CREOLE
ANTOINE'S 713 St. Louis St. 581-4422; www.antoines.com Classic entrees from the impressively lengthy menu include the Pompano Ponchartrain, a grilled fillet with lump crabmeat sauteed in butter, and the chicken Rochambeau, a broiled boneless half of chicken bathed in bearnaise sauce and sweet Rochambeau sauce and served over a slice of ham. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards and checks. $$$
ARNAUD'S 813 Bienville St. 523-5433; www.arnauds.com The Crabmeat Karen is an Arnaud's classic, with Louisiana crabmeat and mushrooms baked inside a puff pastry and served in white wine sauce. The icon, however, may be Shrimp Arnaud: jumbo Gulf shrimp marinated in Creole remoulade sauce and grilled to perfect succulence. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
BARRISTER'S PATIO BAR & GRILL 2120 Pakenham Drive, Chalmette 271-2500 The Eggplant Napoleon is a dish of exceptional decadence: fried eggplant with eggplant and shrimp dressing, covered in hollandaise and served over pasta with pesto cream sauce. The early bird special includes an entree, drink and bread pudding for $10.95. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
BRENNAN'S RESTAURANT 417 Royal St. 525-9711; www.brennansneworleans.com Eggs Hussarde are a popular Brennan creation: Holland rusks topped with Canadian bacon, marchand de vin, a poached egg, and finally gently bathed in the finest of hollandaise sauces. The new filet Serice is 9 ounces stuffed with Boursin cheese and an orange cabernet sauce. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
BROUSSARD'S 819 Conti St. 581-3866; www.broussards.com The Broussard Smile is made with Courvoisier, Mandarin Napoleon and peach schnapps. Pompano Broussard comes grilled and tucked into a puff pastry shell alongside shrimp and scallops. Another good choice would be the veal tenderloin, sauteed French-style with crabmeat, mushrooms, and béchamel, along with a port wine reduction. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
CAFE ADELAIDE AND THE SWIZZLE STICK LOUNGE Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St. 595-3305; www.cafeadelaide.com The centerpiece at the bar is a 75-pound block of ice, from which the bartenders hand-chip the rocks for cocktails. This balance of refinement and playfulness carries over to the menu, which offers such delights as pistachio-crusted lamb sirloin served with mirliton shrimp croquettes and a cane and pepper jelly demi-glace. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Brunch Saturday-Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
CAFE GUMBOLAYA 1000 N. Peters St. 523-7418 This French Quarter joint always pleases alike with a relaxed atmosphere and generous portions of New Orleans classics. The house specialty is the namesake Gumbolaya, a combination of the two local favorites. Red beans and rice, shrimp Creole, fried okra and fried green tomatoes are also winners. Reservations accepted for large groups. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
CAFE MASPERO 601 Decatur St. 523-6250 This congenial spot often sports a long line snaking down Decatur Street of determined diners waiting for their crocks of French onion soup and fresh strawberry daiquiris. Other local standards show up on the menu as well, including overstuffed po-boys and muffalettas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily, late nights Friday and Saturday. Cash only. $
CAFE SBISA 1011 Decatur St. 522-5565; www.cafesbisa.com Enjoy the sounds of nightly live traditional jazz on the veranda, in the courtyard or on the balcony, and sample Creole specialties like barbecue shrimp or speckled trout Meuniere. More innovative touches include the grilled 20-oz. pork porterhouse, served with apple bacon chipotle barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese mashed potatoes and firecracker onion rings. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily, jazz brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$
CHARTRES HOUSE CAFE 601 Chartres St. 586-8383 Visitors flock to this airy, open cafe to enjoy New Orleans dining classics like po-boys, jambalaya and gumbo with an uninterrupted view of the goings-on in the streets. No reservations. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Credit cards. $
CHRISTIAN'S RESTAURANT 3835 Iberville St. 482-4924; www.christiansrestaurant-neworleans.com Try the oyster en brochette, topped with a beurre noir sauce, and move onto the hearty bouillabaisse Marseillaise -- fish filets, shrimp, oysters and mussels poached in a saffron-seasoned fish stock. Reservations recommended. Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
