Respond to this Story

Burgers are clearly at the forefront at the Balcony Bar & Cafe.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Our list wouldn't be worthy of New Orleans if it didn't begin with a category as close to home as 'alligator.' Sample this local delicacy as an appetizer at Praline Connection: fried alligator sausage served with barbecue sauce. Dry Dock Cafe serves an alligator sausage po-boy on French bread, topped with sauteed onion and peppers. In addition to its Chinese offerings, Trey Yuen's menu includes alligator with fresh mushrooms and Szechuan spicy alligator, which combines marinated, sliced meat and shredded vegetables in a soy-based sauce, all seasoned with garlic, ginger and crushed Szechuan peppers. Red Fish Grill pulls and smothers its Atchafalaya alligator in an Abita Amber barbecue sauce and serves it over grilled focaccia. A new specialty of The Grocery is its sausage melt: pork and alligator links, grilled onions and peppers, provolone and horseradish mayonnaise, all pressed and served on French bread. The grilled seafood selection at Mulate's includes tender pieces of alligator served with jambalaya and a twice-baked potato.

ARTICHOKE

Theo's specialty pizzas include the Arti-Garlic, topped with olive oil, purple onions, artichoke, garlic, feta, mozzarella, Anaheim peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. Java Grotto stuffs its pita-bread Greek wrap with cucumbers, artichokes, feta, olives and greens. Ragusa's is known as the 'home of the original artichoke bread'; its po-boy selections include one featuring fried artichokes, remoulade, lettuce and tomato. Starters at the Pontchartrain Grille include the artichoke and spinach casserole: heart of artichoke and fresh spinach blended with aged Parmigiano-Reggiano and served with corn tortilla chips.

In addition to its artichoke pizza, Pizza Florence offers a sandwich which combines artichoke, mushrooms, onions, feta, mozzarella, tomato and garlic sauce. Isabella's Pizzeria fills a calzone with sauteed artichoke hearts, spinach, Roma tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, red onions and feta cheese. The Palm Court tropical salad features shrimp, artichokes, egg, olives and exotic fruits. Begin a meal at Bravo! Italian Kitchen with the artichoke and spinach formaggio dip, served with wood-fired Parmesan flatbread. Dino's Bar & Grill serves its spinach and artichoke dip with housemade chips. La Provence features artichoke barigoule, baby artichokes cooked with white wine, lemon juice and herbes de Provence.

ASPARAGUS

Vega Tapas Cafe's hot tapas menu includes Asparagus a la Plancha, grilled spears served with marinated mushrooms and skordalia. Reginelli's presses blanched asparagus, prosciutto, caramelized onions and fontina cheese with dill aioli for one of its pita press sandwiches. Local mixed lettuces, shaved raw asparagus and toasted pistachio are topped with champagne vinaigrette and Parmigiano-Reggiano at Ristorante del Porto. Bite into Coffee Cove's focaccia sandwich featuring grilled asparagus, avocado, tomatoes, Swiss and herb cheeses, and alfalfa sprouts. Chef Duke's Cafe Giovanni offers Tuscany asparagus: fresh asparagus stuffed with mozzarella, wrapped in prosciutto and lightly fried, then served with sun-dried-pumpkin-seed pesto and basil pesto.

BAGEL

La Chatelaine tops its bagels with thinly sliced salmon and serves them with cream cheese, capers, chopped eggs, sweet onions and lemon. The selection at New York Bagel Company and Cafe ranges from plain and pumpernickel to sun-dried tomato and asiago. Cafe D'Cappuccino in Kenner serves Barry's Bagel, topped with egg, ham, cheese and bacon. Bayou Bagelry & Deli puts a twist on a local staple with its bagel-letta, a sandwich of ham, salami, Swiss cheese and olive salad served hot or cold. First Cup Cafe offers bagels and cream cheese and pastries to go along with its gourmet coffee and organic teas.

BEANS

Marie Abadie invites you to live la Dolce Vita (ice cream on a cookie) at Fellini?s.

Photo by Donn Young

BEEF

Tujague's Restaurant is known for its house specialty: beef brisket with Creole sauce. Liborio Cuban Restaurant's Bistec Cubano, or Cuban steak, is thinly cut beef seasoned with garlic, lime and herbs and generously garnished with onions and parsley, all accompanied by plantains and black beans and rice. Fiesta Latina Restaurant recommends the carne asada, spicy grilled beef served with rice, beans, ranchero sauce, cheese, salad, warm flour tortillas and fried plantains on the side. The Jimani offers Quarterites all-beef hot dogs 'made as you like.' Over at The Texas Bar-B-Que Company, start with the Texas beef tips, seasoned USDA choice beef cubes sauteed with fresh onions, mushrooms and bell peppers.

Riverside Bar and Grill presents the Trio Platter, which features a choice of three barbecued meats (including brisket, sausage, ribs and chicken) and two sides (including salad, potato salad, green beans, fries and more). Pho Tau Bay's encyclopedic menu includes the Bo Nhung Dam, vinaigrette-fondue beef medallions prepared tableside and served with a fresh basket of herbs, rice papers for wrapping and nuoc mam sauce for dipping. The Crystal Room's beef Bourguignon stews aged beef tenderloin tips in a vintage Burgundy and serves them over buttered noodles. The Dock of Slidell serves Dock Rocker Nachos, covered in chili, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos and sour cream.

West Bank destination 9 Roses advertises 'taste bud teasers,' which include the Bo Nuong Vi, marinated sliced beef prepared tableside with butter on a hot plate served with lettuce, mint, cucumbers, pickled carrots, rice paper and nuoc mam sauce. For its Beef Din, China Imperial sautes beef with cashew nuts, mushrooms, scallions, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts in hot sauce. Grab a cold one at Cooter Brown's and chow down on a Cooter Dog, a quarter-pound, all-beef frank grilled and served with Swiss, provolone and cheddar cheese, chili, and sauerkraut. The beef kebabs at Salt 'N' Pepper Restaurant feature ground beef mixed with onion, garlic and other spices.

O'Flaherty's Irish Pub prepares Irish beef stew from scratch, using a family recipe that calls for tender chunks of beef and vegetables; the stew is served with homemade soda bread. Las Penitas' ropa vieja is shredded beef with sauteed onions and peppers and tomato sauce, served with rice and beans or gallo pinto and sweet plantains. Smilie's salad selections include the beef brisket salad, which tosses Romaine lettuce, white onions, toasted pecans, crumbled blue cheese and pieces of brisket in a homemade vinaigrette dressing.

Melius Bar and Cafe tops its hamburger steak with grilled onions and serves it with mashed potatoes and a choice of vegetable or salad. Vic's Kangaroo Cafe makes shepherd's pie with minced beef and vegetables and serves it with mashed potatoes topped with melted cheddar cheese. Kim Son marinates beef with lemongrass, then sautes it and serves it warm to be rolled in lettuce and rice paper. Purple Roses' beef lemongrass vermicelli bowl is sauteed beef, sweet onion and lemongrass mixed with the house's special sauce, topped with peanuts and grilled onions, and served over vermicelli noodles in a bed of fresh bean sprouts and cucumbers.

BELL PEPPER

El Original Pupuseria Divino Corazon takes bell peppers and sautes them with beef or chicken strips, onions, mild jalapenos and tomatoes for its Bistec Ranchero. The chef's specialties at Sesame Inn include the Bride & Groom, which marries sauteed red and green bell peppers with strips of beef and chicken, baby corn and snow pea pods in a special sauce.

Sal and Sam's stuffs a pepper with ground beef, hot sausage and mozzarella cheese, tops it with a rich red sauce, and then serves it over angel hair pasta. Louisiana Pizza Kitchen stuffs theirs with shrimp, crawfish, andouille and ground beef, tops it with Parmesan and serves it with marinara. Mr. Ed's Seafood & Italian Restaurant fills theirs with shrimp, crabmeat and crawfish. Mr. Roo's stuffed bell peppers, the Friday special, burst with ground meat and shrimp and are served with mashed potatoes, a vegetable salad and French bread.

Chip Flanagan, the chef de cuisine at The Bar & Bistro at La Louisiane, shows off the shrimp Napoleon.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Fish, shrimp, scallops, mussels and Gulf oysters swim in a tomato broth for Broussard's Louisiana bouillabaisse, which is finished with crabmeat and rouille croutons. Over at GW Fins, the bouillabaisse includes lobster, mussels, scallops, shrimp and white fish, all in a rich saffron lobster broth. As part of its dinner menu, Begue's at the Royal Sonesta Hotel offers its grouper bouillabaisse, braised in a bouillabaisse broth and served with mussels, shrimp, clams, saffron potatoes, vegetable bouquetiere, roville sauce and sourdough croutons. Girod's Bistro presents its saffron tomato broth with fresh Gulf fish, shrimp and oysters, topped with aioli and falafel cake.

