The people of New Orleans are passionate about eating. Any visitor to the city should experience the regional flavor, but there are important differences between the countrified Cajun, refined Creole, and classic Southern styles of cooking that make up New Orleans cuisine. There also exists a unifying principle: “Fat is flavor.” Cream, butter, and oil abound. With this in mind, pace yourself! Hot weather and heavy food can limit your visit to the confines of your hotel room. Stay on the safe side and try to limit yourself to one big meal a day.
The Emeril Thing
Television impresario Emeril Lagasse, featured on the “Food Network,” has three restaurants in New Orleans. Try NOLA in the Quarter for a casual night, Delmonico Restaurant & Bar in the Garden District for classic cuisine and service, and the eponymous Emeril’s in the Warehouse District for an evening of sophistication.
Downtown/French Quarter
Tourists are always at risk of getting an expensive, average-tasting meal in the Quarter. The tourist industry spawned many mediocre restaurants that prioritize location over taste. But, on the plus side, a truly bad meal is difficult to find anywhere in New Orleans. Avoid the trendy, or the handful of chain, restaurants in favor of the little holes in the wall.
Quality service usually comes at a high price in the Quarter, but you are also paying for a slice of history: a seat in some of the oldest fine dining establishments in the country. In any of the classic Creole-French restaurants, like (Arnaud’s and Brennan’s, you will have a satisfying experience laden with such traditional delicacies as Oysters Rockefeller, Trout Meuniere, Turtle Soup, and Banana’s Foster.
For those in search of something more nouveau and intimate, the Quarter also offers the acclaimed Bayona (a four-star bargain), the gorgeous Gamay, the Italian-Creole Bacco and the romantic Bella Luna, which overlooks the Mississippi River.
There are many places to have a casual lunch. Briny oysters shooters can be had at ACME Oyster House, or a mixed-meat Muffeletta sandwich from the Central Grocery always hits the spot. After lunch, or even better for breakfast, move on to the sticky French pastry at La Marquise.
Old and New
A scattering of miscellaneous downtown restaurants represent just about everything that New Orleans has to offer. The downtown area has everything from old-school grease joints to cutting-edge bistros. Some places worth noting include the classy Gerard’s Downtown in the Central Business District and the exotic Marisolin the Faubourg Marigny.
For old-time favorites that never cease to please, New Orleanians go to the no-nonsense Mandina’s or the BBQ shrimp palace, Pascal’s Manale.
Brunch
Sundays can be difficult for dining as many of New Orleans’ better restaurants close for the day. Fortunately, glorious options still exist, most especially the Brennan family’s famous Commander’s Palace, the former stomping-ground of celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. Fun alternatives to downtown hotel buffets include the Gospel brunch at the House of Blues and the Camellia Grill, where playful waiters serve your meal at a kitschy 1950s-style counter. For the full-on Southern buffet, check out Court of the Two Sisters. Locals like to put this granddaddy of buffets down, but it has its merits, including solid bread pudding, Dixieland jazz, and a beautiful view of the Quarter.
To de-mystify some of the restaurant menus and grocery store shelves, here’s a glossary you might find helpful:
Adouille (ahn doo’ ee): A spicy pork sausage mostly used in gumbo and jambalaya.
Beignet (ben yay’): Almost a doughnut, but these are light, square, have no hole in the middle, and are covered with powdered sugar. You want to try one? Three words then: Cafe Du Monde.
Boudin (boo dan’): A spicy pork sausage filled with onions, cooked rice, and herbs. It’s a favorite ingredient of New Orleans cooking superstar Emeril Lagasse.
Chicory (chick’ o ree): An endive-like root roasted, ground, and used to flavor coffee. You won’t have to go far to find a cup of chicory-flavored coffee in New Orleans. The most famous cup of this unique blend is at Cafe Du Monde, but other local coffeehouses also serve the local staple.
