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Winter Restaurant Guide by Cuisine
LOUISIANA
CONTEMPORARY
124 RESTAURANT AND SPIRITS
124 Gerard St., Mandeville (985) 727-7995
Open since July, 124 Restaurant serves up sophisticated Louisiana contemporary
cuisine with a wine list to match. The signature dish is a pecan-crusted rabbit
tenderloin with Israeli couscous and banana-thyme beurre blanc. Another favorite
is the three-peppercorn-crusted Atlantic salmon. Reservations recommended. Lunch
and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
201 RESTAURANT AND BAR
201 Decatur St. 561-0007
www.201restaurantandbar.com
This lower French Quarter bistro is loaded with ambience and the menu is
loaded with Chef Thaddeus Palmese's novel twists on classic Louisiana dishes.
A great starter is the cream cheese crabcake, served atop a crispy sweet onion
nest with a sweet and spicy sauce. Move onto the Caribbean bouillabaisse: shrimp,
mussels and scallops simmered in a lightly curried shellfish fumé with onion,
sweet peppers and mango. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily, late-night Friday
and Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
ALLEGRO BISTRO
1100 Poydras St. 582-2350
Get ready to cheer on the Hornets while dining at Allegro Bistro, which extends
its usually lunch-only hours to dinner when the team plays a home game at the
nearby Arena. The prime filets are a specialty of the kitchen, as are soup choices
of seafood gumbo and roasted garlic. Seafood dominates most of the menu, with
barbecued shrimp a popular choice along with a grilled Gulf fish entree special.
Reservations accepted. Lunch weekdays. Credit cards. $$
ARTESIA RESTAURANT & INN
21516 Hwy. 36, Abita Springs 985-892-1662
www.artesiarestaurant.com
Pan-sauteed lump crabcakes with hot and sour plum sauce is a recent addition
to Artesia's ever-changing menu. Mussels steamed in a Thai coconut-curry sauce
comprise another Asian-inspired dish. The Longbranch Cottage, now available for
rent on the grounds, allows city dwellers to make a weekend of dinner at Artesia.
Reservations recommended. Dinner Monday and Wednesday through Saturday. Brunch
Sunday. Credit cards and checks. $$$
BARATARIA
900 Harrison Ave. 488-7474
www.baratariafood.com
Barataria's recently added to its menu, offering tantalizing entrees such
as Veal Quatre Bayou, which features paneed baby veal served with jumbo lump
crabmeat with capers served in a lemon butter sauce. Traditionalists can still
get oysters Ralphie, baked oysters on the half shell with Ralphie's Special Sauce
containing three cheeses, beer, mayonnaise and spices. Reservations recommended.
Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner nightly. Credit cards. $$
BEGUE'S
300 Bourbon St. (Royal Sonesta Hotel) 553-2278
www.royalsonestano.com
Begue's is known for Louisiana seafood and Creole delicacies such as the
seared foie gras sandwich with Brie, truffles and a pear brandy sauce. Other
favorites include lobster and scallops in red curry, and a trio of lamb chops
with wilted spinach, goat cheese, pine nuts and rosemary-roasted potatoes with
shiraz-black pepper lamb juice. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and
dinner daily, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
THE BISTRO AT MAISON DE VILLE
733 Toulouse St. 528-9206
This charming little bistro benefits from the imprint of six sterling chefs
over its 15 years, including Susan Spicer and Dominique Macquet. Now starring
in the kitchen: Chef Greg Picolo, who keeps the bistro's reputation impeccable
with bowls of mussels served with French fries and mayonnaise, and a creme brulee
that's poetry on a plate. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday through Saturday,
dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
BRIGTSEN'S
723 Dante St. 861-7610
Chef Frank Brigtsen's dedication to local produce is found in such items
as the seafood platter, which features all Louisiana seafood in a changing combination
of fish, shrimp, oysters, and crab, coming either broiled, baked, grilled or
sauteed. Try starting your meal with the shrimp and butternut squash bisque.
An early-bird special offers a three-course dinner for $16.95 from 5:30 p.m.
to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Reservations recommended. Dinner Tuesday
through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
CAFE VOLAGE
720 Dublin St. 861-4227
Cafe Volage's popular osso buco features a braised veal shank in a scallion,
mushroom and red wine demi-glace, served with your choice of rice or pasta. Another
favorite choice is the Lamb Chateau, a grilled lamb loin in a rosemary sauce,
served with vegetables or rice. The Sunday brunch boasts a menu with 12 entree
choices and all-you-can-drink champagne for $17.95. Reservations recommended.
Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, brunch Sunday. $$
CHARLEY G'S SEAFOOD GRILL
111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie 837-6408
www.charleygs.com
The coconut shrimp are a popular way to start off your Charley G's experience.
Move on to the herb-crusted fillet of salmon, which is grilled on the wood-burning
grill and served over oyster Lyonnaise potatoes; the salmon is accompanied by
grilled asparagus and a roasted tomato beurre blanc. Charley G's offers a seafood
lunch buffet on Friday and live jazz Friday and Saturday. Reservations recommended.
Lunch weekdays, dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards.
COPELAND'S
680 N. Hwy. 190, Covington (985) 809-9659
701 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie 831-3437
1001 S. Clearview Pkwy., Jefferson 733-7843
1337 Gause Blvd., Slidell (985) 643-0001
1700 Lapalco Blvd., Harvey 364-1575
4338 St. Charles Ave. 897-2325
Al Copeland proved his dining expertise extended beyond fast food
when he opened Copeland's restaurants, featuring New Orleans-style cuisine at
reasonable prices. Try the eggplant pirogue: fried eggplant slices smothered
in an au gratin sauce with shrimp and crab claws, served over angel hair pasta.
Also recommended are eggplant and chicken Parmesan and seafood platters. Save
room for Mike's chocolate fudge cake. Reservations accepted. Hours vary by location.
$$
DAKOTA'S RESTAURANT
629 N. Hwy. 190, Covington (985) 892-3712
One of the staples of upscale, fine dining on the Northshore features Creole-influenced
dishes such as the Hallelujah softshell crab served with Louisiana seafood stuffing
and sauce Creollaise. The lamb osso bucco is lamb shank seared in its own juices,
red wine and fresh herbs and served with fork-tender gnocchi (Italian potato
dumplings). Lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, dinner Saturday. Credit cards.
$$$
DANTE'S KITCHEN
736 Dante St. 861-3121
www.danteskitchen.com
Chef Emanuel Loubier continues to offer unique spins on local favorites,
evidenced in such dishes as the falafel-crusted Gulf fish entree, which is served
with Chinese black rice, slow-roasted tomatoes, shaved Parmesan and garlic chips
in a grilled green onion vinaigrette. The grilled shrimp and grits with andouille
sausage comes with red-eye gravy and is offered as either an appetizer of Sunday
brunch entree. Reservations recommended for parties of five or more. Lunch weekdays,
dinner nightly, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$
DICK AND JENNY'S
4501 Tchoupitoulas St. 894-9880
Dick and Jenny's dining room is usually packed thanks to their reputation
for excellence, their affordable prices and their creative menu that changes
with the seasons. This winter, delicacies include a grilled filet mignon served
with lobster and Brie, as well as seared sea scallops served with a crab Brie
beggar's purse and grilled shrimp. No reservations. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
Credit cards and local checks. $$
DOC SMITH'S
1009 Poydras St. 561-0528
This new offshoot of Smith & Wollensky's offers sports fans the upscale lounge
atmosphere, complete with three 42-inch plasma-screen televisions tuned to various
games. The menu design puts a twist on New Orleans cuisine with most dishes created
to share with the table. Favorites include the crab cake and crawfish hush puppies.
There's also Doc's version of a pig-in-a-blanket with andouille sausage, as well
as mini burgers and muffalettas. No reservations. Open 4 p.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Credit cards. $$
EMERIL'S
800 Tchoupitoulas St. 528-9393
www.emerils.com
Come see why Chef-owner Emeril Lagasse is more than a "celebrity chef," starting
with the nightly six-course degustation menu. Appetizers include homemade andouille
and Creole boudin sausages, and Emeril's signature New Orleans-style barbecue
shrimp served with a petite rosemary biscuit. Once a seasonal specialty, a regular
favorite is the citrus- and tea-glazed Maple Leaf Farms duck, served with savory
caramelized onion bread pudding and haricots vert. The banana cream pie is a
dessert favorite. Reservations required. Lunch weekdays, dinner Monday through
Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
EMERIL'S DELMONICO RESTAURANT
1300 St. Charles Ave. 525-4937
www.emerils.com
Chef Emeril Lagasse is one of New Orleans' brightest culinary stars, and
his Delmonico restaurant shows off his extensive talents. The restaurant's contemporary
Creole cuisine in a fine dining atmosphere is sure to impress your date or client,
and live piano music on Friday and Saturday adds to the atmosphere. The veal
Marcelle serves veal medallions with hollandaise sauce and a saute of crabmeat
and field mushrooms. At the Sunday jazz brunch, try Emeril's version of eggs
Benedict or pain perdu. Reservations recommended for lunch, required for dinner.
