AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY
AUSTIN'S RESTAURANT 5101 W. Esplanade St., Metairie 888-5533 Try the redfish Papillote, wherein a fresh fillet is baked in puff pastry and served in a sauce of crawfish, crabmeat, and butter. The spumone amaretto cheesecake is an indulgence that shouldn't be missed, unless you're ordering the white chocolate bread pudding instead. Reservations recommended. Dinner Monday through Saturday, available by special arrangement for banquets and parties for lunch. Credit cards. $$
BAR AND BISTRO LA LOUISIANE 725 Iberville St. 387-8200; www.lalouisiane.com After a reopening last April, La Louisiane has recalibrated itself for a more contemporary, slick feel. The food meanwhile maintains its finesse with such offerings as the Colorado lamb braised in a tomato-based broth with a hint of orange zest, served over pan-crisped polenta. Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner daily. Reservations recommended. Credit cards. $$
BELLA LUNA 914 N. Peters St. 529-1583 The roasted loin of lamb is herbed and topped with a shallot and garlic gravy with housemade sausage. Their sauteed redfish comes with corn maque choux and a meuniere sauce. Be sure to leave room for the fluffy richness that is the white chocolate cheesecake drizzled in Godiva chocolate sauce. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
BOMBAY CLUB 830 Conti St. 586-0972; thebombayclub.com Recently recommended dishes include the Bombay filet, a center-cut 8 oz. prime tenderloin topped with Stilton cheese, creamy mashed potatoes and bordelaise sauce. The chicken Saltimbucca is wrapped in prosciutto and served with wild mushrooms and a reduced Marsala wine sauce. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily, late-night Thursday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
COBALT 333 St. Charles Ave. 565-5595; www.cobaltrestaurant.com New twists on classic dishes include the crispy softshell crab sandwich, served with lemon-basil mayonnaise, bacon and sweet hot pickled fried green tomatoes, barbecue mussels served with jalapeno cornbread, and barbecued pork tenderloin served with white cheddar mashed potatoes. Reservations recommended. Breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily, brunch Saturday-Sunday. Credit cards. $$
COPELAND'S CHEESECAKE BISTRO 2001 St. Charles Ave. 593-9955; 4517 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie 454-7620; www.copelandscheesecakebistro.com Everything's larger than life at the Cheesecake Bistro, from the generous servings of home-style American food with a twist to the awe-inspiring desserts to the party atmosphere. Try a comforting classic like the Cobb salad, chicken pot pie or pot roast special. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Saturday-Sunday. Credit cards. $$ CRYSTAL ROOM 833 Poydras St. (Le Pavillon Hotel) 581-3111; www.lepavillon.com The weekend breakfast buffet offers a spread of everything from standards like eggs Benedict to innovations like the bananas Foster waffle. Also sample the weekday lunch buffet, which offers a variety of soups, salads and pasta. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$ THE DELACHAISE 3442 St. Charles Ave. 895-0858 New menu items include steamed mussels in a curry cream sauce, ratatouille in vol-au-vent pastry, and steak au poivre in a pink peppercorn brandy cream sauce. At the bar, choose from 45 beers, 75 wines by the glass and more than 100 spirits. No reservations. Dinner and late-night daily. Credit cards. $$
HERBSAINT BAR & RESTAURANT 701 St. Charles Ave. 524-4114; www.herbsaint.com Gourmet's guide to America's best restaurants called a meal at Herbsaint 'a picture of modern New Orleans in action.' Apparently, modern New Orleans in action (courtesy Chef Donald Link and partner Susan Spicer) looks a lot like pan-roasted Gulf shrimp with romesco and toasted almonds. Reservations recommended. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
HOOKAH CAFE 1407 Decatur St. 943-1101; www.hookah-cafe.com Customers can eat tandoor salmon, grilled lamb sirloin, tofu or a host of other dishes from the extensive menu while enjoying nightly entertainment that includes singers and DJs. The salmon starts with a fillet that's marinated overnight in a basil-herb sauce before it's roasted over wood charcoal in the tandoor and served with sauteed asparagus spears and Wild Mushroom Bryanni (crimini and shiitake mushrooms cooked in curry sauce with raisins, onions and rice). Reservations accepted for large parties before 8:30 p.m. Dinner and late-night daily. Delivery available. Credit cards. $$
KABBY'S ON THE RIVER 2 Poydras St. (Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel) 584-3880; www.emarketing360.com/hilton/no/hnor/ Watch the riverboats drift along the Mississippi while dining on a grilled yellowfin tuna with roasted pepper couscous. The upscale restaurant's eclectic menu of contemporary cuisine also includes blue crab bisque and a toasted pecan spinach salad. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$$
LA PETITE GROCERY 4238 Magazine St., 891-3377 Chef and part-owner Anton Schulte was Anne Kearney's chef de cuisine at Peristyle, while Schulte's wife, Diane (who directs the dining room), also worked at Peristyle. Enjoy the wide array of reduction sauces that grace such dishes as the veal flank steak with naturally pepper-scented French lentils and a beefy tomato-Dijon demi-glace. Reservations accepted. Dinner Monday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
