I ate at NOLA once, really liked it, but everytime we think about going to an Emeril’s place, we end up going somewhere else. Places like Jacques-Imo’s, Dick and Jenny’s, or Clancy’s just have a more relaxed vibe.

Here’s a pic that I took at Emeril’s Delmonico on our trip to N.O., bust before Katrina. They were making us a BAKED ALASKA.

http://www.roadfood.com/Insider/photos/1096.jpg

As I mentioned earlier, this meal cost us a bundle, and I DON’T think it was worth it, by any means.

On the other hand, we can say . . . "Hey, been there, done that!"

BUT, we won’t do it again![;)]

Was in N.O. in July.

Sadly, Mandina’s was still closed,with little chance of reopening soon, but on the way back down Canal, as we were feeling sad, we saw a small sign saying that Liuzza’s was open! God be praised! Soon we were sitting among a very local crowd drinking schooners of beer and enjoying their excellent neighborhood fare. My daughter got the "frenchuletta," easily the largest and best muffuletta I’ve had in a long time. It alone could have fed my entire family of 4. I had an excellent catfish po-boy. Slightly smaller menu than before, but still many great options.

At least in July:
Casamento’s was on vacation.
Napoleon House was on vacation.

May I also recommend the excellent Tee-Eva’s on Magazine, a colorful yellow, cinderblock bunker complete with mural putting out exceptional pralines and snow cones and, my favorite, miniature crawfish pies.

Croissant D’Or, I’m telling you, is the place to go in the quarter instead of Cafe Du Monde. It’s little more than around the corner on Ursulines. In addition to their excellent pastries and coffee, they continue to expand their lunch options and have added a small (maybe 8) superb offering of sorbets and gelatos. And this place is really inexpensive.

I agree on Commander’s Palace (it is in the Garden district however)
Gumbo Shop (order w/ a few extra oysters)
Acme Oysters (sit at the bar and watch the show)
Thumbs down on Felix’s
Sorry to say Christian’s is still closed

A few other recs

Ride the trolley just for the ride

Take a class at New Orleans School of Cooking. Three or four hours long, it gives you the basics of NOLA cooking and is one h**l of a good time. In the quarter, just around the corner from Jax Brewery.

http://www.neworleansschoolofcooking.com/index.php

Three doors up from Central Grocery has the best muffalatta but Central Grocery has the best olive salad to take home. Buy a muffalatta, a beer, cross the street and watch the Mississippi flow past.

The French Market fish market will pack HUGE gulf shrimp for your flight home. Also the best place for the feather masks (best gift for munchkins when you get home) and t shirts. Walk through the whole market before you buy anything as the prices for exactly the same item vary greatly.

Cafe Du Monde is a must. You can walk around the back and watch them cook the beignets.

My brother is a bartender and he’s made the Rum Ramsay a time or two. They say it’s a family secret but I kinda doubt it or somebody leaked the secret.

1 1/2 oz rum (white only)
1 oz whisky or bourbon or brandy, your choice
1/4 oz lime juice
1/3 oz sugar syrup
1 dash bitters angostura or campari (the two we tried)

Squeeze lime juice directly into a mixing glass and add the peel. Add everything else,
stir (we shook 🙂 and strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with broken ice. I also plopped a cherry in mine cause I like em.

You might have to play with the sweetness a bit. We tried three different amounts and I didn’t like much in mine at all. Tasted very much like a whiskey sour to me without all the sugar. I guess it is lol.

i was down in new orleans at the end of april and casamento’s was in full swing. i agree with the previous post that new orleans needs our help and i encourage everyone to make a trip down for some fine food and music

I have great memories of some of the places already mentioned from my one visit to new orleans, especially mother’s, But I also loved the Bon Ton, which is a bit more upscale, but a wonderful experience. We had amazing soft shell crabs and what stands out most in my memory is a special cocktail they make called a rum ramsay, for which they would not give me the recipe. They said there is only one person alive who knows how to make them, but if anyone out there knows the secret, please share.

Is Cassamento’s open? I always found them to be the best for the New Orleans basics: oysters, po’boys, and gumbo. I love that place. I used to go at least once a year. I still feel sadness just thinking about it.

Printed out just fine, thanks a bunch!

That’s what it’s there for! If you can’t get a good print copy, email me and I’ll send it as an attachment.

EliseT, if you don’t mind, I’m going to use your map and printed out the others. I plan on staying 12 days down there soon and can use this to have my days planned. Thanks for sharing!

Just noticed you want only the Quarter.