BREAD

Cajun Cabin's appetizers include the Original Bread Quartet, servings of the house's shrimp scampi bread, gator bread, crawfish pirogue and bayou spinach bread, each of which feature ingredients topping crunchy French bread. La Boulangerie changes its offerings of fresh baked breads, pastries and muffins daily. Louisiana Grill's Myrtle Mary Bread is New Orleans French bread covered with lump crabmeat and crawfish au gratin sauce and topped with mozzarella. Look for Petunia's Restaurant's pain perdu, the New Orleans version of French toast that incorporates your choice of ham, bacon or sausage. Ristorante Carmelo features a variety of foccacia and bruschetta, including the Bruschetta Pomodoro e Basilico, garlic bread topped with basil and tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil. La Spiga Bakery offers homemade breads in addition to its sweets and panini sandwiches.

BREAD PUDDING

The dessert menu at Tommy's Cuisine leads off with pecan praline bread pudding, served with bananas in a classic Foster sauce and vanilla ice cream. Visit the Coffee Cottage for white chocolate bread pudding: warm bread pudding made from buttery croissants and real white chocolate and served with white chocolate sauce. Mr. B's Bistro is known for its bread pudding, a Brennan family recipe rich in eggs, cream and butter and served warm with an Irish whiskey sauce. Nicole's Italian Restaurant features an array of homemade desserts, including bread pudding made with croissants and amaretto and topped with white chocolate and milk-chocolate shavings.

BURGER

Krystal's B.A. Burger is a Black Angus chuck patty on a toasted Kaiser roll, with your choice of grape tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, chopped onions and pickles; add bacon or cheese if you please. Camellia Grill's Doc Brinker's Burger features two patties cooked to order and served with Swiss cheese on rye and sides of chili and coleslaw. Schiro's branches out with its veggie burger, dressed with your choice of pesto, peanut sauce, mayo, ketchup and/or mustard. Bud's Broiler's famous grilled burgers are cooked to order; topping options include chili, cheese, hickory sauce and onions. Hero's gets mobbed for its Goodfella, a half-pound chargrilled burger topped with sauteed onions, peppers and melted Swiss cheese.

As of June 1, there is yet another location to satisfy cravings for the eponymous offerings of Lee's Hamburgers. Fatburger serves, well, Fatburgers, which come grilled or charbroiled with a variety of topping choices. Ground Pat'i's 'hall of flame' includes the applewood bacon cheese Ground Pat'i, topped with applewood smoked bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. Sail into Port of Call for one of its half-pound burgers accompanied by a baked potato. Attack Stitches' Bar and Grill's Triple By-Pass, a burger patty with double cheese and double bacon on top of a hot sausage patty. Catch the game and a 10-oz. burger at Sidelines Bar & Grill in Metairie. The Blue Moon burger is a hefty patty cooked to order and loaded with cheddar, bacon and honey-hickory barbecue sauce.

Get your story straight with The Alibi burger, 10 ounces of freshly ground beef round, cooked to your request and served with fries or baked potato. Brooks' Seahorse Saloon offers it half-pound burgers dressed with cheese or bacon and fries. Deril's menu includes burgers, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers and chili cheeseburgers. Swing by Igor's, Check Point Charlie's or Lucky's for an Igor's burger, a half-pound burger Cajun- or barbecue-cooked over an open flame and served with steak fries. Jilly Joe's offers 4-oz. charbroiled burgers; they're the special on Wednesdays.

Waitress Hanna Porter wines and dines Reginelli?s regulars.

Photo by Francisco Lopez

CALAMARI

Zea Rotisserie & Brewery fries lightly breaded 'rings' and 'legs' in pure peanut oil and then tops them with feta and serves them with tzatziki sauce. The Bourbon House's flash-fried Gulf calamari is tossed with Parmesan and served with chipotle aioli. Fausto's Bistro offers the Antipasto di Mare, an appetizer created for two or more diners that combines fried calamari, softshell crab, baked oysters, sauteed scallops and shrimp, mussels alla marinara, and mushrooms stuffed with a seafood mixture. Cafe Maspero serves a calamari plate, bite-sized portions of fried squid served with lemon, tartar sauce and horseradish. Over at Jamila's Cafe, the dinner menu includes the calamari Maison, squid stuffed with shrimp, cracked wheat, parsley and onions and served with linguine and fresh tomato-garlic sauce. The plate lunch options at Crabby Jack's include a calamari platter, served with salad, toast and a choice of fries, coleslaw, potato salad or dirty rice. Harbor Seafood & Oyster Bar features an appetizer tray of fried calamari, fried crab claws, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, fried crawfish tails and onion rings. Start a meal at Semolina with lightly fried calamari tossed in a spicy olive oil, lemon and pepper sauce and served with a side of marinara.

CATFISH

Treasure Island Buffet gets lost at sea on Friday nights, featuring an array of seafood that includes fried catfish, crawfish and steamed crab legs. Columbia Street Taproom and Grill's catfish Lafayette tops fried catfish with crawfish in a cream sauce with mushrooms and green onions. Adams Catfish House has an all-you-can-eat, no-sharing Wholefish Dinner, which includes catfish on the bone, hush puppies, steak fries and coleslaw. Poydras Diner bakes catfish and tops it with lemon sauce; the dish is served with corn, potato salad and pasta in an Alfredo sauce.

The Pearl offers crispy-fried, farm-raised catfish topped with crawfish and served with a vegetable side. Cottage Cafe stuffs a catfish fillet with crabmeat dressing, then deep fries it and serves it with a dinner salad and bordelaise salad. New Orleans Food and Spirits counts catfish Looziane among its house specials; strips of fried catfish are topped with crawfish stew and paired with a choice of soup or gumbo. Sports Center Bar & Grill features a $10 all-you-can-eat Friday catfish buffet.

CHEESE

Have you heard about Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro's baked Brie cheese topped with a choice of roasted garlic cream, tomato-basil pesto or warm strawberry and balsamic coulis? Cuco's' queso sticks are fresh-made pepper Jack sticks served with chipotle ranch and Mexican marinara. The Mediterranean cuisine of Phoenicia Restaurant includes Golden Star Halloumi, Cypriot cheese grilled, fried or 'natural' and served with tomatoes and garlic sauce. Get a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich at Vianne's Tea Salon and Cafe; smoked Gouda, American and cheddar cheeses mingle with tomato on grilled wheat. The tapas offerings at Mimi's in the Marigny include goat cheese croquettes, pan-fried goat cheese balls served with caramelized red onion and drizzled with honey. The Wine Loft features baked Brie en croute with grilled seasonal fruit and a black walnut vinaigrette.

CHICKEN

Tan Dinh serves rotisserie chicken, with vegetables and rice. Mi Mamacita's has a deep-fried chicken taco appetizer with cheese, sour cream, green chile sauce and a chile con queso topping. Tea Garden Chinese Restaurant offers everything from lemon chicken and orange chicken to crispy honey chicken and curry chicken. The Thai chicken burrito at Kokopelli's is a spinach tortilla stuffed with chicken, mung bean sprouts, peanut sauce, carrots and red onions; a spicy habanero sauce is optional. Ernst Cafe's grilled chicken wrap is rolled in a garlic- and herb-flavored flour tortilla; it's filled with lettuce, tomato, grilled white meat and honey mustard sauce and comes with a side of skin-on French fries.

Chef Daniel Esses' Louisiana contemporary dishes are like money in the Bank Cafe.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Big Easy Daiquiris & Cafe serves Cajun chicken strips, tenders marinated in Cajun seasonings, battered and deep fried, then served with the house specialty sauce. Wing Zone prepares a chicken breast (fried or grilled) plain or with any of the house's 25 sauces and then serves it over lettuce, tomatoes, onion and cheese. Dinner options at Rocky & Carlo's include baked, broiled or fried chickens. The menu of Sammy's Live Oak Market includes grilled, blackened and fried chicken dinner platters served with baked macaroni or fries. Hooters' buffalo chicken strips are breaded and fried, then shaken in your choice of wing sauce and served plain with your choice of dips.

The Caniac combo at Raising Cane's features six chicken fingers, extra fries, Texas toast, coleslaw, Cane's sauces and a 32-oz. drink. Little Tokyo Restaurant's chicken teriyaki dinner special comes with stir-fried vegetables. Still Perkin's Crescent City chicken salad is plump with grapes and pecans. China Palace's sunflower chicken features pieces of lightly battered, fried chicken cooked in the house's sunflower sauce, which gets it lightly sweet flavor from orange juice and its heat from hot pepper. Super Popeye's offers the Heart-Healthy Chicken Plate, a marinated, grilled chicken breast topped with a light herb sauce alongside a fruit salad, green salad, seasoned grilled potato and corn cobette.

The Seven Star at Chun Lee Restaurant is a chicken breast stuffed with ham, fried and served on a bed of sauteed vegetables surrounded by rumaki shrimp. Common's features chicken marinated with honey then grilled and served with fried rice and an egg roll. Fiorella's is known for its fried chicken marinated in a secret blend of spices and served with a choice of red beans and rice, fries, mashed potatoes or baked macaroni, and side salad or the vegetable of the day. Stixx Restaurant serves paneed chicken over angel hair pasta topped with crawfish cream sauce.

Dixie Chicken & Ribs offers chicken by the box, by the piece, as part of a dinner plate or on a po-boy. Brick Oven Cafe's Pollo Al Vesuvio is sauteed with Italian sausage, potatoes, herbs and brandy. Erin Rose Grill serves Erin Pie, a shepherd's pie with shredded chicken, new peas, carrots, peppers, broccoli and corn. Nirvana Indian Cuisine takes half of a chicken marinated in mild spices and herbs and roasts it over charcoal in a clay oven for its tandoori chicken.

Weaver's Po-Boys features Papa Dees, a grilled chicken breast topped with grilled ham, onions, bell peppers and melted Swiss cheese with a rich barbecue sauce. Winston's Pub & Patio has its finest hour with the Churchill chicken, a grilled chicken breast marinated in mesquite and served with your choice of beer-batter onion rings or waffle fries. The menu at Bayou Coffee House includes the Santa Fe chicken wrap, filled with Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, chicken breast, and cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. City Perk's chicken pot pie has a thick crust filled with chicken, spices, herbs and vegetables. Mr. Sam's fried chicken is marinated in a secret sauce, battered and fried crispy.

COFFEE AND DESSERT

Popular items at La Marquise Pastry Shop include the almond croissants and chocolate croissants. CC's Coffee House features pastries made by Chef John Folse that include the Creole cream cheese cheesecake. Take the cannoli — Angelo Brocato fills a crisp cone-shaped shell with ricotta cheese and a sugar mixture of vanilla and chocolate dipped in crushed pistachios. VooBrew Coffee & Tea specialties include the CandomblŽ: espresso, Monin mandarin syrup, Ghirardelli chocolate syrup and steamed milk with whipped cream. Follow up the French cuisine of Midi with lavender honey creme brulee with a lemon madeleine. Strike gold with the lemon mousse of Croissant D'Or, a Genoise cake with lemon mousse and lemon filling.

Maurice French Pastries takes seasonal fresh fruit, glazes it and puts it on top of Bavarian cream custard over your choice of a sugar pastry or a flaky puff pastry. It wouldn't be New Orleans without Cafe du Monde's fluffy, sugar-coated beignets and cafe au lait. Haagen-Dazs' limited-edition strawberry shortcake ice cream floats sweet berries and moist cake pieces in vanilla ice cream. As the name might imply, Gelato Pazzo Caffe focuses on handmade, creamy soft gelato. Grab a pint or a quart of chocolate, pistachio, lemon, mango, lime, vanilla, coffee, coconut, raspberry, mint, passion fruit, stracciatella (Italian version of chocolate chip), banana, or peach.

Hershey's Ice Cream Parlor boasts a wide variety of flavors, everything from Cappuccino Crunch and Cotton Candy to Muddy Sneakers and Superman. Indonique bakes scones every morning to go along with its loose-tea varieties; flavors include cherry walnut and cinnamon chip. Rosie Lea's Bubble Tea Cafe offers the house specialty in 20 flavors, including avocado, mango, taro and strawberry. Just perfect for a hot afternoon, Sophie's Ice Cream Parlor offers watermelon sorbet.

Madrid Restaurante?s Juan Contreras flexes his mussels.

Photo by Donn Young

CONCH

Mango House offers conch ceviche garnished with diced red onion, tomato and cilantro. Dominique's Restaurant recommends Turks & Caicos cracked baby conch, sauteed baby conch with smothered roasted corn, chayote, lobster nage risotto and a mirliton relish.

CRAB

The extensive buffet at King Buffet features crablegs, along with boiled shrimp and crawfish. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe pan-sautes its crabcakes and serves them with potatoes and fresh veggies. Joe's Crab Shack features barbecue Dungeness crabs from the Northwest coast, also available steamed or garlic. Cafe DiBlasi fills cannelloni noodles with creamed spinach and tops them with lump crabmeat. Adolfo's stuffs it cannelloni with crabmeat and peppercorn and covers it in a creamy tomato sauce.

Deanie's famous seafood platters include the Crab Quartet: crabmeat au gratin, stuffed crab, softshell crab and fried crab claws. The stuffed crab Julia at Come Back Inn II takes two crabcakes and serves them over angel hair pasta with a spicy crabmeat cream sauce. Morton's Seafood Restaurant features marinated crab claws along with its overstuffed seafood boats. Louis XVI's Napoleon de Crabe is jumbo lump crabmeat on baby spinach topped with tomato concassee and balsamic vinaigrette.

Pontchartrain Point Cafe's lumb crabcakes are served atop a bed of penne pasta and baby spinach tossed in a spiced cream sauce and garnished with a roasted pepper aioli. Riccobono's Panola Street Cafe changes up eggs Benedict with its crabcake Benedict, two crabcakes topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Ye Olde College Inn puts a breaded crabcake atop a bed of fresh spinach and mushrooms with dried cranberries, feta cheese and honey dijon dressing.

CRAWFISH

O'Henry's goes crawfish crazy with its Crawfish, Crawdads & Mudbugs, which piles fried crawfish tails, homemade crawfish and corn bisque, crawfish cake, and fries all on one plate. Pere Antoine's crawfish sampler combines crawfish remoulade, crawfish pie, crawfish etouffee and deep-fried crawfish. Arnaud's lunch entrees include the Savory Crawfish Cheesecake: fresh Louisiana crawfish, Brie and cream cheese, eggs, cream, fresh vegetables, herbs and spices, all served with a sherry-infused cream sauce and roasted asparagus.

Asian Pacific Cafe's Bayou Delight mixes crawfish tails with mango, pineapple and a sweet chile sauce and comes with wonton chips. The Bayou Bar's crawfish etouffee starts with a butter roux and adds crawfish meat, tomatoes and shellfish stock. Lager's International Ale House features a crawfish banditos appetizer on fried tortillas topped with cheese and jalapenos. The Original Pierre Maspero's Restaurant bakes homemade bread dough stuffed with crawfish tails, three kinds of cheese and roasted peppers; the finished calzone is topped with crawfish tails and mushrooms.

311 Decatur owners Debbie and George Lusk serve po- boys, barbecue and New Orleans entrees.

At Cafe de Mello, the Brazilian Crepe includes ricotta cheese, bananas, ham and pineapples and is topped with cashews. Stop by Crepes a la Cart for signature items such as a chicken Florentine crepe that's stuffed with grilled chicken, mushrooms, red onion and baby spinach and topped with a dill cream sauce. Crepes are also the house specialty at La Crepe Nanou, where the crepe Bourguignonne is wrapped around tender beef tips in a red wine sauce.

La Madeleine serves a shrimp and spinach crepe that is covered in a pesto cream sauce. At La Riviera Italian Restaurant, the Crespelle Vegetariane is filled with spinach and ricotta cheese and then topped with a four-cheese sauce. Lemon Grass honors the crepe with its Banh Xeo, in which rice crepes are filled with shrimp, mung bean sprouts and a citrus sauce. 'The Crawfish Saks' at Patton's never fade away — they're stuffed with stewed crawfish and then fried and served with creamy crawfish sauce. And at Veranda, the daily lunch specials include Tuesday's seafood crepes au gratin, which are stuffed with scallops, shrimp, crawfish and mussels, and then served with a lobster-sherry sauce and fresh Parmesan cheese.

DUCK

Allegro's pepper jelly-glazed duck breast is pan-seared crispy duck with a cranberry-port demi-glace served with basmati dirty rice. China Rose's Peking duck requires a notice of one hour; crisp skin and juicy filets of slowly roasted duck are wrapped in Mandarin pancakes and served with scallions and hoisin sauce. Cafe Degas pan-sears a duck breast and places it next to mushroom spaetzle and pear choucroute. Cafe East's wok-seared ginger duck is half a boneless duck served with vegetables in a soy-ginger glaze. Maple Cafe's duck Jamil is a boneless breast sauteed and served in wild fig sauce.

The Court of Two Sisters offers the Courtyard Breast of Duckling Acadian, a boneless, skinless duckling breast braised with a blackberry vinegar demi-glace served on a nest of Cajun dirty rice and accompanied by candied yams. Start a meal at Drago's with breaded and fried strips of duck. Jacmel Inn features slow-roasted Wisconsin duckling with the house's orange gastrique. La Thai Cuisine's Mama's Duck Delight is crispy duck served over sauteed crawfish and jumbo shrimp. Upperline makes duck and andouille etouffee and presents it with corn cakes and pepper jelly. Gabrielle slow-roasts a bird for eight hours with crimini mushrooms and red peppers, finishes it with an orange sherry sauce and serves it on a bed of shoestring potatoes.

EGGPLANT

Purple reigns with the eggplant, a vegetable that is especially popular in local cuisine. Abita Brew Pub proves it with its seafood-stuffed eggplant Pireau, which is stuffed and baked then topped with a shrimp herbed cream sauce. At Acropolis, the classic moussaka is a veal dish prepared with thin layers of eggplant, zucchini and Idaho potatoes. Among the Anselmo's Specialties at Andrea's is the eggplant Napoleon: fried eggplant medallions are layered with provolone cheese and topped with a crawfish and mushroom cream sauce, then served over angel hair pasta. Dockside Seafood & Oyster Bar's eggplant Dickory features four medallions of eggplant breaded, fried and stacked with crabmeat dressing between each layer; angel hair pasta with a creamy shrimp sauce comes as a side.

