French Quarter
Eats
- Central Grocery (home of the muffaletta; mostly takeaway)
- Coop's Place (best restaurant jambalaya, hands down)
- Felix's (great oysters, turtle soup, sweet potato fries)
- Antoine's (high-priced, long-established classic French; recommended if you can budget it)
- Mother's (breakfast all day, plus outstanding ham po-boys; also all the New Orleans cuisine you want: red beans & rice, gumbo, spaghetti, fried chicken, etc.)
- Port of Call (great big steak-like burgers, steaks, baked potatoes (no french fries here), big sweet drinks; there's usually a line out the door, but it's worth it; vegetarians beware)
Drinks
- Molly's on Toulouse or Decatur
- Pirate's Alley (next to the Faulkner house & bookstore; absinthe; smoke-free, with outside "alley" seating)
- One-Eyed Jack's (mainly a music venue; also, burlesque offerings)
- Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop (sometime-piano bar, but mostly just a good place to relax)
Lodging
- We highly recommend the Hotel Villa Convento (rumored to be the original "House of the Rising Sun").
Around Bayou St. John
Eats
- Liuzza's by the Track (po-boys, fried seafood, gumbo)
- Parkway Bakery & Tavern (extensive po-boy menu, roast beef to die for)
- Mandina's (traditional New Orleans offerings with an Italian-American attitude)
- Angelo Brocato's Ice Cream (canolli, spumoni, gelato)
- K-Jean's Seafood (seafood vendor; no tables, but you can get po-boys to go or shrimp boiled to order, or choose a whole fish & they'll fillet it for you and give you the bones for your stock)
- Nonna Mia (pizza, sandwiches, some pastas; Sunday brunch; quality, tasty ingredients; delivery)
- Cafe Degas (French bistro; brunch; beautiful, sunny but sheltered setting on the boulevard)
Other
- New Orleans Museum of Art (sculpture garden too)
- Fortier Park (a nice outdoor game of chess)
- Fair Grounds race track (horseracing and some decent snacks; check out the gumbo with crab claws)
- City Park (I recommend the train and the ladybug rollercoaster, but you could also rent a paddle boat or get some exercise or all sorts of other parkly activities)
- Pal's Lounge (an apres-activity beer spot; you'll often find some gratis red beans and rice here on Mondays, plus "roll-a-day" for a $1-chance at the jackpot)
CBD (Central Business District)
- St. Charles Bar (gumbo & red beans/rice next door)
- Luke (business-suit spot; also serves breakfast)
- August (fine dining; extremely delicious; prix-fixe lunch--3 courses for $20)
Warehouse District
- Cochon (inspired Cajun cuisine; specializes in pork, of course)
- Cochon Butcher (Cochon's neighbor--a true butcher shop, but one with a full bar and fantastic $6 tapas, along with a full sandwich menu)
- Mulate's (family-oriented, fried seafood and cajun classics with a large, bright dance floor and experienced cajun band)
Marigny
Eats
- Adolpho's (Italian; upstairs above the Apple Barrel bar; hidden & romantic)
- Mimi's (bar with dancing upstairs, but the late-night tapas is the best part of the place)
- 13 (hipster cafe/bar open early to late; breakfast, pizza, sandwiches, several tofu options)
- Snug Harbor (classic jazz bistro; seats late on Fri/Sat)
- Spotted Cat (mostly jazz, but some other offerings)
- DBA (mostly jazz; go watch the Sunday evening swing dancers)
- Apple Barrel (blues, songwriter, jazz, etc.)
Riverbend (where the St. Charles streetcar turns onto Carrollton Ave.)
Eats
- Camellia Grill (classic 24-seat marble-countered grill; no alcohol; weekend brunch line is out the door but worth it for the potato/onion omelet)
- Mat & Naddie's (newly wrought Louisiana)
- Dante's Kitchen (nice patio, brunch)
- Babylon Cafe (go for the good selection of eggplant and bean dips and the award-winning homemade bread)
- Jamila's (bellydancer on Saturday nights; great mussels)
- Fresco Cafe (patio; pizzas, sandwiches, salads, drink specials; neighborhood delivery)
- Cooter Brown's (sports bar; burgers, po-boys, fried seafood, raw oysters; get there early if it's football season)
- Boucherie ("Contemporary Southern Cuisine"; try anything they do with grits)
- Jacques-Imo's (try the alligator cheesecake appetizer)
- College Inn (a nola institution, famous "peacemaker" oyster po-boy)
- Maple Leaf Bar (music; poetry reading on Sunday afternoons)
- Maple Street Books (cozy, well-stocked spot; children's bookstore next door)
- The Levy (walk or jog or take your dog)
Uptown
Eats
- Patois (great menu; locals' secret)
- Pascale's Manale (home of New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp)
- Audubon Clubhouse (breakfast, brunch, or lunch spot in the middle of Audubon Park; the food is simple, but you can't beat the view)
- Franky & Johnny's (boiled crawfish; boudin balls; fried seafood)
Other
- Columns Hotel & Bar (classic porch setting for cocktails; mellow music inside)
- Fat Harry's (bar; patio)
- Mayfair Lounge (buzzer bar; hipsters)
- Prytania Theatre (single-screen theater; classic movies on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons)
- Audubon Park (golf; long walking/jogging/cycling track)
Magazine Street
Eats
- Casamento's (seafood, raw oysters; closed during August)
- Lilette (trendy bistro; great appetizers)
- Ignacious Eatery (brunch, eclectic spins on Nola standards; moderately priced)
- La Petite Grocery (I recommend the handmade spaghetti and anything they serve with it, but the entire menu is well-made)
- Vicky's Corner Grocery (this "Grocery" really is a corner store, unlike the above; order the freshly fried shrimp po-boy--12" for $5)
- Byblos (local chain; Middle-Eastern favorites; great sandwiches)
- The Bulldog (beer garden with burgers and other bar food; dogs welcome)
- Whole Foods (yes, we do have one, and it's easy to stop by and take out some gumbo or local fish after a day of trolling the Magazine shops)
Other
- Balcony Bar (they serve bar food here, but we haven't sampled it yet...upstairs has the coolest vibe)
- The Rendezvous (not to be confused with other Rendezvouses in town, this one is bar-only)
- Funky Monkey (clothes finds)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment