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Winter Restaurant Guide by
Cuisine
INTERCONTINENTAL
BAYONA
430 Dauphine St. 525-4455
www.bayona.com
You can't go wrong with the "signature dishes" that make award-winning Chef
Susan Spicer proud, such as the sauteed sweetbreads with sherry-mustard or lemon-caper
butter. Every night there's a vegetarian entree of the day, and a grilled or
sauteed fish in season. Accompany your selections with a bottle from the 250-plus
wine list. Reservations recommended. Lunch weekdays, dinner Monday through Saturday.
Credit cards. $$
BLUE TOMATO
4401 Jefferson Hwy., Jefferson 734-3000
American, Italian and Mexican dishes rule the day, including a range of innovative
pizzas, house specialties of tequila lime chicken with rice and beans, chicken
parmigiana and chimichangas that start with beef, steak, chicken, vegetables,
shrimp or pork stuffed into a 10-inch flour tortilla stuffed with three cheeses,
then deep fried and smothered with salsa and melted cheese. No reservations.
Lunch daily, dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards and checks. $
DOMINIQUE'S
1001 Toulouse St. 522-8800
www.dominiquesrestaurant.com
Chef Dominique Macquet's roots are on Mauritius; you can read his passion
for this island's culture, and many others, on his menu. Kobe beef short ribs,
for example, are served with kobe beef "shepherd's pie," watercress salad and
red wine jus. Or try whole Maine lobster with spaghetti squash fricassee, oven-dried
tomato ravioli and lobster nage. Reservations recommended. Breakfast and dinner
daily, brunch Sunday. Credit cards and checks. $$$
LE PRINTEMPS
3125 Esplanade Ave. 945-1919
Another culinary addition to Bayou St. John, Le Printemps (formerly Japon)
offers a unique blend of Japanese and contemporary American cuisine. The chef
smokes salmon in-house, rolls it up with garlic, capers and tomato confit, and
then serves it on a salad with organic greens. For an entree, try the broiled
lamb chop covered in olive paste and bread crumbs, served with gravy and vegetables.
Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Credit cards.
$$
MARISOL RESTAURANT
437 Esplanade Ave. 943-1912
www.marisol.com
Chef Pete Vazquez and wife Janis keep the party going at Marisol with an
ever-changing menu, patio celebrations in pleasant weather and special theme
dinners in coordination with the city's festivals or seasonal foods. Thai-style
coconut and crab soup is one of the menu's only mainstays. Also try mussels steamed
with white wine, lime leaf and Thai basil. Reservations recommended. Lunch Tuesday
through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday, brunch Sunday. Credit cards.
$$$
MARTINIQUE BISTRO
5908 Magazine St. 891-8495
This intimate Uptown restaurant features a charming courtyard and a unique
cuisine combining French and Caribbean influences. Chef-owner Hubert Sandot changes
the menu every five weeks, assuring a new experience even for frequent customers.
Regulars ask for one of Sandot's several signature versions of steamed mussels,
and there's a fresh fish in a beurre blanc sauce nightly. Sandot's considerable
skill is as evident in his tasty appetizers, such as blue cheese mussels, as
in the meat dishes he serves. For a romantic dinner, choose from the selection
of wines sold by the half-bottle. Reservations recommended. Dinner nightly. Credit
cards. $$
MOONLIGHT CAFE
1921 Sophie Wright Place 522-7313
Garden District night owls would go to bed hungry if Moonlight Cafe didn't
serve (and deliver) barbecue ribs, cheese fries and gyros into the wee hours.
The restaurant could probably survive on the sale of its Spiced Nachos alone
-- they're made with either chicken or beef. You'll also find po-boys, burgers,
salads, kabobs, steaks and beer by the pitcher. Delivery available. No reservations.
Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Credit cards and checks. $
MUSES
200 Old Hammond Hwy., Metairie 219-0770
An intriguing work in progress, Muses is taking over the former Rico's Bucktown
location, with Chef Victoria swooping in from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to revamp
the menu and help consult on several renovations. Expect a second inside dining
room crafted from the porch, as well as a new bar set-up and possibly a new entrance
on the Lake Avenue side. Chef Victoria recommends her stuffed sea bass with goat
cheese and capers, and her tuna salmon tartare with toasted sesame and lime.