Lunch weekdays, dinner nightly, jazz brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
FQB
921 Canal St. (The Ritz-Carlton Hotel) 524-1331
www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/new_orleans/dining/venues/fqb
Start a meal here with heavenly appetizers such as the artichoke-mushroom-Goyere
cheese fondue. Salads include a warm duck confit salad and a favorite entree
is the pecan-crusted chicken. Daily lunch specials are a rotating list of great
meals at great prices. Live music comes courtesy of Ingrid Lucia (Tues.-Wed.),
Jeremy Davenport (Thurs.-Sat.) and a jazz quartet for Sunday brunch. Reservations
recommended Thursday through Saturday. Lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner
and late-night daily, brunch Sunday. $$
GABRIELLE
3201 Esplanade Ave. 948-6233
Chefs Greg and Mary Sonnier met as apprentices at K-Paul's. Today they spend
their talents on this intimate Bayou St. John restaurant, where signature dishes
include she-crab soup, roasted duck with orange-sherry sauce and chocolate cake
with peppermint ice cream. The Mixed Sausage Grill changes seasonally; recently
it featured housemade andouille and rabbit sausages with mustard and peach sauces.
Reservations recommended. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards and checks.
$$$
GAMAY BISTRO AND BAR
320 Decatur St. (Bienville House Hotel) 299-8800
www.bienvillehouse.com
Chef-owner Matt Caldwell keeps the menu at this stylish bistro stocked with
inspired choices, such as an appetizer of homemade chicken, andouille and boudin
sausages served with three salsas; a spinach salad with warm Brie dressing, and
pan-seared sweet corn-encrusted mahi. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday
through Friday, dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
GAUTREAU'S
1728 Soniat St. 899-7397
Chef Mathias Wolf always creates a stir with his fresh, seasonal menu served
in a classy, old-fashioned dining room. Current offerings include a sauteed grouper
with a field pea, asparagus and braised fennel ragout, and steamed mussels with
pancetta and leeks in a cider cream. Choose from the excellent wine list to complete
your experience. Reservations recommended. Dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit
cards and checks. $$$
GIROD'S BISTRO
500 Chartres. St. 524-9752
Girod's Bistro's menu is more elaborate than the one offering muffalettas
and po-boys in another area of the Napoleon House. The chef's signature is a
Louisiana Bounty Experience featuring Gulf fish, shrimp, andouille, saffron rice
and spicy bouillabaisse essence. There's also lump crab, mango and avocado ceviche,
and duck breast with Creole mustard gravy. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner
Tuesday through Sunday, late-night Friday and Saturday. Credit cards. $$
HILLERY'S ON TOULOUSE
827 Toulouse St. (Hotel St. Marie) 571-2888
Hillery's is formerly 827 1/2 Toulouse the Restaurant; the name might have
changed, but the character of this fine-dining portion of the Hotel St. Marie
remains outstanding. Recommended is the double-cut pork chop with andouille corn
pudding and a honey-port wine glaze; the gulf fish Beoudoin is wrapped in a paper-thin
potato crust and served with a crawfish-Tabasco butter sauce and spinach salad
with blueberry vinaigrette. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner
daily. Credit cards. $$
IGOR'S GARLIC CLOVE
2137 St. Charles Ave. 522-6602
A full-service Cajun-Creole restaurant that offers outdoor seating on St.