The area where Mother’s and Bon Ton Cafe are is just outside of the quarter, easily walked and well worth it. But not walking alone at night. Commander’s Palace is a short streetcar ride from the quarter. It is a nice ride, and the trip can be combined with a walk in the cemetary and some gawking at gorgeous mansions. The Camilla Grill is probably too far afield and the rest of my recommendations are in the Quarter.

This is my personal map of my Quarter haunts:

I agree with all of the above!

This is my personal pre-Katrina list of favorites:

Fancy:

Bayona
Peristyle
Commander’s Palace
Dickie Brennan’s Steak House (I think this was pretty badly flooded)

Mid-range:

Bon Ton Cafe
Mr B’s
The Gumbo Shop

Cheap Eats:

Acme
Mothers

Late Night:

Deja Vu (bar with OK menu)
Coop’s (My fave local place)
Camilla’s (Way Uptown)
Jimani (Bar with good fried meat pies and pork sandwiches)

Avoid:

The Court of Two Sisters
Antoine’s
Felix’s

Here are addresses:

http://www.frenchquarter.com/dining/directory.php?category=Dining&all=1

And if you search the forums, there is an awful lot of discussion of New Orleans.

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/search.asp?mode=DoIt

Sandy, the national guard was not even seen. They were here for Central City which is uptown of the business center and on the back side of St. Charles Avenue. We saw loads of police in certain areas but none in others. They do seem to be policing the area around the quarter more than say West Bank or up towards La Place.

And I’m not sure where the not busy part comes in. It was def crowded and busy everywhere we went. Traffic on the bridges esp and West Bank were bustling.

And of course we spent a few long hours on Bourbon street. Granted it was less busy than it use to be but it was still hopping. Head to Jesters or Fat Catz, we had a blast!

We are moving down there and have spent quite a bit of time there in the past few months. I never felt unsafe but do know where not to go if you know what I mean.

We enjoyed a few places to eat around but none in the quarter. Too busy looking for some local joints near our points to search for a house.

Fox and Hound English Pup and Grill in a strip mall in S Clearview Pkwy near Harahan was a great steak and sides place. Loud! Yeah a chain I suppose but still good.

Fongs Chinese & Cantonese Restaurant in Kenner was some of the best I’ve ever had. A real dive but loads of food and nothing we tried was bad.

I’ll have to disagree on Cafe Du Monde being mediocre, it was the same as always. Never sit inside! Not only is it crowded and loud but you miss the music and people watching. I did go in to use the restroom but never smelled garbage in there or anywhere else on the streets for that matter. It was actually cleaner than I’ve seen it in years. Of course the French Quarter had very minor wind damage so some things near it and in it are boarded up.

They say about 300,000 out of a million are back, you will not see the same city. Lots of building and debris going on and seeing the East side is just heartbreaking.

The rest was spent at my cousins house eating ‘real’ cajun food 🙂

quote:

Originally posted by memphismandy

Greetings from NOLA. I am sitting in my room in the Maison Dupuy hotel and it is a lovely day here in the BIG Easy.

Anyone who is afraid to come down, don’t be. We have had a wonderful experience. This is the perfect time to come because it is not very busy at all! Everyone has been so accommodating. Drove over to the 9th ward today and the devastation was unbelieveable. folks were working on the clean up. It is really safe here right now. The police are EVERYWHERE! I’ve never seen such police presence in NOLA.

I wanted to commment on a couple of culinary experiences I’ve had thus far. ONe being Cafe MAspero’s on the corner of Tulouse and Decatur – always a favorite of mine. It was TERRIBLE. Their Muffaletta used to be fab. It was smaller, dry, hot and had little to no cheese or olive salad. Not impressed at all.

Cafe Dumonde, which we all know is a must, was mediocre as well. Ate inside the building for the first time. It stank like that nastry rotten garbage smell on the street. And the service was really bad. I have NEVER hadbad service there before now. Oh, well, tomorrow IS another day.

MM,

New Orleans was tentatively a vacation destination for us this year but the need for the National Guard made us a bit wary. We usually stay just outside of the Quarter, at the Hampton Inn on Carondolet. That part of town is relatively deserted late in the evening even though it’s only about two blocks from Bourbon Street. We’ve walked back to the hotel at 10:00 p.m. and have only seen one or two people on the streets (including a scantilly dressed young lady who started to approach my husband until she saw me bringing up the rear), and no police. Do you know if police are patrolling a wider area than the Quarter?

Sorry to hear that about Cafe Maspero. We had a great meal there a couple of years back.

Thanks for any info.

Sandy