At Angeli, the roasted eggplant sandwich comes with mozzarella cheese, pesto sauce, roasted peppers, caramelized onions and feta and is dressed with sun-dried tomato aioli. Babylon Cafe bakes eggplant and serves it with feta on its signature Najah bread. Appetizers at Byblos Mediterranean Cuisine include the Eggplant and Crab Cake, which is lightly fried, topped with lump crabmeat and served with a creamy Parmesan sauce. Among the Thai specialties at Cafe Equator is the Equator Red Curry, a red coconut curry sauce with sauteed basil, bamboo shoots, bell pepper, carrots and — you guessed it — eggplant. Options include shrimp, beef and chicken.

Cafe Paparazzi's eggplant Parmesan is a thinly sliced, breaded eggplant, served over capellini pasta and topped with mozzarella cheese. At Cleopatra Mediterranean Cuisine, the traditional moussaka includes two layers of fried eggplant filled with tasty ground meat (beef or lamb) and topped with grilled tomatoes. Copeland's of New Orleans builds an eggplant pirogue that includes fried eggplant slices smothered in an au gratin sauce with shrimp and crab claws, served over angel hair pasta. You can also row over to La Bella's Restaurant and Bar for its eggplant Pirogue, which is hollowed out, deep fried and filled with shrimp, crab and crawfish in a cream sauce, and served with pasta. At Friends on the Tchefuncte, the eggplant Tchefuncte features paneed eggplant medallions that are topped with shrimp and crabmeat in a seafood veloute, served with pasta.

Lil Ray's Diner and Bar's Melanie Jacobs serves up a fried shrimp Caesar salad.

Photo by Donn Young

Palmettos Bayou Bar & Grill offers both appetizer- and entree-sized versions of its eggplant Palmettos, which are fried medallions served with crab and shrimp sauce. And at Tony Angello's Ristorante, you can order eggplant Tina, which is thinly sliced, lightly battered and fried, then layered with cheese and marinara. Liuzza's Restaurant and Bar serves crabmeat- and shrimp-stuffed eggplant over fettucine alfredo. Gabby's Food & Spirits offers daily lunch specials, po-boys and house specialties like the eggplant boat. Venezia's eggplant Vatican is a deep-fried eggplant shell filled with shrimp, crawfish and crabmeat in a cream sauce, served over fettuccine alfredo.

EGGS

Would you like them in a box? With a fox? Although you won't find green eggs in New Orleans, you'll find just about every other variety. At Bistro Moise, Hunters Eggs are served with grilled French bread, mushroom confit, onion, tomato and thyme. Bluebird Cafe's many egg options include its fried egg sandwich, served on whole wheat, white or rye toast, or a bun (cheese or meat are optional). Brennan's specialties include the Eggs Hussarde: poached eggs sit on Holland rusks, Canadian bacon and marchands de vin sauce and are topped with hollandaise. At Broken Egg Cafe, the Fountainbleau omelette is filled with ham, bell peppers and onions, and smothered with melted cheese.

Cellars' Market's Ham, Egg & Cheese is among its breakfast wraps — it also includes tomatoes and mushrooms. Churros Cafe prepares a Spanish omelette that might include potatoes, ham or chorizo and is served with salad or toast. You can build your own omelette at Clover Grill by choosing from ingredients such as turkey, sausage, chili or blue cheese; hash browns or grits and toast are on the side. Cafe Au Lait's Cajun omelette contains eggs, sauteed onions, andouille, Swiss cheese and Cajun spices.

Danny and Clyde's offers a 2 Egg Breakfast Platter with a choice of meat (ham, bacon and the holy trinity of sausages: smoked, patty and hot) along with grits or hash browns, and toast or a biscuit. Punch in made-to-order omelettes at Jukebox Cajun Diner whenever you feel like it — they're available 24 hours a day. At Mande's Restaurant, the eggs Sardou — English muffin topped with poached egg, creamed spinach and artichoke hearts — is topped with a housemade hollandaise. The country breakfast at Paul's Cafe features an array of omelettes with the classic ingredients, along with eggs cooked to your request. Steve's Diner goes for the Full Rooster: scrambled eggs, grits or hash browns, bacon or sausage, and a biscuit sitting on the side. The eggs St. Philip start the day at Sun Cafe, with poached eggs resting on two crabcakes, served on greens, with bacon, green onions and a crawfish Hollandaise. And at Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar, the Huevos Con Nopalitas include sauteed strips of marinated cactus strips in scrambled eggs, served with black beans, rice and corn tortillas.

ENCHILADAS

Beve's Mexican Restaurant offers the choice of beef or chicken enchiladas stuffed with meat, onions and cheese, topped with Beve's homemade sauce and melted cheese. At Chevy's Fresh Mex, diners get the choice of salsa chicken enchiladas topped with New Mexico red chile sauce, picadillo beef or melted cheddar cheese with chile meat sauce. At Metairie's Casa Garcia, diners can choose between shredded beef enchiladas in chile ancho sauce, shredded chicken enchiladas with chile con queso, cheese and onions enchiladas with chile ancho sauce, or spinach and artichoke enchiladas, covered with chile ancho sauce, chile con queso and suiza sauce.

Carreta's Grill presents enchiladas Potosinas, three cheese enchiladas with grilled steak, beans, pico de gallo and a side of guacamole over lettuce. The Bulldog's grill similarly steps a little outside the enchilada box with its Heff-Weisson Smoked Chicken — two whole-wheat tortillas filled with diced, marinated chicken and sauteed pico de gallo, topped with smoked hickory barbecue sauce, mixed cheeses and sour cream. George's Mexican Restaurant offers beef and chicken enchiladas as well as cheese enchiladas verde and a vegetarian version featuring cheese, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms.

FAJITAS

Philip Chan puts the finishing touches on one of his Asian Cajun Bistro creations.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Country Flame offers its vegetarian version: fried maduros or yucca, served with smothered onions and green peppers and a choice of beans and rice. Spend some time in Santa Fe with the gypsy fajitas: beef filet, pork tenderloin and chicken breast flash-fried with onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers and served with beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream and flour tortillas. Superior Grill's Parrillada Mixta for 'Two' features mesquite-grilled beef and chicken fajitas, two mesquite-grilled jumbo shrimp, two shrimp brochetas and a half-rack of mesquite-grilled baby back ribs. Terrytown's Taqueria Jalisco serves beef and chicken fajitas with rice and beans and a side salad.

FISH

Down here in watery Louisiana, we're fortunate we don't have to go far to sample a variety of fresh fish, prepared in a variety of culinary styles. Asian Cajun Bistro's Asian Wok-Style Snapper is a whole fish seasoned with garlic, onions, green onions and ginger, fried in a wok and served in a soy-chili sauce flavored with oyster and sesame. Bruning's Seafood Restaurant says its Gulf flounder entree has been a favorite for 146 years: The fish can be broiled or fried, plain or stuffed with Bruning's signature crabmeat stuffing. At Frank's, the snapper Jack or catfish Jack is a deep-fried fillet topped with shrimp, crawfish, crabmeat and crab claws, dressed with the owner's namesake Gagliano sauce. The French Market Restaurant & Bar serves whatever's fresh at the moment; its blackened or grilled fish of the day is finished with a crawfish shrimp scampi. One of the standout appetizers at Judice's is a peppered sashimi tuna, seared rare and sliced thin over sauteed spinach with a ginger chili sauce. Though Kanpai is known mostly for its sushi and sashimi, an off-the-menu favorite is a braised whole grilled fish of the day, served with vegetables in a Japanese seasoned sauce.

For fish prepared in the Old World Italian style, try the Jiachino Pesci entree at Ristorante Filippo: It's a fillet of red snapper pan-fried with shrimp, crawfish tails, lump crabmeat and mushrooms in a white wine sauce, served over imported spaghettini pasta. Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar and Restaurant offers a Mexican twist on whitefish (by way of California) with its Todos Santos Fresh Tacos, two soft taco shells stuffed with fried fish fillets and served with cabbage, cucumbers, red and green onions and a tangy seafood sauce. The New Orleans Grill serves a favorite from across the pond — its elegant take on fish and chips features beer batter-fried sea bream and thick-cut potato 'chips' alongside crushed English peas with olive oil, mint and dill in a sauce Gribiche; the more traditional pub-style version of fish and chips at Sugar Park Tavern uses an English-style cod fried with a crispy beer batter. A year-round favorite at Riccobono's Peppermill Restaurant is 'the Ruby,' a seasonal fish stuffed with crab dressing and topped with hollandaise sauce and crabmeat. Fresh-caught seasonal fish are also menu standouts at SukhoThai — where the whole fish is steamed over crushed lemongrass and topped with homemade spicy lime-garlic juice — and Shell Shucked, which serves a whole seasonal fish, baked or fried, in a basil tomato leek sauce.

Saltwater Grill and Oyster Bar uses a rotating selection of fish in its Gulf Fish Carrollton, a Creole-seasoned Gulf fish fillet, grilled and topped with cherry tomato salsa and served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Creole seasoning is also a feature of The Red Maple's whole baked flounder, stuffed with Creole oyster dressing, sauteed haricot-vert and hollandaise. If a delicate fillet just won't appease your monster appetite, head to the Roadhouse Grill for their thick mesquite-grilled seafood steaks: your choice of ahi tuna, salmon, or mahi mahi. Those seeking lighter fare this summer will want to explore RioMar's variations on traditional Latin ceviche, the tangy stew with a base of fish marinated in lime juice. Victor's Grill serves blackened grouper with asparagus and white mushroom risotto with a citrus caper sauce.