CLANCY'S 6100 Annunciation St. 895-1111 Clancy's gets hopping around happy hour when Uptowners retreat to the bar to sample the fine scotch collection and wine list. But the real action is in the dining room, where the contemporary Louisiana menu features fried oysters with Brie, smoked softshell crab, lobster risotto and grilled fish. Reservations recommended. Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards and local checks. $$
COFFEE POT 714 St. Peter St. 524-3500 Jambalaya, shrimp Creole and seafood gumbo are tried and true favorites at this French Quarter standby. Breakfast is a fortifying affair, featuring Southern staples like grits and grillades and biscuits slathered with rich country gravy. Reservations required for large parties. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
COMMANDER'S PALACE 1403 Washington Ave. 899-8221; www.commanderspalace.com This Brennan family flagship is known for turtle soup redolent with sherry and cream, as well as Sunday jazz brunch staples like the eggs Sardou and the delightfully decadent peaches and cream pain perdu. Reservations required. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily, jazz brunch Saturday and Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
CORNER OYSTER BAR AND GRILL 500 St. Peter St. 522-2999; www.thecorneroysterbarandgrill.com With 16 TV sets going in the bar, the only way you'll miss any part of the game is if you look down at your plate -- which is hard not to do, with a solid menu of local classics like crawfish etouffee, barbecue shrimp and blackened catfish over pasta. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $
THE COURT OF TWO SISTERS 613 Royal St. 522-7261; www.courtoftwosisters.com Elaborate specialty entrees include the chicken Michelle, in which the chef stuffs a boneless breast of chicken with a seafood dressing and wraps it in phyllo dough before popping it in the oven, to be topped later with a Creole mustard hollandaise sauce. Reservations recommended. Jazz brunch, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
FEELINGS CAFE 2600 Chartres St. 945-2222; www.feelingscafe.com Live music drifts in from the piano bar as you tuck into veal d'Aunoy, sliced and sauteed in herb and lemon butter, garnished with fresh mushrooms new potatoes and topped with Hollandaise. Reservations recommended. Lunch Friday, dinner nightly, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$
GALATOIRE'S RESTAURANT 209 Bourbon St. 525-2021; www.galatoires.com A much-loved part of New Orleans mythology, celebrating its centennial this year, Galatoire's is as famous for its its see-and-be-seen Friday lunches. The traditional starter is the shrimp remoulade; from there move on to other classics like the fish amandine meuniere, or the oysters en brochette. Reservations recommended upstairs. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
GUMBO SHOP 630 St. Peters St. 525-1486; www.gumboshop.com Historic New Orleans is served up here, in the form of savory gumbo and other traditional local delicacies. Smoked duck and oyster gumbo is a hearty winter favorite, as is the chicken Espagnole, braised in a rich dark gravy with shallots, mushrooms, wine and garlic. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
THE HUNT ROOM GRILL 214 Royal St. (Hotel Monteleone) 523-3341; www.hotelmonteleone.com The house recommends the Black Angus sirloin or the almond crusted snapper lightly sauteed with white wine and butter sauce. The Marquis Chocolat, a chocolate roulade soaked in Kirsch and served with mango-raspberry sauce, makes a happy ending to any meal. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
JAZZ SEAFOOD & STEAKHOUSE 2722 Williams Blvd., Kenner 468-3237 The kitchen improvises on Creole traditions with dishes that features both aged steaks and fried local seafood. The management recommends the eggplant Napoleon with pan-sauteed eggplant covered with a seafood cream sauce. Save room for a slice of the bananas Foster pie. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
LA CUISINE 225 W. Harrison Ave. 486-7664 La Cuisine uses the freshest seafood in their Creole recipes. Guests can't go wrong with softshell crab three ways topped with amandine, meuniere and Pontchartrain sauces. The daily lunch menu has recently been updated to include brunch favorites like grits and grillades. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards and checks. $$
LE CITRON BISTRO 1539 Religious St. 566-9051; www.lecitronbistro.com The kitchen tops the St. John Baptist catfish fillet with lump crabmeat sauce and serves sweet potato chips and papaya sauce on the side. The fried chicken is free-range, and they serve potent Chimay beer on tap. Lunch Wednesday through Friday, dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Reservations required for parties of five or more. Credit cards. $$