Crawfish: Pronouncing this freshwater crustacean as “cray-fish” will only make it obvious that you’re a tourist. Always say it so that “craw” rhymes with “paw,” or better yet, call them mudbugs! These tasty critters are the center of attention at large outdoor social gatherings called “crawfish boils,” and also appear on the mildly lewd T-shirts that make reference to the proper way of eating a crawfish. Try them with a new twist at such New Southern fusion temples as Gabrielle.
Etouffee (ay’ too fay): This term means the dish is smothered with a dark roux, or tomato-based sauce. Typically, etouffee involves stewed crawfish with onions, celery, and bell peppers served over a bed of hot white rice. Try a delicious version at the House of Blues or even the food court at the Riverwalk Mall.
Grits: Ground hominy grain served at most breakfast tables in the city. The proper “Southern” manner of eating grits is to top the bowl with a hearty spoonful of butter and a few dashes of salt and pepper.
Gumbo (gum bow): A thick soup made from file, a ground sassafras root, and a hearty mixture of shrimp, crab claws, okra, sausage and rice. The Gumbo Shop in the French Quarter is the no-brainer place to sample a hot bowl of this stew-like concoction. Keep in mind lesser known, but possibly even better, venues such as Joey K’s and Zachary’s Creole Cuisine.
Jambalaya (jum’ ba lie’ ya): Everything but the kitchen sink! That’s the best way to describe the ingredients of this rice-based dish, usually spicy-hot, stock full of chicken, shrimp, sausage, celery, green peppers and everything in-between. Mother’s on Poydras Street has plenty of home cooked and delicious food, but their version of this Creole dish explains the long lines to get in the restaurant’s door.
King Cake: You won’t be able to find these extra-large doughnut pastries topped with purple, gold and green candied sugar unless you’re in New Orleans between King’s Day (January 6) and Mardi Gras Day. A tiny plastic baby is hidden inside the cake, and tradition requires that the person who finds the baby in their slice should buy the next King Cake.
Po-boys: Nearly a half loaf of French bread split open and stuffed with your choice of fried oysters, fried shrimp, soft-shelled crab, roast beef or even French fries. The term “dressed” indicates you’d like your po-boy with shredded lettuce, tomato, mayo and hot sauce. The best places that serve po-boys are definitely joints, perfect for a lunchtime break. Local favorites include Uglesich’s Restaurant & Bar, Liuzza’s, Domilise’s, and Parasol’s.
Praline (pra leen’): A sinful candied brown sugar, pecans and sweet syrup confection. Cruise by Aunt Sally’s on Decatur Street and watch pralines being made before your very eyes! Then, of course, partake in the pleasurable consumption of the creations.
Red Beans and Rice: Kidney beans simmered all day with meat ham, sausage, and milder seasonings than most Creole dishes, then served over rice. Everywhere across the city, you’ll find red beans as the plat du jour on Mondays. It’s a New Orleans’ tradition stemming from the days of yore when Mondays were laundry day and whatever was on the stove had to be maintenance free. Tasty renditions can be found everywhere from pricey K-Paul’s to the soul-food haven of Dunbar’s.
Shrimp Creole: Shrimp, garlic, onion, bell pepper and tomatoes stewed and served over rice.
Washing it down
Many people flock to New Orleans for the simple truth that alcohol is everywhere: in the bars, on the sidewalks, in the streets. There is no mandatory closing time, so if you’re in the mood for booze, just keep looking until you find a place open. From the impressive wine lists of the elite Grill Room in the Windsor Court Hotel to the many to-go Daiquiri shops on festive Bourbon Street, folks in New Orleans like to drink and they don’t like to wait until the weekend to partake of the spirits.
A somewhat high-style cocktail life does exist in the city, most notably at the decadently good-natured Red Room and higher-end hotel lounges like the International House’s Loa. However, the heart and soul of the city’s drinking culture lies in its low-key bars. Laid-back hang-outs with names like Snake and Jake’s, the Satellite Bar, and Le Bon Temps Roule attract an interesting mix of students, celebrities, faded intellectuals, and serious barflies. In short, these are marvelous places to blend in and be entertained.
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