FROG

Cajun Catfish House's deep-fried frog legs platter is served with baked potato or fries and a green salad. Coffee's Boiling Pot in Madisonville features lightly battered and fried frog legs with salad and French fries. Etoile sautes the legs in garlic parsley butter and presents them with crispy blue corn tortilla chips. At Jean Lafitte Bistro, the Frog Legs Petit Paris are fried then baked in garlic butter with fine herbs and served with vegetables and the house's 'famous garlic mashed potatoes.' Take a ride out to Middendorf's for a seafood dinner of broiled or fried frog legs, accompanied by fries, coleslaw salad and hush puppies. Restaurant Indigo's Grenouilles au Pois are crispy frog legs with spring peas, confit tomatoes and tarragon gnocchi.

GUMBO

The Gumbo Shop prepares the traditional seafood gumbo, bringing together shrimp and crab with okra, onions, bell peppers, celery and a little tomato. ZydeQue, the French Quarter barbecue restaurant, developed an interesting variation with debris gumbo, a gumbo made with chicken, andouille and smoked pork, in addition to the onion, green pepper and celery. 311 Decatur's New Orleans Trio Bowls includes chicken and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice with sausage and jambalaya with chicken, sausage and ham. Two Sisters Restaurant's seafood gumbo overflows with crabmeat, crab legs, smoked sausage, hot sausage, on-bone chicken, shrimp, okra, white rice and its herb-flavored roux. Polynesian Joe's offers a Taste of New Orleans: chicken and sausage gumbo accompanied by spicy red beans, jambalaya and fried or grilled catfish.

HEN

Ditcharo?s patrons are ready for the main course, courtesy server Jamie Walters.

201 Restaurant's Cornish Game Hen Clemenceau is served with a bearnaise sauce and brabant potatoes, peas, cured ham, crimini mushrooms. Who needs Paris? New Orleans has Casablanca's Stuffed Cornish Hen Elmorocco: a baked hen stuffed with rice, almonds, raisins and saffron. Ciro's Cote Sud features the Coquelet Barde au Bacon, a bacon-wrapped, roasted Cornish hen served with its jus and daily vegetables. Marisol's pan-roasted guinea hen comes with boudin noir dirty rice, braised Savoy cabbage and wild mushroom sauce. Pampy's deep fries a Cornish hen injected with Creole marinade and serves it with fresh mustard greens and candied yams. Tony Moran's roasted Cornish hen is stuffed with Italian sausage, garlic and rosemary and glazed with chianti wine.

JAMBALAYA

In addition to its barbecue, burgers and brass bands, Donna's is known for jazz and jambalaya. Jambalaya Zydeco at Michaul's Live Cajun Music Restaurant is a medley of garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, chicken, celery, shrimp and Michaul's seasoning, all baked in a rich stock with Louisiana rice. The Pelican Club offers its version of a Pelican State favorite: smoked chicken, andouille, shrimp, crawfish, clams and mussels with a spicy Creole tomato sauce. The Tricou House's jambalaya includes fresh shrimp, ham, smoked sausage and rice, topped with the house Creole sauce. The lunch specials at Lakeview Harbor include red beans and rice and jambalaya. The Funky Butt's Big Butt Special is a New Orleans tasting platter of gumbo, red beans and rice and smoked sausage, and jambalaya.

LAMB

Among this city's unique approaches to cooking lamb is Bayona's peppered lamb loin with herbed goat cheese and zinfandel sauce. At Cafe Pyramids, the lamb chops are charbroiled after being marinated with rosemary, Mediterranean spices and olive oil. Cafe Volage offers its lamb Chateau Princess, a grilled tenderloin served over a bed of fresh rosemary and light garlic butter.

At Coyoacan Cocina Mexicana, the Chile Relleno de Mixiote is a chile stuffed with baked lamb seasoned with avocado and banana leaf, then served on a seasonal fruit-chile habanero coulis, topped with grilled cheese and pecan cream sauce. Cuvee offers an entree that combines lamb loin and lamb sausage on minted crimson lentils and spinach; the dish is completed with brunoise carrots, pepper-mango chutney and toasted pistachios.

Fellini's Cafe's salads include a roasted lamb salad, which also features tomatoes, red onions, roasted red peppers, radishes and roasted garlic, tossed with housemade lemon vinaigrette dressing. In the Hunt Room Grill, the Grilled Lamb Pot-au-Feu is a grilled lamb loin with root vegetables and flageolet beans in a lamb broth. At Lebanon's the lamb chops are charbroiled after being marinated in olive oil and rosemary and then served with salad and hummus. Lola's serves a full rack of lamb chops with basmati rice and fresh vegetables. Sara's offers an entree of lamb Vindaloo, which comes with jasmine rice and lentils. La Petite Grocery pan-sears lamb tenderloin and serves it with a Vidalia onion, roasted yellow peppers and a baby lima bean ragout with an herb demi-glace.

LOBSTER

Anthony's Seafood & Lobster House approaches the classic preparation with its blackened lobster; it steams the lobster and serves it with lemon and drawn butter. The blackening comes after steaming, when the lobster is dredged through Anthony's blackening seasoning. Jack Dempsey's Restaurant similarly treats lobster simply and traditionally, serving broiled 1-lb. lobsters with either snow crab legs, king crab legs, steak, or on its own with crab stuffing. Laurentino's Restaurant makes paella with saffron rice, lobster tails, shrimp and mussels. Double Dragon prepares lobster five different ways: in ginger sauce, in garlic sauce, Cantonese-style, with salt and pepper, or steamed American-style.

Le Parvenu in Kenner serves medallions of lobster tail, which it pannes and layers with shrimp, crabmeat, crawfish and mushrooms, topped with a cognac and cream sauce. Stella! is similarly adventurous in its approach to lobster, serving Maine lobster, wild blue-foot Chantrelle mushrooms, spring fava beans and parmesan gnocchi with Parmagiano-Reggiano and Italian white truffle oil. Watch for upcoming menu changes at The Living Room Steak and Lobster House; surf and turf will remain the emphasis, but new dishes will be unveiled.

Sal Saia is swimming in seafood at his namesake lakefront restaurant.

Photo by Donn Young

At Annadele's Plantation in Covington, Annadele's mixed grill includes applewood bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin filet and tarragon-rubbed South Carolina quail, served with three potato hash and vegetables du jour. Assunta's Italian Cuisine puts an Italian twist on the mixed grill: It includes a lamb chop grilled and seared with pesto, a portion of a ribeye grilled and topped with pizzaiola sauce, and a grilled portion of pork loin topped with sauteed mushrooms, onions and artichokes, served with a pasta of your choice. The mixed grill at Mr. John's Steak & Seafood House Uptown offers a 4-oz. petit filet mignon, a 4-oz. lobster tail, a lamb chop and grilled shrimp, served with potatoes au gratin and sauteed wild mushrooms and garlic.

MUFFALETTA

Central Grocery will prepare its specialty to your order, including a vegetarian option; all feature the house's original olive salad and come on round Italian bread. Diamond Street Market's 'My-Own' muffaletta features Genoa and cottis salamis, smoked ham, and mozzarella and provolone cheeses topped with olive salad on a warm French bun. Enjoy the live entertainment at The Gazebo with an oven-baked, sesame-seed-bun muffaletta stacked with mortadella, salami, provolone cheese and olive salad. Catch the game at Kabby's Sports Edition, sipping a draft beer and biting into a meaty muffaletta. Mo's Pizza offers muffalettas with homemade olive salad. The Napoleon House Bar & Cafe describes its Italian muffaletta as a basic cold cut and cheese sandwich made special by the olive salad; the kitchen heats the sandwich to let the cheese soften and the flavors blend. Oscar's Restaurant & Bar calls it version the Oscalotta: a combination of meats and cheese served hot on French bread with olive salad. Puccino's Sicilian muffaletta is a 9-inch loaf loaded with a trio of mortadella, ham and salami and topped with provolone, olive mix and thick-cut tomato slices.

MUSHROOMS

Start out at The Times Grill with the fried mushrooms served with honey mustard or ranch and move on to the Bella Burger, a portobello marinated and grilled and served on a whole-wheat bun with red onions, carrots, tomatoes and melted provolone. Ristorante da Piero's appetizers include the Funghi Ripieni, a mushroom stuffed with bell pepper, garlic, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Get double mushrooms (white and imported straw) with marinated beef or chicken or sauteed Gulf shrimp at Red Palace. Cafe Sbisa stuffs mushrooms with spicy Creole sausage, lump crabmeat, shrimp, crawfish and serves with the house Worcestershire and bearnaise sauces.

Fuel up at House of Blues with the roasted portobello mushroom sandwich, topped with smoked Gouda, tomatoes and daikon sprouts and served on multi-grain bread with a watercress-jicama salad. Fresco Cafe recommends the Peppery Portabella Mushroom Pasta, spinach and mushrooms in spicy red pepper cream and tossed with fusilli. The Famous Mushroom Bisque of River 127' is prepared with jumbo lump crabmeat. Dos Jefes' grilled portobello mushroom dinner comes with salad and black beans or fries.