LAFAYETTE SPORTS CLUB 600 St. Charles Ave. (Lafayette Hotel) 410-2582; www.doylerestaurantgroup.com Lafayette feeds fans filet mignon with a glass of burgundy. Burgers are also available, including the Boggy Hebert made with Cajun turkey instead of beef. Lafayette doesn't forget the most important part of any sports bar: plenty of televisions. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, brunch and dinner Saturday-Sunday. Credit cards. $$
LOUISIANA STAR 409 N. Columbia St., Covington (985) 893-8873 Start with an appetizer of steamed mussels in spicy white wine cream sauce, accompanied by sweet potato fries. Move onto Poulet Roti, an herbed, marinated roasted half chicken served with mashed potatoes, caramelized cauliflower and tasso ham jus. Reservations accepted for groups of six or more. Lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$
LULU'S IN THE GARDEN 2203 St. Charles Ave., Garden District Hotel 586-9956; www.lulusinthegarden.com Chef Corbin Evans gathers seasonal local ingredients and prepares them with a light touch. The winter menu includes slow roasted salmon with braised red cabbage and sweet mash, mustard crusted catfish with goat cheese creamed lima beans and a pan-roasted chicken breast served with bacon mashed potatoes covered with black-eyed pea brown butter gravy. Reservations accepted. Breakfast Monday through Saturday, lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Wednesday through Sunday, brunch Sunday. Credit cards. $$
MAPLE STREET CAFE 7623 Maple St. 314-9003 Many diners opt for the salads and sandwiches, but the Duck Jameel, a pepper-crusted duck breast with blueberry cognac sauce, and the filet portobello, a grilled steak topped with a portobello mushroom in a balsamic port wine demi-glace, are both excellent options for guests seeking something more elaborate. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, dinner Sunday. Credit cards. $$
NOLA 534 St. Louis St. 522-6652; www.emerils.com The signature cedar plank fish, a seasonal fish rubbed with citrus and horseradish baked on a cedar plank, brings joy to locals and tourists alike. The roasted duck glace with a caramel whiskey sauce is also popular. Gambit Weekly readers voted Emeril Lagasse the best chef in New Orleans for 2004. Reservations highly recommended. Lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner nightly. Credit cards. $$$
ORLEANS GRAPEVINE 720 Orleans Ave. 523-1930; www.orleansgrapevine.com Orleans Grapevine offers 60 wines by the glass to accompany dishes like Boursin-stuffed chicken breast on a ragout of black-eyed peas, tasso, mushroom and spinach. Perhaps a glass of Australian wine would go well with Dijon mustard and herb crusted New Zealand rack of lamb coated in mint infused demi-glace? No reservations. Dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
STEVE'S DINER 828 Gravier St. 522-8198 Steve's a friendly guy, and keeps his food friendly by offering home-style breakfasts and offering daily specials. If you're not in the mood for eggs and grits, the California Wrap includes turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, avocado, cucumber and lettuce with mayonnaise and Creole mustard in a sun-dried tomato basil wrap. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Credit cards. $
TCHOUP-N-JOE'S 870 Tchoupitoulas St. 581-2858 Tchoup-N-Joe's has been happily cruising along for nine months now and attracts local folks with fare like char-grilled oysters and grilled portobello mushrooms. Don't forget the three flat-screen TV's zeroed in on football. No reservations. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Credit cards. $
THE VELVET ROOM 916 Lafayette St. 589-0069 The building that houses the Velvet Room was a bordello built in 1850. In keeping with its past, the little velvet-clad jazz and blues supper club seduces diners with dishes like the Aphrodisiac Duck Salad and the Shrimp Menage a Trois. Reservations recommended. Lunch Wednesday through Friday, dinner and late-night Wednesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
VICTOR'S GRILL 921 Canal St. (The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans) 524-1331; www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/new_orleans Chef Matt Murphy is the man behind the food at Victor's Grill, and he promises new menu items come February. Until then, enjoy the lobster Thermidor and grilled New York strip with seared foie gras. The pecan-crusted rack of lamb is served with grilled vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. Reservations highly recommended. Breakfast daily, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Credit cards. $$$
ZEA ROTISSERIE 1401 W. Esplanade Ave. (The Esplanade Mall), Kenner 468-7733; 1655 Hickory Ave., Harahan 738-079 They are famous for their selection of rotisserie meat and chicken, but the Thai ribs (pork ribs marinated in Thai sauce and slow cooked with sesame seeds and cilantro) are also popular. The less carnivorous enjoy the entree-size spinach salad dressed with pepper jelly vinaigrette. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards. $$
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