MARGAUX'S 8400 Oak St. 865-1559 It takes a careful touch to update a favorite like the former Zachary's, so the new owners wisely kept the popular Creole lunch and brunch while adding some innovations in the evenings. The dinner menu changes monthly and features dishes like sweet potato-crusted salmon and seared redfish. Reservations recommended. Breakfast Monday through Saturday, lunch buffet and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, brunch Sunday. Reservations recommended. Major cards. $$
MR. B'S BISTRO 201 Royal St. 523-2078; www.mrbsbistro.com The kitchen's rendition of New Orleans barbecue shrimp is legendary, the Gumbo Ya Ya with chicken and andouille can't be beat and the pasta jambalaya with shrimp, andouille, duck and chicken morsels in a buttery sauce over spinach fettuccine adds a twist to a classic. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner Monday through Sunday, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
OLD COFFEE POT 714 St. Peter St. 524-3500 The Coffee Pot gets you started with generous helpings of hot biscuits and gravy and grits and grillades. Later meals offer Cajun favorites like blackened redfish, shrimp Creole, and a seafood platter with fried oysters, shrimp, trout and softshell crab. Reservations required for large parties. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $
OLDE NAWLINS COOKERY 729 Conti St. 529-3663; www.oldenawlinscookery.com The Cookery's menu reads like a dictionary of Creole cuisine; turtle soup, blacken redfish topped with both crawfish and a tangy veloute sauce of white wine, lemon and green onions and a classic crawfish etouffee all make an appearance. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
OLIVIER'S CREOLE RESTAURANT 204 Decatur St. 525-7734 The moist Creole rabbit, a staple of 19th century New Orleans, is first braised, then simmered in roux gravy and finally served with a sage seasoned oyster dressing. A gumbo sampler includes Creole, file and okra versions of the classic Cajun stew. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
THE ORIGINAL PIERRE MASPERO'S RESTAURANT 440 Chartres St. 524-8990 No matter the meal, this French Quarter institution can satisfy your appetite. Enjoy a spicy Blood Mary and eggs for breakfast, a muffaletta and a beer for lunch, and an afternoon snack of baked crawfish bread topped with crawfish tails and mushroom cream sauce. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Credit cards. $$
ORLEANS CAFE 135 Decatur St. 581-1136 Chip Wilson plays traditional jazz every Wednesday as guests put away plates of Tuna Marigny with crawfish tails in Crystal cream sauce and Red Fish Americaine, blackened red fish in lobster cream sauce. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, late night Friday and Saturday. Credit cards. $$
PALACE CAFE 605 Canal St. 523-1661; www.palacecafe.com For an entree, the management particularly recommends the barbecue duck with a grilled breast and hickory-smoked leg finished with a chicory barbecue sauce. Housemade charcuterie may be a fad across the nation, but Chef Darin Nesbit has been making his own sausages and cured meats for years. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Saturday-Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
PAMPY'S CREOLE KITCHEN 2005 N. Broad St. 949-7970; www.pampyscreolekitchen.com Pampy's found the secret to fabulous fried chicken: hire legendary fry master Austin Leslie. Creole file gumbo, deep-fried Cornish hen injected with Cajun spices, fiery Buffalo shrimp and other old favorites are still on the menu at this Seventh Ward establishment. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, dinner Saturday. Credit cards. $$
PATTON'S RESTAURANT AT THE HISTORIC SALMEN-FRITCHIE HOUSE 127 Cleveland Ave., Slidell (866) 6-Patton; www.pattonsrestaurant.com In a restored 1895 home, guests indulge in Jim Beam Drunk'n Duck, duck breast with caramelized onions, mushroom savory bread pudding and Jim Beam sauce, and Trout Thomas, a pan seared trout topped with crabmeat lemon wine sauce. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thursday through Saturday, brunch Sunday. Credit cards and checks. $$
THE PEARL RESTAURANT AND OYSTER BAR 119 St. Charles Ave. 525-2901 The mosaic of oysters on the sidewalk outside lets diners know that plenty gulf oysters await them inside. Since the 1920s, Pearl has been serving seafood gumbo of shrimp, crab and okra and crawfish etouffee at this location just beyond the French Quarter. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Credit cards. $$
