where y'everything: a list of places to eat and more in new orleans

We're offering this list of eateries--plus a few bars, attractions, and oddities--for our guests and guests unknown to get ideas about where to spend their time and money. Only places we have visited and actually recommend are on the list. If you'd like to suggest places that aren't here yet, feel free to leave a comment, and we'll add it to the list if we agree. Happy exploring...

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)

Other

• 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)

Other

• 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)

where y'everything: a list of places to eat and more in new orleans

fat and happy at mat and naddie's

Guess what? I had a really good meal for my first birthday as a New Orleans resident (surprise, surprise). We went to a great little place in our neighborhood, Mat and Naddie's, which our neighbor Mark has been telling us we should visit for months. Mark was right--this place is a gem. I'm so glad it's in our neck of the woods.
















The only cocktail I ever want to drink during a stifling New Orleans summer: the Pimm's Cup. I've been trying these at different locations to find my favorite. Mat and Naddie's was smooth, so I don't think they use ginger ale or 7-Up...maybe lemonade? The cucumbers always make me happy.
















A nice sampling of olives, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, and fresh mozzarella to nibble. Everything was marinated in olive oil and herbs.

















This photo doesn't do justice to these fantastic oysters, on the menu as "Grilled Oysters with Brie Cream and Shiitake 'Bacon.'" That's right--they make a "bacon" out of sliced shiitake mushrooms, I can only guess, by cooking it low and slow in a skillet until it intensifies its shiitakiness and dries out a little, like a mushroom jerky. Or maybe this happens in the oven. There's also a little garlic and pecorino-romano action going on here.
















My fabulous entree, "Spicy Tempura Fried Gulf Shrimp Tonkatsu." This is one of the most exciting dishes I've had in New Orleans. The shrimp are butterflied and coated in a light tempura batter, and somehow remained outside-crispy and inside-silky the whole time I was loving this dish. I didn't know what Tonkatsu meant, so I asked the waiter if this was a good item to order, and he said it was one of the best things on the menu, which I totally believe. Apparently, Tonkatsu is a Japanese combination of fried pork served with something crunchy, like cabbage, and a sweet-spicy sauce. Mat and Naddie's serves their seafood version with a fresh bok choy slaw, sticky jasmine rice, and a sauce--it's one of the best sauces I've ever tasted--of red chile and a deep, complex sweetness, maybe plum, maybe lemongrass, a small piece of sun for brightness, a drop of dew from the Garden of Eden? I will meet this sauce again.

Paul's "Grilled Filet Mignon with Smoked Marrow Compound Butter." Nice. It looks like Paul was eating in another restaurant because this photo was taken with flash. But he wasn't! He was sitting across the table from me! Thank goodness, because I really wanted to taste this, and he was kind enough to let me. Rosemary steak fries (not too exciting), but (continuing from the menu description) "wilted greens and a Maytag blue cheese and bacon buerre rouge." ?!? Please, sir, I'd like some more. While the potatoes were a little too basic to stand up to the rest of the plate, the rest of the plate was divine: a smart combination of beefy, winey, tart, creamy, burgundy, and leafy.

Sorry to say we couldn't squeeze in a dessert to show you. I would've done it too, because I was so impressed with everything else I ate that night. To all my friends: come visit already, so you can go here too!

fat and happy at mat and naddie's

no "organary" breakfast

Mmm...liver. And onions. And grits--don't forget the grits that should be a component of every true Southern breakfast. And the perfect biscuit, both cloud-light and butter-rich.



Riccobono's Panola Street Cafe, in the Riverbend, is a homey, silverware-clanking spot on a residential street (7801 Panola), which helps contribute to the feeling that you've tapped into a true locals' secret. You walk in and seat yourself (if there's a seat to be had), read the menu waiting for you on the table, and linger over the paper and a cup of coffee. Prices aren't high, service is friendly enough, and there are several interesting options to try.

For instance, the crawfish omelet, full of crawfish, sausage, bell peppers, and onions. With grits, of course. And biscuit.

If liver and crawfish don't call to you in the morning, don't fear. The ordinary but soul-satisfying breakfast fare is all here as well: pancakes, sunny-side upps, bacon, and benedict.

By the way, if you're wondering what eating liver for breakfast is like, it's like this: each chew alternates between the flavors of steak and vitamins. Vitamin-steak-vitamin-steak-vitamin-steak. Swallow. Not bad, lots of iron, fortifying. Not exactly juicy.

They also serve lunch--sandwiches, burgers, salads, gumbo--quickly and affordably.

no "organary" breakfast