Visit to New Orleans

Hmm. Fine dining. Among the traditional places, Antoine's and Galtoire's spring to mind most readily.
Not fancy per se, but good old fashioned service.
I'd add any of the Emeril places to the list. Herbsaint was good.
Commander's Palace is a classic.

To be honest, some of the best places I've eaten in NO - wife and I have visited dozens of times - are some hole in the wall joints.

T

 

+1 for the holes.

 

Commanders Palace, Dookie Chase

 

We go to Nola for food 1-2x per year.

All types of dinning there, but we have trended towards lower end, authentic places lately (we hit the finer places early on).

I’m on my phone and thus will post more later, but the list starts and ends with Luizza’s.

 

Best Gumbo I ever had!

 

Another vote for the holes in the wall. Great food everywhere. Ask the locals and follow your nose!

 

Just realized I hadn't returned to post some more places:

Oysters - there are several. Casamento's works for me.

Po Boys - there are several. Parkway is good all around. Casamento's for oyster poboy. But the best for beef debris poboy imo is Domilise's.

Best all round lunch place - Liuzza's. Very special place. The BBQ Shrimp poboy is amazing and not to be missed. Their etouffee and gumbo are plus level.

Coolest dinner spot = Jacques Imo's. Don't miss it. Order anything, it will be good. Runner up Cafe Degas.

Very quaint and good food = Bistro Daisy (for a quiet dinner)

Something different = Shaya. Fantastic, fresh, light Mediterranean/middle eastern. Love this place. A must go when I'm in nola.

Essential Nola (Casual) = Dookie Chase, Mother's, Willie Mae's Scotch house (I guess you gotta go once to each. But really only Dookie Chase and then only for the lunch buffet is really worth it)

Essential Nola (Fancy) = Commander's, Brennan's, Galatoire’s

Best fine dining - many choices, but I like August a lot. (They have a $29 three-course prix fixe lunch offering that is among the best fine dinning values in the country. Might only be on Friday, can't recall)

Places I have wanted to go, but haven't been yet = Neyow's Creole Cafe, Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits (for sunday afternoon concerts), Jamila's Mediterranean Cuisine. I had all three of these booked for our last visit, but ended up canceling as we simply couldn't eat another bite when the reservation day/time rolled around (these were dinner's during jazz fest). These places are "next up" on my list.

Its my favorite food town in the world...looking back I've had great meals at all of these places, most of them more than once.

But, if I had to make a list of "places I'd go if it were my last trip to nola", I guess that list would be:

Lunches:
- Shaya
- Liuzza's
- Domilise's
- Casamento's

Dinners:
- Jaques Imo's
- One of Commanders/Brennans/Galatoires
- August
- Try some of the new places to me - Neyow's, Jamila's, Bachhanal

 

I can +1 most of these. To the fancy/essential list I would add Antoine's, especially near Christmas time.

Have not been to August but have been to almost every other John Besh place in NO, and they've all been good.

Court of Two Sisters or Brennans for brunch.

Boulangerie for a croissant, bread or espresso.

SoBou if you want to try someplace different.

To the po boy list, I'd add Central Grocery for the muffaletta.

Corporation or Parasols for a dive bar.

T

 

Amazing how times change . Woulndt leave New Orleans without stopping into K Paul's Kitchen or Emeril's. ...

 

Interestingly, those are two famous places that did not disappoint. I don't recall what I ate at Emeril 's, but 10+ years later I still remember the service as being impeccable. Food was very good at K Paul's when I ate there about 3 years ago.
T

 

I agree Tom, that's why to see neither on the list makes me kind of sad. The passing of Paul Prudhomme was sad , but the food still was good .

 

Seeing a trend heah (in my best fog horn leg horn accent)?

Simply, my opinion, the finest dining experience on the planet

 

The 25 cent martini lunch (I think it's 25 cents, and I think it's martinis; out was a long time ago and we over indulged! ) is the best way to get liquored up in the Big Easy.

Walk to the light rail or Uber back to the FQ, and you're set to go for a fun night in one of the funnest cities in the US.

T

 

Holy crap! Updating this to inform that Pizzarium Bonci has opened an outlet in Nola. I only recently discovered the original in Rome and it is amazing. Then a poster here told me they are in Chicago...and I looked and they have 2 there but also 1 in Nola.

Add it to your "when in nola" list!

We just did...will hit it up in April when we are next there for a food week...

Here is my post from the one in rome: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/146902249/