing on the back porch for a while go before 7pm (drinking on the back porch is not really a bad thing though).

-Irene's (or Irene's Cuisine, 539 St Philip St) is a fantastic Italian restaurant in the French Quarter. The food is great, the atmosphere is great, and amazingly since it is in the Quarter it isn't really touristy, they don't take reservations, so go early or you will be forced to have drinks and listen to someone play piano in the back room for a while (suffer what we must). Another alternative is to put your name on the list, get a time, and wander around the Quarter having drinks before coming back for dinner (this is what gives people the illusion that "locals" just show up and sit right down). This restaurant has gotten a bad rap on Flyertalk, but most of the comments have been completely inaccurate in my opinion.

-Clancy's (6100 Annunciation St). I am surprised that Clancy's has not been mentioned. This is the old school New Orleans place to eat. A small restaurant in Uptown, it is definitely not on the tourist path, and the food is fantastic. You will need a reservation and men would be most comfortable in a sports coat. It is really a fantastic restaurant from atmosphere to service to food. Cannot recommend highly enough.

-Commander’s Palace (1403 Washington Ave). Everyone has heard of commander’s. (This is where Emeril got his start.) Commander’s is in my (and many other’s) opinion the finest restaurant in New Orleans and is my personal favorite. It is in a huge old Victorian Mansion in the Garden District, the food is indescribably fantastic and the service is the best I have ever experienced (although having said that you will find the service at most of the restaurants in New Orleans to be by essentially professional wait staff and the difference is really noticeable). You will need a reservation and this is the only restaurant I know (Galatoire's may also) in New Orleans which requires a coat (a tie is not required). Commander’s stays on our special occasion list but it is the best.

-Mat & Naddie's Restaurant (937 Leonidas St) This is an excellent restaurant in Uptown New Orleans, actually similar to Dick and Jenny's (both in name and style). This is a locals restaurant with excellent food and great service, I highly recommend it.


Those are a few thoughts, just my opinion of course. Otherwise, I would skip Jacques-Imos, it is loud, crowded and hot and has become a tourist trap extraordinaire. It certainly doesn't fit your "classy" requirement. Cuvee is excellent, but not nearly so much as its "parent" restaurant - Dakota, which is on the Northshore of Lake Pontchatrain and is actually, in my opinion, the best restaurant in the New Orleans greater metropolitan area (if you have reason to be on the Northshore or have a limo at your disposal). Not been to August although it is said to be excellent. My wife likes Stella, but I refuse to go there after they refused to seat us (we didn't have reservations to be honest) on a Wednesday night at 9pm when there were only people at 4 tables and the restaurant was essentially empty. Upperline is good and you wouldn't be dissapointed, but nothing spectacular. I would skip GWFins and Ralph's on the Park. The food at Ralph's is fine, but again nothing spectacular. Brigtsen's is excellent although we haven't been there in a while. We have not been to the New Orleans Grill since it reopened, but everything at Windsor Court is excellent, so I would expect no less from the new restaurant.

Hope that gives you some ideas, really look forward to your post trip reviews.

wplong1

wplong1
 

Thanks for the reviews, and please post more often. You obviously have a lot to contribute.

Bayona's is closed for renovations this week :(

Cheers,

M8

another recommend for dakota's
 

I usually eat at home these days but I do get out to dakota's sometimes, most recently in June, and it remains a terrific experience. Get the fried soft-shelled crab! It leaves the others in the dust.

I have to second wplong 1 suggesting Irene's. Both times I have eaten there, the meal was spectacular. Osso bucco that just melts in your mouth, a simple mozzarella, basil, and tomato in balsamic vinegar salad....I am salivating just thinking about that restaurant. Two thumbs up! ^ ^

Dakota's? I think I have eaten there. Isn't that in Covington?

M8

Yes
http://www.restaurantcuvee.com/dakota_hist.html
Dakota is located at 629 North Highway 190 in Covington

If you are going to go as far as Covington you should also go to Artesia in Abita Springs

Help
 

Looking for suggestions for Dinner Wed Aug 10th, near the marriott on 555 canal. Looking for nice, not too cheap and not to fancy. Am taking a former client out to dinner as we are both going to be coincidentally be in town that night and at the same hotel. Looking for somewhere fun, but not stuff or over the top. Have never been to NO before so am clueless on where to go.


Edited for the date cause I am an idiot and cant read a calendar

Tom Fitzmorris is the local food critic. He has several "top ten" lista some based on service, some of food styles, etc. check out this site.

http://foodfest.neworleans.com/top_ten_new.php

Thanks. Bookmarked it! Nice to see that Galatoire's is still a standard bearer.

M8

In addition to all the recommendations above, Palace Cafe is right next door to your hotel. It fits your description of a place to dine.

M8

my favorite restaurant in NOLA is actually...NOLA, one of emerils restaurants. its fun and funky and always cool and inventive food. here's the link:

http://www.emerils.com/restaurants/n...ola/index.html

cheers

I'm with you on this one - dinner per person at Grill Room ran about the same as our dinner the night before - but man, this one just didn't seem to have the same bang-for-the-buck. Maybe if we had done the tasting menu (but we had a couple of picky eaters with us) - I just didn't think the experience was worth it and at least one of the men in our group was annoyed at being forced to don a jacket for dinner.

Nonetheless, I'm glad I tried it - wish it had been on someone else's nickel! ;) My opinion is that this would be a fabulous place for a romantic dinner (the married couple in our group had dined there on Valentines Day), but the size of our table for six made group/business conversation difficult to impossible and it lacked the warmth I have enjoyed at other N.O. restaurants.

Dinner at Grill Room or any of the other "fancy schmancy" places is all quite good but anyone can find an expensive white table french restaurant and to me that is just not what I think of when I think of New Orleans style cooking. I rarely entertain for business purposes in New Orleans, unless there is a convention in town, then my clients are usually much more interested in me taking them to Bourbon Street than a white table cloth dining establishment. When I am entertaining my friends personally there is usually a lot of cutting up and laughter and food is merely the secondary reason for getting together. I suppose that is why I usually recommend lots of fun local spots than the true stuffy old school places of New Orleans. The other point you hit right on the head. When most people visit New Orleans they don't want to get dressed up, especially if your later evening plans entail hitting Pat O's and the like. New Orleans screams to me a laid back casual city with foods exploding with tastes and flavors in a comfortable setting that may come wrapped in brown paper rather than placed on fine china.

Amen! Alas, I wasn't the one who got to make the reservations for this particular weekend (we rotate hosting duties and it was someone else's city). It wasn't horrible or anything - and that is why we rotate so everyone gets a turn picking places that they like to go.

Yea... meet your former client there. You won't be disappointed and it's easy to find. Their turtle soup is to die for... and tell them to make it snappy... ;)

Ok so now that you have totally described what I am looking for, where near 555 canal would you suggest. Emeril's restaurant and Palace Cafe look great for a nice fancy dinner but we are both getting in on later flights (so dinner will be 8ish) and dressing up this much is NOT in the plan. Where can we get just some good basic food in new orleans.

Didn't say it was the "best" NOLA poorboy, just the quintessential. :)

artesia's is no more
 

They are opening another restaurant there, perhaps they already have.

The food was good at Artesia's but the service was unprofessional in my view.

Dakota's gets everything right.

The Red Fish Grill is just short walk away as is The Bourbon House. We've enjoyed both of them. Of the two, I would say the Red Fish Grill has the less fancy atmosphere.