Hours of operation are good through the renovations, which should be completed
by April. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday,
brunch Sunday. Credit Cards. $$
PANASIA
500 St. Charles Ave., 299-8004
The unique philosophy of Panasia's kitchen produces such favorites as the
fish of the day, which comes topped with jumbo shrimp and green curry and sides
of steamed jasmine rice and bok choy. The Creole-spiced half-chicken comes with
a papaya salad and coconut rice. A variety of salads are offered as entrees,
such as the somtom salad, which mixes papaya, Thai spices, chile peppers and
a lemon vinaigrette. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
THE PELICAN CLUB RESTAURANT & BAR
615 Bienville St./312 Exchange Alley 523-1504
www.pelicanclub.com
Pelican Club's eclectic menu offers a variety of sophisticated fare for winter
diners. The seafood fricassee is served with saffron risotto, sauteed vegetables
and a garlic black bean sauce, while the Pelican Club Baked Oysters are served
on the half-shell with apple-smoked bacon, roasted red peppers, Parmesan cheese
and garlic herb butter. Reservations recommended. Dinner nightly. Credit cards.
$$$
SARA'S
724 Dublin St. 861-0565
www.sarasrestaurant.com
You can now experience Sara's unique tastes of the islands with an early bird
special offering three courses for $16.95 nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Signature
dishes such as sesame-crusted salmon and teriyaki steak remain. Try the Jamaican-spice
coated lamb chops, which are pan-seared and finished in the oven. Lunch Tuesday
through Saturday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards and checks. $$
SEMOLINA
100 Tyler Square, Covington (985) 898-0004
137-139B Westbank Expwy., Gretna 361-8293
1503 Gause Blvd., Slidell (985) 641-3456
2999 Hwy. 190, Mandeville (985) 626-8923
3226 Magazine St. 895-4260
3501 W. Chateau Blvd., Kenner 468-1047
4436 Veterans Memorial Blvd. (Clearview Shopping Center) 454-7930
5080 Pontchartrain Blvd. 486-5581
www.semolina.com
Semolina takes pasta to new levels and to all corners of the world, from
the Louisiana bayou to Latin America to the Southwest to Italy to far Asia. Thai
curry shrimp, pasta jambalaya and Quattro Formaggi are perennial favorites, and
the great daily specials include a popular double-cheeseburger pasta on Wednesdays.
No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $
SUN RAY GRILL
619 Pink St., Metairie 837-0055
1051 Annunciation St. 566-0021
2600 Belle Chasse Hwy., Suite A, Gretna 391-0053
www.sunraygrill.com
The menus at these sunny eateries feature dishes such as a Chinese spiced
duck, sesame-crusted Tokyo tuna, and Baja skillets: warm tortillas and grilled
peppers and onions with chicken, steak, tuna, crawfish, shrimp or a combination
of any or all. The Garden District and Old Metairie menus are alike, while the
Gretna location offers a slightly smaller menu. Reservations recommended. Lunch
and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
VEGA TAPAS CAFE
2051 Metairie Road, Metairie 836-2007
New Orleans' only tapas restaurant tempts the palate with a wide variety
of offerings, including smoked duck breast with pistachios, sun-dried cranberry
couscous, oyster Brie, and wild mushroom risotto. Also try the roasted beet and
goat cheese salad with spiced walnuts and baby spinach, tossed in a curry vinaigrette.
Early birds can come in for a special early evening menu from 5 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. Reservations recommended. Dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards and
checks. $$
VERANDA RESTAURANT
444 St. Charles Ave. (Hotel Inter-Continental) 585-4383
www.new-orleans.interconti.com
A number of influences mark Chef Willy Coln's offerings, from his native
Germany to Cajun and Creole cuisine to an effort to present a menu that is healthy
and robust. Lunch is done buffet-style, with a number of salads and soups offered;
the Sunday brunch is also a buffet but with champagne and a nod to local favorites.
Top dinner entrees include filet mignon, veal and shrimp Barataria. Reservations
recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sunday. Credit cards.
$$
VIC'S KANGAROO CAFE
636 Tchoupitoulas St. 524-4329
It's always a g'day at Vic's, which carves out a slice of Down Under in the
Warehouse District. Hop on down to the Down Under Library while sampling a Guinness-enhanced
shepherd's pie. No reservations. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily, late-night
Friday and Saturday. Credit cards. $
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