Charles Ave., the Garlic Clove pampers seafood lovers. The Super Fruit Di Mata
is a boatload of clams, shrimp, crawfish and crab legs over pasta. Or try the
chef's specialty, baked redfish with crawfish sauce. No reservations. Lunch and
dinner daily. Credit cards. $
JOHNNY RYAN'S
600 St. Charles Ave. (Lafayette Hotel) 586-9411
Ron Ryan, former vice president of Semolina, and Chef Sean Daigle, formerly
of Gabrielle and Mr. B's, opened this new restaurant in December in the former
location of Mike Ditka's. The renovated lounge area now features a raw bar; dinner
entrees run the likes of almond-crusted baby drum, and twin blackened filets
with garlic demi-glace and blue cheese. Reservations recommended. Breakfast Sunday,
lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
KELSEY'S RESTAURANT
3923 Magazine St. 897-6722
www.kelseysrest.com
Chef-owner Daniel Benn serves up "progressive Louisiana cuisine" six days
a week at this Uptown restaurant. Start with the traditional New Orleans-style
barbecued shrimp, or the salad with fresh mesclun greens, toasted pecans and
Stilton cheese. For the main event, check out the filet mignon with port mushroom
demi-glace or the seafood-stuffed eggplant Kelsey. Eat inside or out on the patio
deck. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, brunch
Sunday. Credit cards and checks. $$
LAFITTE'S
2031 St. Charles Ave. (Pontchartrain Hotel) 524-0581
Lafitte's, located at the historic Pontchartrain Hotel, is famous for its
signature Mile High Pie, a mound of Neapolitan ice cream with vanilla meringue,
topped with a chocolate fudge sauce. A new entree is the salmon Boudreaux, a
6-oz. filet served with the chef's Creole sauce, sauteed vegetables, and creamy
mashed potatoes. Or, treat yourself to the 8-oz. King Rex Filet, topped with
crumbled blue cheese and drizzled in a Creole butter sauce. Reservations recommended.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
LUCKY CHANCE
301 Decatur St. 529-2045
Lucky Chance has picked up where the old Lucky Cheng's left off with its
passion for Asian-Creole food and a transvestite wait staff. Dig into the Dim
Sum Platter, which features Imperial egg rolls, Thai shrimp batons, Spanish rangoon
and Japanese-style satay. Dancers perform numbers throughout the evening and
joke with the customers (natch). Prix fixe menus available for large parties.
Dinner Thursday through Saturday, Sunday brunch. Reservations recommended. Credit
cards. $$$
MAT & NADDIE'S
937 Leonidas St. 861-9600
This Uptown restaurant has a menu as homey and inviting as its pre-Civil
War cottage digs. Try the organic, free-range chicken breast with Belgian endive,
apples, caramelized onions, roasted walnuts, Stilton and sun-dried tomato butter,
the flavors artfully layered to please. Or if you're feeling particularly decadent,
the three-course wine dinner, in which each course is pre-matched with an appropriate
wine, may be just the thing. Reservations recommended. Lunch Tuesday through
Friday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
THE MARIGNY BRASSERIE
640 Frenchmen St. 945-4472
www.cafemarigny.com
This classy spot features all your favorite Louisiana ingredients tossed
together into inventive recipes. The tuna tartare appetizer is yellowfin tuna
tossed in a chive-lime dressing and served with a remoulade slaw, Cajun caviar,
goat cheese, pickled ginger and wasabi aioli. There's also the grilled pork tenderloin
chimichurri, accompanied by "angry potatoes" (!) and glazed baby carrots. Reservations
recommended. Dinner nightly and late-night Friday and Saturday, brunch Sunday.
Credit cards. $$
MURIEL'S JACKSON SQUARE
801 Chartres St. 568-1885
www.muriels.com
With a couple of years under its belt, this eclectic French Quarter restaurant
seems to have hit its stride. Chef Erik Veney leads the kitchen in the preparation
of New Orleans-style dishes such as pecan-crusted puppy drum with pecan-crabmeat
relish and lemon-butter sauce. His rack of lamb is crusted with goat cheese and
herbs, then served alongside basmati rice and eggplant confit. Reservations recommended.
Lunch Wednesday through Sunday, dinner daily. Credit cards and checks. $$
NAPOLEON HOUSE BAR & CAFE
500 Chartres. St. 524-9752
The Napoleon House will likely never live down its reputation for serving
top-notch muffalettas and Pimms Cups. The former is served warm with housemade
olive salad; the latter is a concoction of British, gin-based liquor, lemonade,
a splash of lemon-lime soda and a cucumber slice. No reservations. Lunch daily,
dinner Tuesday through Sunday, late-night Friday and Saturday. Credit cards.
$$
PERISTYLE
1041 Dumaine St. 593-9535
Chef Anne Kearney welcomes the winter months at her jamming French Quarter
restaurant with pan-seared squab served over dirty rice dressing with a sauce
made of foie gras and Port wine; mussels prepared in a saffron-shellfish broth
compose another warming dish. And if you're like the legions of her fans who
can't resist this lusty salad, order lump crabmeat in a horseradish dressing
served over roasted beets. Reservations recommended. Lunch Friday, dinner Tuesday
through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
QUARTER SCENE RESTAURANT
900 Dumaine St. 522-6533
www.quarterscene.com
"QSR" is all exposed brick walls, warm lighting and intimacy, a French Quarter
spot that serves up modest Creole dishes and a little bit of sass on the side.
