Blumie

Shaya (a very tough reservation) or Coquette.

FLYMSY

La Petite Grocery. I'll throw out another suggestion: Avo.

nineworldseries

Thanks, everyone. I ended up booking La Petite Grocery for b-day dinner as it looked the best to me. I figured Coquette would get a bit pricy as we simply would have been forced to do the tasting menu and Shaya was booked up as predicted (and likely wouldn't have really been my cup of tea anyway). I'll look into Avo as well.

FLYMSY

I think you made the right decision. While I like Coquette, I'll only go if I can sit upstairs. The downstairs section is extremely noisy. I'll throw out one more suggestion. Mat & Naddies. It's pretty good food, has a very interesting, in a good way, wine list and the staff is quite nice. Parking is very easy at night - use the Keller Williams Realty lot directly across the street.

Edit: Unfortunately, Mat & Naddies has closed permanently.

cur

had yet another great meal at green goddess. it hidden and lots of vag options.

justforfun

Please don't tell us what those options were.

cur

i used to live in cape town very close to one of these. you can imagine what i saw every time
http://www.kimberley.co.za/wp-conten...d_veg-LOGO.jpg

dtwmsy

Be sure to try Oceana Grill on Conti at Bourbon. Their pain perdu (French toast) is delish. It came with powdered sugar on it and a few small packages of syrup. It was so good I did not use the syrup. Also, for dinner I have had re beans and rice, gumbo, jambalaya, and a shrimp po boy. The staff was wonderful as well ^

Acreiners

For Italian food, I always love the Italian Barrel. They used to have a tiny dining room but the last time I went they had expanded it. My fiancée and I have yet to have a bad dish there.

philemer

Johnny's is also open for breakfast delights.

FLYMSY

Just want to give an update about one of the highly regarded restaurants that has been mentioned frequently in this thread - Shaya. The restaurant was part of the Besh Restaurant Group and Alon Shaya was fired by John Besh. Apparently, Alon had cooperated with the newspaper writer of the article that shined a light on the sexual harassment allegations at the BRG restaurants. Therefore, Alon is no longer affiliated with his namesake restaurant. My understanding is that the restaurant is still doing good business, but I have no idea of the quality of the food since Alon's departure. Alon has been trying to purchase the restaurant from BRG, but has not been able to, at this time.

If you missed seeing or reading the national news regarding this, then Google is your friend. A sad situation.

kchoya

We're sailing out of New Orleans on a cruise next month and I'm looking for recommendations for our specific group of four. It is my wife and I, as well as her sister and fiancé. We have not been to New Orleans before and would like to visit a couple of spots serving Creole/Southern/etc. cooking - though we're definitely not opposed to also eating at other types of restaurants as well. Since we're going on a cruise, we're packing light and trying to avoid restaurants with stricter dress codes (jackets for men, etc.) I did have a reservation for the Chef's Table at Commanders Palace (and would gladly dress up for that), but then I was informed there was a mandatory wine pairing, and my sister-in-law and her fiancé are both under 21, so we had to cancel.

We get in Monday at noon and sail out Wednesday afternoon. We'll also be looking for a brunch or lunch on Sunday after we return and before we head to the airport.

Blumie

If you want higher end like Commander's and have at least "smart casual" attire, I would suggest Clancy's or Brigtsen's (or both!). For slightly more casual, but still with great food, I suggest Coquette or Gabrielle (which I haven't tried since it reopened, but always loved in the pre-K days). All of these recommendations require a taxi or Uber ride, but are well worth it. Plus, getting out of the more touristy area is a good idea in any event. Among these four recommendations, you definitely can have two great dinners. Note that Brigtsen's and Gabrielle are closed on Mondays.

FLYMSY

Blumie

High Hat Cafe would be my choice for Sunday. It's not fancy. There's no jazz trio to entertain you while you eat. It's just a good, inexpensive, super casual locals spot serving great food.