PERE ANTOINE 741 Royal St. 581-4478 Dishes that show off local flavors such as the Seafood Pirogue reflect Pere Antoine's connection to New Orleans food. It's a casserole of crabmeat, scallops and shrimp blended with rice, white wine and a hint of spinach in a cheesy cream sauce. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Credit cards. $$
PETUNIA'S RESTAURANT 817 St. Louis St. 522-6440; www.petuniasrestaurant.com Divine 14-inch crepes named after saints, like the St. Edith stuffed with cheddar, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and ham covered with hollandaise, grace the menu here. Po-boys, jambalaya and other Cajun and Creole specialties are served for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended for dinner. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
PONTCHARTRAIN CAFE 2031 St. Charles Ave. (Pontchartrain Hotel) 524-0581; www.pontchartrainhotel.com Even before they tuck into the blackened trout Pontchartrain covered in crabmeat, diners know what they're ordering for dessert: the signature Mile High Pie. The colossal pie begins with an 8-inch stack of Neapolitan ice cream in a pie crust with layers of peppermint ice cream and meringue on top. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
RED MAPLE 1036 Lafayette St., Gretna 367-0935 A longstanding centerpiece of West Bank social life has been revitalized with a new menu. Creole dishes include mirliton stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat, oysters and andouille and the eggplant Maple topped with sauteed shrimp in a black pepper sauce. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
RIVER 127' 100 Iberville St. (Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place, 11th floor) 553-5082; www.wyndham.com Look down on the world while enjoying an order of shrimp Grande Isle, battered gulf shrimp in garlic parsley and lemon garlic sauce, or a few Barataria Bay crabcakes seasoned with fresh herbs and finished with lemon caper butter. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
RIVER'S EDGE RESTAURANT 801 Decatur St. 525-4478 Eaters who like variety appreciate the daily specials, homemade soup of the day and the River's Edge sampler with chicken gumbo, shrimp Creole, red beans, jambalaya and bread pudding. For some guests, though, only the blackened baby back ribs will satisfy their hunger. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
THE ROCK 5209 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie 885-3762 A solid place for tangy barbecue shrimp, fresh-cut fillets and a constantly updated specials board. All desserts are homemade, so don't have a meal without one. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
SAZERAC BAR & GRILL 123 Baronne St. (Fairmont Hotel) 529-4733 The Sazerac serves exquisite cocktails, but the Pontchartrain jumbo shrimp is celebrated here. Try imaginative pasta dishes like the pecan pesto sauce, tossed with tomatoes, artichokes, shrimp, andouille, basil and garlic in penne pasta and finished with a hint of cream. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
TRICOU HOUSE 711 Bourbon St. 525-8379; www.711bourbon.com Make this a stop on your French Quarter party route for (so the chef insists) the best etouffee on Bourbon Street. You can also fortify yourself with daily all-you-can-eat specials: catfish on Monday and Thursday, barbecue ribs on Wednesday and Sunday, and boiled Cajun shrimp daily. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
TUJAGUE'S 823 Decatur St. 525-8676; www.tujagues.com The city's second-oldest restaurant has been satisfying patrons since before the Civil War. The shrimp remoulade is classic and admirable, as is the beef brisket with Creole sauce. Lighter items are available at the bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
UPPERLINE RESTAURANT 1413 Upperline St. 891-9822; www.upperline.com The New York Times recently declared Upperline's Cane River Shrimp (shrimp, garlic, mushroom and bacon sauteed together and laid across crispy grits) the best in the nation. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
African | American | American Contemporary | Bagels
Bar & Grill | Barbecue | Belgian | Brewpub | Burgers | Cafe
Cajun | Caribbean | Chinese | Coffee & Dessert | Creole
Crepes | Deli | Diner | French | Gourmet-to-Go | Greek
Indian | Intercontinental | Italian | Japanese | Latin American
Louisiana Contemporary | Mediterranean
Mexican & Southwestern | Middle Eastern | Music & Food
Neighborhood | Panasian | Pizza | Sandwiches & Po-Boys
Seafood | Soul | Steakhouse | Tapas | Thai
Vegetarian & Health Food | Vietnamese
Other Stories This Week in Features:
Shopping News
Ultimate Shopper
The Royal Treatment
Cover Story
WINTER RESTAURANT GUIDE
Feature
A Classic Celebration
Blake Pontchartrain™
New Orleans Know-It-All
Shoptalk
Monkey Business
|