MUSSELS

Clementine's Belgian Bistrot serves four varieties of steamed mussels — moules mariniere, moules vin blanc, moules provencale and moules a la bisque — with Belgian fries. Figaro's mussels Figaro are Atlantic blue mussels tossed with pancetta, Roma tomatoes, onions, capers and garlic in an herbed marsala butter and served with angel hair pasta. Preface your sushi meal at Mikimoto with the wasabi mussel, topped with wasabi roe and mayonnaise mixtured and then baked. The Delachaise serves steamed mussels in a light yellow curry cream sauce with tasso and leeks on top along with housemade focaccia bread.

NOLA's Wood Oven Roasted Black Mussels are prepared with chardonnay-garlic broth and sea salt and served with toasted focaccia. Hookah Cafe's mussels Malai are cooked in a buttery curry sauce and served with sauteed spinach and saffron rice. Mussels steamed with white wine, Italian sausage, shaved fennel and saffron are served with roasted pepper mashed potatoes at The Bistro at Maison de Ville. Madrid Restaurante's mussels Madrid are sauteed mussels prepared with onions, garlic, imported bacon, sausage, crushed red pepper and imported sherry.

Grab a plate and queue up for King Buffet?s royal spread.

Photo by Donn Young

You can't fight Houston's Evil Jungle Thai Noodle Steak Salad, which features marinated filet grilled and chopped with noodles, avocado, mango and mint. Ninja Japanese Restaurant's cold noodle salad is yellow noodles with squid salad, seaweed salad, crab stick, egg cake, lettuce and cucumber. Noodle Bar & Tea Shop's entrees include Japanese soba, buckwheat noodles with vegetables in a garlic sauce. Panasia Thai Restaurant's house pad Thai is fried noodles mixed with shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, green onions and crushed peanuts and tossed with homemade dressing. Siam Cafe's pad Thai features sauteed shrimp, chicken breast, peanuts, bean sprouts and scallions with chantaboon noodles and seasoned with chili powder.

Horinoya's Nabeyaki Udon places Japanese noodles with an egg-shrimp-chicken tempura, mushroom rice cake, green onions, carrots and bamboo in a light broth. Frosty's Caffe's Vietnamese offerings include the Bun Xao Chay, rice noodles with stir-fried tofu, shredded lettuce, diced cucumbers, pickled carrots, bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. Basil Leaf's Drunken Noodles are rice noodles sauteed with chicken, shrimp, broccoli and shiitake mushrooms in a spicy basil sauce. At August Moon Restaurant, pan-fried noodles are topped with shrimp, scallops and crabmeat sauteed in a 'wine delight' sauce with bok choy, broccoli, snow peas, celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, carrots and onions. Singha Thai's pad Thai is prepared in the traditional way with egg and chicken, all topped with a sugar-vinegar-chili powder sauce and served with bean sprouts and a side of peanuts.

ONION

Rene Bistrot's onion soup is served with crouton and Gruyere custard; its Tarte Flambe is an Alsace onion tart with Nueske bacon and fromage blanc. Get your Cajun Doodads — thinly sliced onions marinated in Louisiana hot sauce and flash-fried — at Petunia's Place. Russell's Marina Grill is known for its fried onion mumm, a colossal onion cleaned out, deep-fried and filled with dipping sauce. Make your mother proud; order Chateaubriand Steakhouse's liver and onions, sauteed veal liver accompanied by caramelized onions and gratin Savoyard. Sauteed onions and the house tiger sauce top thinly sliced, oven-roasted beef, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato for the Roasted Angus & Onion Sub at Pete's Bar & Grill.

OYSTERS

Corner Oyster Bar and Grill's seafood sampler puts five raw oysters with a half-pound of boiled shrimp and a half-pound of boiled crawfish. Restaurant Antoine created Huitres Thermidor, fresh Louisiana oysters baked on the half shell and served with a bacon-and-tomato sauce. Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar serves them all kinds of ways: Rockefeller, Bienville, raw, fried, broiled and brochette.

Smith & Wollensky's Creole fried oysters come with a basil remoulade. Aft Deck Oyster Bar's fried oyster platter is served with coleslaw and fries. Liuzza's by the Track now features buffalo oysters, batter-fried and sauteed in hot-wing sauce then served with blue cheese dressing. China Doll's specialties include the Su Su: marinated, fried oysters served with selected mixed Chinese vegetables. An oyster named Desire: select oysters baked with Parmesan cheese, Creole seasonings and garlic butter. Mimi's Italian Restaurant in River Ridge pannes Louisiana oysters with a sauce of Creole mustard and creme fraiche and presents them with roasted garlic cream potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

One Restaurant & Lounge numbers chargrilled oysters among its offerings; they are served with Roquefort cheese and red-wine vinaigrette. Pascal's Manale's combination pan roast bakes a combination of chopped oysters, shrimp, crabmeat, shallots and parsley seasonings. Zeke's Restaurant specializes in charbroiled oysters; order six or swallow a whole dozen. Sazerac's Crunchy Cornmeal Oysters sit on grilled green tomatoes with Herbsaint spinach and tasso Hollandaise.

Acme Oyster House takes Louisiana oysters, spinach, Parmesan cheese and Herbsaint and prepares it oyster Rockefeller soup. Michael's Mid-City Grill recently has added new seafood menu items to its menu; try the half-and-half fried shrimp and oyster plate. Tyler's Beer Garden recommends the oysters Tyler: grilled oysters with garlic butter sauce, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and a housemade spinach dip served with garlic bread.

Family and friends: Fausto?s Chef Luis Ramos with owners Vic, Roland and Fausto DiPietro.

Romano's Macaroni Grill tops angel hair pasta with mushrooms, pine nuts, spinach and shrimp sauteed in a lemon-butter sauce for its shrimp Portofino. Tony Angello's Ristorante smothers angel hair pasta with your choice of crab gravy or crawfish sauce. Start off at Impastato's Restaurant with the seasonal Joanne Caldcleugh's Crab Meat Cannelloni, homemade pasta stuffed with Louisiana lump crabmeat and crawfish and covered with a light cream sauce. Mark Twain's Pizza Landing serves pasta Abigail: Italian sausage, onions and stewed tomatoes over fettucine.

Ditcharo's features pasta asciutta, angel hair tossed in garlic and olive oil with crushed red pepper marinara. Saia's on the Lake's pasta dishes include the drunken shrimp in a lemon-vodka cream. Dolly's Deli changes its specials daily; watch for spaghetti and meatballs. The Edge Bar & Grill's Marie special grills shrimp, sautes mushrooms and onions and serves them over angel hair pasta. The Olive Branch Cafe twists a local favorite with its pasta jambalaya: smoked sausage, seasoned chicken breast, onions and bell peppers simmered in a roasted garlic cream sauce, tossed with penne pasta and served with garlic bread pizza.

Restaurant des Familles' pasta Lafitte is a spicy, rich cream sauce laced with crabmeat, shrimp and green onions and served on a bed of angel hair pasta. A seasoned, grilled snapper fillet in a spicy shrimp sauce is served with angel hair pasta at Cafe Ditali. Sandro's presents padella, a thick wedge of pasta pan-fried with egg, cheese, caramelized onions and seasonings and served with salsa rosa. In Esplanade Deli's seafood pasta, paneed red snapper swims with linguine in a rich butter cream sauce.

PIZZA

The Cellars of River Ridge does their pizza on pita, offering toppings including cheese, chicken, pepperoni and shrimp. At Sicily's, you can finish a pizza meal with a dessert pizza that might feature chocolate chips, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, or even rocky-road ingredients. Dia Roma Cafe's Gourmet Pizza includes spinach, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and feta, and is topped with white garlic sauce. Tower of Pizza's Tower Special blends classic toppings like pepperoni, sausage, onion, green pepper and mushrooms with homemade tomato sauce on hand-tossed thin crust. Club Decatur offers pizza by the slice, or build your own on a 14- or 18-inch fresh crust.

Crazy carnivores, take note: the Dough Ball has a Meat Madness Pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon and bacon. At Italian Pie, the eponymous Combination Gourmet Pizza includes pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and black olives. TeCoRo's has a unique fried oyster pizza, which is topped with spinach artichoke sauce, cheese, bacon bits and fried oysters brushed with garlic butter. Another unusual spin of the dough can be found at Taqueria Corona, which serves up a Ham Mexican Pizza, with cheese, ham and salsa verde topped with guacamole.

At Mid City Lanes Rock 'n' Bowl, you can order up your pizza with everything from Italian sausage to seafood items such as oysters and shrimp, and then pick it up at the bar to munch on between frames. You can burrow into New York Pizza's Queens pizza, an olive oil-based pizza topped with spinach, mushrooms, artichokes and feta. Rocky's Pizzeria also offers New York-style pies, topped with classic ingredients such as pepperoni, Canadian bacon and Italian sausage. Coscino's Pizza's specialties include the vegetable pizza, the meat eaters pizza, the supreme pizza and the spinach pizza.