Check out the wide selection of sandwiches, breakfast items, appetizers such
as crabcakes with cocktail or tartar sauce, and entrees including the popular
pecan-encrusted fish topped with a crawfish cream sauce. Ask for a juicy Tennessee
Williams anecdote for flavoring. Reservations recommended for parties of six
or more. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $
RESTAURANT AUGUST
301 Tchoupitoulas St. 299-9777
Award-winning Chef John Besh moved from Abita Springs to the CBD in the fall
2001, and brought his worldly, contemporary French cuisine with him. The hip
furnishings of the inside don't gloss over the tempting Besh offerings such as
the Gulf oysters topped with ginger-lavender sorbet, or foie gras prepared three
ways on one plate. This winter, try housemade gnocchi with blue crab, Parmesan
and shaved black truffles. Private dining facilities and cocktail receptions
available. Reservations required. Lunch weekdays, dinner Monday through Saturday.
Credit cards. $$$
RESTAURANT CUVEE
322 Magazine St. 587-9001
The inventive menu at Restaurant Cuvee showcases dishes such as the sugar-cane
smoked duck breast with a crispy confit leg with Cashel blue cheese and walnut
risotto, also served with a seared Hudson Valley foie gras and pear glace. And
don't miss the impressive wine list. Reservations recommended. Lunch weekdays,
dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
STELLA!
1032 Chartres St. 587-0091
www.restaurantstella.com
Louisiana native Chef Scott Boswell this winter invites you to this intimate,
17-table, smoke-free eatery three blocks down from Jackson Square for two new
menu attractions: Dine on the seared Hudson Valley foie gras, with quenelles
of Granny Smith apples, toasted brioche, huckleberry jam and burgundy reduction.
Or try the peppercorn-crusted veal ribeye in crisp veal sweetbread with jumbo
lump crab, truffled with potatoes and paragon caper butter. Reservations recommended.
Dinner nightly, except Tuesday. Credit cards. $$$
SUGAR HOUSE
315 Julia St. (Embassy Suites Hotel) 525-1993
www.embassysuites.com/es/neworleans
The Embassy Suites' in-house restaurant serves up local fare, starting with
an appetizer of crabmeat-stuffed shrimp baked and topped with coconut sprinkles.
That sets up the Sugar House Pork Medallions, which are grilled and served with
an orange coulis. Lunch buffet Monday through Friday, dinner daily. Credit cards.
$$
SUGAR MAGNOLIA
1910 Magazine St. 529-1110
www.sugarmagnoliarestaurant.com
This attractive Uptown restaurant was voted one of the "Best New Restaurants" of
2002 in Gambit Weekly's Best of New Orleans readers' poll and features
both indoor and outdoor seating. Sugar Magnolia serves up a hickory wood-grilled
pork chop with andouille stuffing and root beer sauce or, if seafood is your
thing, there's always a fresh new catch of the day. The cream cheese-stuffed
French toast with seasonal berries is a breakfast favorite. Catering and takeout
available. Reservations accepted for six or more. Brunch Saturday and Sunday,
lunch Monday through Sunday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Credit cards. $$
UNCLE BUCKS CAJUN & CREOLE GRILL
811 Conti St. 299-8496
www.unclebucksgrill.com
Uncle Bucks, a yearling French Quarter restaurant, serves a roster of Cajun
and Creole favorites. Alligator legs ("Gator Wings") are boiled with seafood
boil seasonings, baked and drenched in secret sauce. Louisiana -- only Louisiana
-- crawfish are boiled daily and served with corn and potatoes. Uncle Bucks also
ships Louisiana seafood and prepared dishes nationwide. Delivery available. No
reservations. Lunch Friday through Sunday, dinner and late-night daily. Cash
only. $
WOLFE'S OF NEW ORLEANS
7224 Pontchartrain Blvd. 284-6004
www.wolfesofneworleans.com.
After being named a "Chef to Watch" in 2001 by Esquire magazine, Chef
Tom Wolfe isn't resting on his laurels. Sure, you can still get his signature
roasted duck stuffed with foie gras and served with a Calvados reduction, but
adventuresome diners can now try the five-course degustation menu for $40, and
early birds can fly in for a $14.95 three-course tasting. Reservations recommended.
Lunch and dinner weekdays, dinner Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
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