At Balcony Bar & Cafe, the Balcony Deluxe includes pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives. Roman's Pizza's signature dish is the Roman Pizza: ham, salami, pepperoni, onions and black olives. The dough is made on premises at Dino's Lakeview; one specialty combines ham, green pappers, artichoke hearts, pineapple and Italian sausage. Mona Lisa Restaurant also makes its own dough — specials include the Barbeque Chicken with grilled chicken breast, barbecue sauce, tomato and green pepper. Unique toppings can also be found at Warehouse District Pizza, where pies come with everything from lobster to smoked salmon to filet mignon.

Augie's Tower of Pizza offers all the basics, plus premium toppings such as grilled chicken, spinach, barbecue beef, artichokes and feta cheese. Milano's Pizza features the Cajun, with andouille, shrimp, chicken and crawfish. Mama Rosa's Slice of Italy gets Outrageous: a pizza covered with Canadian bacon, ham, olive salad, and provolone and mozzarella cheese. Philip's Bar and Restaurant tops its special pizza crust with julienned carrots, green onions, sprouts, cilantro, seasoned chicken breast and spicy chile sauce for its Thai chicken pizza. Pizza Fiesta's barbecue pizza starts with a medium-thick crust and tops it with chicken, barbecue sauce, green peppers and onions. Rotolo's Marigny Pizzeria serves up New York-style pies, including the Delux Combination: pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, onions and mushrooms.

Subway franchise owner Julie Heisser makes Jared proud with the heart-healthy offerings of her N. Peters Street location.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Lots of people know that original po-boys were strictly roast beef piled inside a loaf of French bread, but New Orleans' signature sandwiches have since evolved to include every type of stuffing from calamari to French fries. Johnny's Po-boy Restaurant has its take on the original in the Johnny's Special, a hot roast beef po-boy with grilled ham, Swiss and American cheese, covered in beef gravy. Radosta's offers roast beef, of course, but its foot-long po-boys also include shrimp, oysters, catfish and meatballs. Roast beef is the best-known po-boy variation at Parasol's Restaurant and Bar, but you can also enjoy fried chicken, hot sausage or hamburger steak versions with grilled onions and brown gravy with your Guinness.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern has a seafood-intensive po-boy selection with shrimp, oyster, catfish (or a combination) with American, cheddar or Swiss cheese (or a combination) — enjoy your creation with a cold Barq's and a Hubig pie. Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery offers a kosher shrimp po-boy with fried Alaskan pollack, and Cajun Grill and Bar's sandwich board includes barbecue beef, veal cutlet, and chicken breast (grilled, blackened or paneed). Pair your fried or barbecue shrimp po-boy at Tchoup-n-Joe's with a side of sweet potato fries or sauteed veggies, or act like a tourist in Mother's and order its Famous Ferdi Special, made with baked ham, juicy roast beef 'debris' and gravy. Danny & Clyde's po-boys include chicken breast tenders, hamburger and tuna salad varieties, and you can select such toppings as red onion, black olives, or jalapenos.

Wake up the right way with a Loula May Breakfast Po-Boy from Elizabeth's, in which fresh French bread is loaded with scrambled eggs, hot sausage and cheese (try it with a side of praline bacon or old-fashioned callas). Magazine Po-Boy Shop will appeal to Italian food lovers with its eggplant Parmesan, veal Parmesan or meatball sandwiches, available with such sides as fried okra, fried pickles or gumbo.

The most popular po-boys at Bear's are the roast-beef version with housemade gravy, barbecue beef with housemade barbecue sauce, or shrimp deep-fried in (you guessed it) housemade batter. At Teddy's Grill, the classic roast-beef po-boy has been a constant favorite since 1961 thanks to its slow-cooked beef and gravy made from scratch. Williams Restaurant smokes a ribeye steak, slices it thin and puts it on a po-boy topped it with American and Swiss cheese, brown gravy, pimentos, bell peppers and onions. Domilise's roast beef po-boy comes dressed with mayo, lettuce, tomato, Creole mustard, yellow mustard and gravy. Metry Cafe and Bar tops its roast beef po-boy with grilled ham and Swiss cheese.

POMPANO

A local favorite among fresh Gulf fish, this esteemed member of the jack family lends itself to a variety of treatments. Palace Cafe grills a fresh fillet and serves it with goat cheese stone-ground grits, grilled shrimp with barbecue sauce, lemon and a phyllo crisp. Le Citron Bistro pan-sears its pompano before drizzling it with garden herb sauce, then serves it with a vegetable and a choice of a baked potato or French fries.

PORK

The Joint serves pork several ways: as St. Louis-style cut spare ribs in a half or whole rack, plates of ribs or pulled pork served with two sides or pulled-pork sandwiches on white bread or a bun with a choice of potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans or baked macaroni and cheese. Voodoo BBQ serves its pulled pork as a po-boy and its ribs in the style of St. Louis barbecue on a platter with garlic bread and two sides that can include Rattlesnake Beans, corn pudding, coleslaw, steamed fresh vegetables, macaroni and cheese, potato salad and Gris Gris Greens. Cafe Unique offers a smothered pork chop with two sides; choose from items such as green beans, turnip greens and homemade cornbread.

Lilette takes an inventive tack, starting with braised pork belly from Snake River Farms that's been cured and braised, then roasts it to order and serves it with a satsuma glaze over couscous and grilled beets with orange juice. Sweet Ginger prefers pork Porterhouse, which it grills and serves with tamarind-lemongrass barbecue sauce and sides of sauteed green beans and jasmine rice. Generous portions of minced pork are stuffed into spring rolls at Bangkok Cuisine, along with black mushrooms and glass noodles that are then wrapped in rice-flour skins and deep-fried. Artesia goes for elegance with an adobo-rubbed butterfly pork loin served with chorizo-sausage ragout and yellow-corn grits.

The Gazebo features live music and a menu of New Orleans favorites.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Deep South Lounge, which touts itself as a 'Southern soul food specialist' cooks pork chops the down-home way and serves them with cornbread and two sides — mac and cheese, cheese grits, collard greens, yams, black-eye peas, red or white beans, cabbage, potato salad, onion rings or a side salad — for $7.95. Billy's Place fries its lunchtime pork chops tender and crispy, then finishes the plate with dirty rice.

Roasting also is a favored treatment, with Daniel's Restaurant giving its roasted pork a Latin flavor and serving it with black beans and rice. La Casa Gomez also looks south of the border for inspiration, using Spanish seasoning on its roast pork and serving it with black beans, white rice and fried plantains. The home-cooking style of Cafe Reconcile pairs pork roast with rosemary gravy and serves it with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. Great Wall's Yu Shiang Shredded Pork is sauteed in a spicy sauce with bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Mandina's roast pork loin is served with candied yams and green beans.

POTATO

The Stuffed Bakers at Carrollton Station are a meal in themselves; they start with a jumbo baked potato filled with a choice of steak, grilled or fried chicken, or grilled portobello mushroom dressed with honey mustard or barbecue sauce. McAlister's Deli features 'Texas-sized' spuds served with most anything you can imagine, including light sour cream and green onions for the calorie conscious or maxed out at about 2 lbs. with ham, turkey, bacon, cheddar and Swiss, green onions and sour cream.

Lama's Seafood Restaurant and Market serves a French fry po-boy, dressed any way you like, and also offers spuds as sides in the forms of potato salad, French fries or sweet potato fries. Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse gives diners more than a half-dozen choices including creamed mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes with Creole pecan butter, a jumbo baked spud dressed to order, hand-cut house fries, mashed oven-roasted sweet potatoes with brown sugar, au gratin potatoes cooked in Gruyere cheese cream sauce and baked, and Pontalba Potatoes: diced roasted potatoes sauteed with garlic, caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, ham and scallions.

The chef at Charlie's Steak House makes au gratin potatoes by mixing diced boiled potatoes with sharp cheddar cheese, butter and milk with a dash of flour before placing them in individual pans and melting cheese on top of them. Dance over to F&M Patio Bar for waffle-cut cheese fries. The potato latke at Slim Goodies Diner features two potato pancakes served with sour cream and a dash of black caviar or smothered with crawfish etouffee. Spudly's Super Spuds tops a baked potato with spiced pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, chives and Italian sauce.

QUAIL

This small bird becomes a big delicacy in the hands of New Orleans chefs. At Emeril's New Orleans, farm-raised quail is country-fried and served with pimento-spiced brabant potatoes, manchego cheese, sauteed rapini and homemade chorizo corn ragout. Antoinette's kitchen sautes semi-boneless quails and serves them atop potatoes gratinee with demi-glace. For quail and kebabs, Mike Anderson's Seafood slowly bakes two lightly marinated semi-boneless quails stuffed with a crabmeat dressing, then serves them with two skewers of purple onions, Gulf shrimp, and seasoned bell peppers as well as salad or coleslaw, potatoes and garlic bread. C'est Bon Restaurant fills boneless quail with shrimp and eggplant stuffing before baking it, then tops it with roasted garlic butter sauce and serves it over rice pilaf with sauteed vegetables.

QUESADILLA

The Patio Grill folds Louisiana crawfish into a garlic-and-herb tortilla with two chesses, grills it and serves it with salsa and sour cream. With a nod toward surf and turf, Nacho Mama's Mexican Grill cooks up the house favorite shrimp and bacon quesadilla with sauteed shrimp, bacon, red and green bell peppers and melted Monterey and cheddar cheeses inside a 12-inch flour tortilla and serves it with sour cream and pico de gallo. Le Bon Temps Roule lets the good times roll with a menu that offers quesadillas as well as burgers, cheese fries and nachos until 2 a.m.

Guests come for the food at Hookah Cafe and stay for the live music and mellow vibe.

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Adobe Cantina & Salsa covers its quesadilla bases by offering the flattened meal in several varieties, including grilled chicken, shrimp, ground pork sausage, mushroom, spinach and steak, most served with guacamole salad, sour cream, rice and beans. Sun Ray Grill offers almost a half-dozen options, including portobello mushroom and basil quesadillas with diced, sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic, tomato, onion and fresh basil folded in a spinach-infused tortilla with melted mozzarella cheese and served with a Mediterranean salad and pesto dressing.

Quesadillas made with shrimp or chicken with spinach and artichoke, chicken and beef, vegetables, or single ingredients such as cheese, steak, shrimp or pork at Blue Tomato Restaurant & Cantina all are made with three cheeses and served with sour cream and pico de gallo. The Queso Fundido Con Chorizo at Casa Tequila starts with a bed of melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses and is covered with a blanket of Mexican sausage. Five O'Clock Grille & Premium Pit BBQ features spicy crawfish quesadillas along with its long list of drink specialties. Tyler's Beer Garden starts with a 'special tortilla,' tops it with grilled onions and cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and drizzles it all with ranch dressing.

QUICHE

The humble egg comes into its own in quiche, and Caffe! Caffe! seeks to raise its standing among mealtime favorites with a vegetarian quiche that loads the egg pie with broccoli, mushrooms, onions, red and yellow peppers and Swiss cheese. Albertine's Tea Room adds adventure with a quiche made with jumbo lump crabmeat, wild mushrooms, Granny Smith apples and Gouda cheese. One of Bywater Bar-B-Que's many menu surprises is the Quiche of the Moment, served with salad or fresh fruit. EnVie Espresso Bar & Cafe offers quiche by the slice, which you may enjoy with a cup of soup or a small tossed or Caesar salad.

RABBIT

La Cote Brasserie goes for simple elegance with its braised rabbit with Abita Creole mustard-cream sage spaetzle. Gabrielle Restaurant offers rabbit two ways: buttermilk battered and fried, served with andouille grits and shrimp etouffee or braised in port with grapes, mushrooms, caramelized onions and Stilton cheese fries. The kitchen at Martinique Bistro prepares its braised leg quarter of Mississippi rabbit with red bell pepper, Merguez, sherry and paprika. In a departure from typical sports bar fare, Caddyshack Cafe and Bar serves paneed boneless rabbit with crawfish fettuccini. Alex Patout's slowly cooks Louisiana rabbit in a traditional sauce piquant and serves it with sauteed fresh spinach macque choux. The Creole rabbit at Olivier's Restaurant is prepared by braising a seasoned rabbit then simmering it in gravy to keep the meat moist until it is fork-tender, then serving it with a sage-seasoned oyster dressing.

Restaurant August makes an exotic lasagna of slow-cooked rabbit, veal sweetbreads and grilled lobster with asparagus and Viognier. The rabbit sauce piquant at Restaurant Cypress stews farm-raised rabbit with onions, peppers and celery in a spicy tomato broth and serves it with dirty rice. Rabbit croquettes grace an arugula and endive salad with whole-grain mustard vinaigrette at Herbsaint Bar and Restaurant. Commander's Palace makes a deep-dish rabbit and foie gras pie appetizer with Mississippi rabbit confit, foie gras, herb-roasted mushrooms, goat cheese fondant and pressed pumpkin seed oil.

RAVIOLI

The fresh, homemade ravioli at The Bank Cafe is stuffed with mild mushrooms, asparagus and ricotta cheese and served in a parmesan-mushroom butter broth. Nardo's Trattoria offers toasted ravioli filled with lobster tarragon and fresh cheese stuffing smothered in lobster and brandy cream sauce. A simpler dish is Nuvolari's homemade crabmeat ravioli sauteed in herbed olive oil, and Meauxbar Bistro serves its spinach and ricotta ravioli with fresh sage butter. Gordon Biersch Brewery serves goat cheese ravioli with sauteed mushrooms, pine nuts and fresh rosemary in a brown butter sauce.

RED BEANS AND RICE

Trudi Ruppenicker offers Bon Vivant Cafe & Catering?s spinach salad.

Photo by Francisco Lopez

It's a staple of life in this city, and one loved by the masses and offered by many eateries. Rendon Inn sticks to tradition with Red Beans Mondays, and Cafe Gumbolaya adds smoked sausage to its red beans and rice and serves it every day. River's Edge Restaurant spices up its version of the dish with andouille sausage. Mama's Tasty Foods features this New Orleans staple along with its po-boys, fried chicken and jambalaya. Rainey's Restaurant offers red beans and rice with your choice of pork chops or fried chicken.

The Red Bean Poopa at Cafe Pontchartrain features French Market red beans simmered with smoked sausage, topped with rice and served in a bowl made from hollowed-out French bread; it's accompanied by crispy bread and a house salad. French Market Restaurant & Bar combines the standard with shrimp Creole, jambalaya, smoked sausage and boneless pork in its Bayou Platter, which is served with a salad. At Sal's Seafood, red beans and rice are served on a platter with fried catfish or shrimp and sides of corn and homemade coleslaw, while at Louisiana Purchase Kitchen's daily buffet, you can choose your own accompaniments for red beans and rice from a changing array of offerings such as oysters Bienville, jambalaya, barbecue shrimp and fried chicken.

REDFISH

Once a delicacy found in few kitchens outside Louisiana, the popularity of redfish has spread across the country but still remains a local specialty that lends itself to a variety of preparations. Zo‘'s Redfish Redhead features the fish sauteed in brown butter with lump crabmeat and served with green beans and crispy potatoes. Redfish Elaine at St. Charles Tavern is a grilled fillet laid on a bed of shrimp and crabmeat dressing topped with hollandaise sauce and accompanied by steamed vegetables. At Bella Luna Restaurant, redfish is sauteed and served with pecan meuniere sauce and corn macque choux. Blackened redfish is topped with lobster cream sauce and served with potatoes and vegetables in the redfish Americana at The Market Cafe.

The redfish courtboullion at Margaux's On Oak sticks close to home with Gulf redfish simmered in classic courtboullion sauce with shrimp and crab, served with parsley-buttered long-grain Louisiana rice. Wolfe's of New Orleans serves panko-crusted redfish with sauteed baby spinach, jumbo lump crab toast, crispy poached garlic-and-smoked Gouda veloute. Stuffed Redfish Braciola, a specialty at Tortorici's, starts with fresh redfish filled with seafood stuffing. It's then rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs, sauteed, baked and topped with fresh Louisiana seafood and mushrooms in a light cream sauce.

RIBS

The Killer at Corky's features a combination of ribs (wet or dry) and your choice of a quarter barbecue chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, turkey, sausage or catfish. Sweet Daddy's has three rib platter choices: baby back ribs (half rack or large rack), pork ribs (three ribs or full rack) or beef ribs (two ribs). Adam's Bar-B-Q Plus offers five rib dinners, including pork or beef ribs, two sides and bread. Outback Steakhouse puts its ribs on the barbie; they are smoked and grilled and served with Aussie chips and cinnamon apples. Hillbilly Bar-B-Q sells pork ribs by the pound or as part of a platter with two sides, bread and sauce. A slab of ribs is available as one of Abita Bar-B-Q's family specials and comes with two large sides and four rolls or cornbread.

Applebee's riblets are basted with your choice of the house's signature barbecue sauce or honey barbecue sauce. Crescent City Brewhouse slow-grills its smoked pork ribs and serves them with roasted corn on the cob and house potatoes. Ugly Dog Saloon & BBQ put pork spare ribs on a platter with your choice of two sides. The Bar and Bistro at La Louisiane features Abita beef short ribs: bone-in short ribs braised in Abita Turbo Dog with mushrooms, carrots and onions and served with cane syrup-glazed carrots over parsnip mashed potatoes. The Steak Pit's Jim Beam Bourbon BBQ Baby Back Ribs are slowly cooked with Jim Beam barbecue sauce and served with N'awlins Filthy Rice. Fire A Restaurant's braised short ribs are beef ribs slow-roasted with a wine reduction sauce and served with the vegetable of the day and thyme polenta.

SALAD

Sweet Olive Cafe's fresh crabmeat and shrimp salad also includes mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions, artichokes and a roasted garlic dressing. Be at your Beck-N-Call Cafe for the Thai chicken salad, mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, red onions, sesame seeds, almonds and grilled chicken. Huey's 24/7 Diner offers a Sizzling Steak Salad, marinated filet mignon cooked on the griddle mixed with roasted portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, sliced red onions and goat cheese all over Romaine lettuce with crispy tortilla chips and a cilantro vinaigrette. La Macarena Pupuseria and Restaurant claims to be the only restaurant in Louisiana that serves fried yucca root salad, which is served under homemade Latin vinegar cabbage-and-carrot slaw with pork cracklings and cilantro on top.