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FunnyJohn

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That said, Cochon is not a pork restaurant. It's a Cajun(ish) restaurant. Certainly plenty of fish and seafood in that canon.

Yes, but they play up the pork angle far more than the Cajun, starting with the name and a sign with a pig being cooked. I was fine not to have pork, I just didn't think the overall meal that I had was at all praiseworthy. On the other hand Galitoire's was sublime.
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We had a very nice brunch at Sylvain, 625 Chartres St.,

Sat at the bar at Sylvain last night, after work but before a work reception at the aforementioned nearby Marriott. The sazerac was, of course, absolutely perfect, and I although I knew I had a late dinner planned, I was famished. The asparagus with poached farmer egg, pecorino, and lemon ($11) hit the spot: a gloriously runny egg over roasted, just al dente spears, with shavings of salty cheese and tiny segments of (Meyer?) lemon. After that, I knew I had to try the chicken-liver crostini dandelion gastrique and baby sprouts ($11). My eyes went wide in wonder at the creamiest, most delicate liver mousse I've ever had, with just enough sweetness from the gastrique and a bit of grassiness from the sprouts to pull it all together. At one point I said, "I don't want it to end, but I don't want to stop eating it."

And I said that to the owner, who happened to be hanging out behind the bar and struck up a conversation with me. He left a job in New York to move to New Orleans and open this place. I'm not sure what he was going for, but I'd say he wound up creating an expert cocktail bar with an everyone-is-family vibe (the birthday girl celebrating with a party of eight had brought her about-seven-year-old daughter, who appeared to be as much a regular as the artists who joined me at the end of the bar a little later). I absolutely loved it here; I wish I could pick it up and bring it back to DC. I know there are a million places to eat and drink in this city (I hit Herbsaint last night and have a few more places lined up for today and tomorrow), but there's a very good chance I will be back at Sylvain again before I leave.

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there's a very good chance I will be back at Sylvain again before I leave.

Yep, I went back.

Crispy Duck Confit stewed white beans, petite arugula salad, roasted beets ($19) -- is this dish original? No. Has it been mangled by a million people? Yes. Was it outrageously good -- perfectly crispy skin, fork-tender and deeply flavorful meat, great accompaniments, right-sized portion? You know the answer.

I went back to Sylvain just hoping to sit in a corner by myself, tired of schmoozing. After nabbing a seat at the bar, I saw a newly-met colleague (he works in California on one of my journals) eating dinner at a table. We chatted a bit, but I didn't want to disturb his dinner of what appeared to be expertly prepared beef cheeks (he said they were wonderful), but he joined me at the bar after. We explored the beer and wine menu and just had a great time *not* schmoozing the members of the college (read: we were wearing jeans and not on the clock). Food, drinks, company ... Sylvain was hopping on a Monday and we sat out a mini-squall with the help of a great, knowledgeable and personable bartender (JP) and some tasty libations.

Seriously, Sylvain has leapt to the top of my "places I want to be right now" bars, and it's a crying shame it's not in DC. I have many spots I love here, but this place hit all the high notes for me. If you go to NOLA and you're in the Quarter and you don't check it out, well, that's far and away your loss.

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Listen to leleboo, she knows of what she speaks! I took her advice and had a delightful evening at the bar at Sylvain. My intention was to eat light, but once I saw the Porchetta Po-Boy on the menu those plans fell by the wayside. I decided to start with the brussels sprout salad. It was an interesting (and unusual) raw preparation of one of my favorite vegetables. Shaved sprouts mixed with chopped apples, hazelnuts, and a light citrus dressing, topped with a coating of finely grated pecorino. A great combination of flavors and textures that I hope to recreate at home.

Now that po boy....oh my, a copious amount of flavorful shredded pork shoulder topped with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe, served on a pillowy cibatta. It reminded me of visits to the Galileo Grill, only this was bigger and even better. I was curious about the "Champagne and Fries" on the starter menu, but once I tried the fries on my plate it made perfect sense. The drinks were also carefully prepared; I enjoyed an Aviation and a Sazerac.

The food was great but the company was even better - when you wind up sitting next to folks who eventually pull out their cell phones to show you pictures of food...well, you know you've found kindred spirits B)

A few other recommendations from the local I sat next to at the bar: A Mano, Gautreau's, and Patois. Not sure I'll be able to get to any of them, but they look like they're worth checking out.

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A few more things from this weekend:

Thank you, lperry, for the Bayona comment a few pages back. The Saturday Light Lunch menu is a great deal - 3 small plates for $25. The plates aren't so small and the courtyard is a cool, shady oasis, away from the sun and humidity. The choices were literally all over the map, with Southern, Mexican, French, Asian, and other influences obvious. While everything was very good, highlights included: fried oysters over a black-eyed pea salad - a light corn meal breading that took nothing away from the freshness and sweetness of the oysters; a smoked salmon and asparagus tart; and beautiful seared scallops over a corn salad.

Cochon didn't disappoint and took very good care of a large table. Fried boudin balls and pork cheek with mushroom and tongue salad made me very happy. The roasted oysters were a favorite of the table.

Feelings, on the other hand, didn't take very good care of a large table (nearly 4 hours for dinner...), but the interior courtyard is charming and they had several interesting vegetarian selections. There seems to be a noticeable difference in service level at the 'local' spots versus the better-known spots. If you're not in a hurry, that's not usually a problem.

I did make it to A Mano and had a very nice meal. The house-cured salumi were interesting and included a duck prosciutto, mortadella, and a pork confit. I might have to agree with Food and Wine that the rabbit was the best I've ever had. Slow cooked with roasted garlic and cured olives - it was tender, moist, and full of flavor. Orecchiette with a goat ragu was also a well-prepared dish featuring an 'unusual' ingredient. Quieter and calmer than their pork-y neighbor on the next block, A Mano is definitely worth a visit. Mixed salumi, a salad, two entrees, a side of (amazing) roasted potatoes, two cocktails and two glasses of wine didn't quite hit the hundred dollar mark; a steal for the quality of the meal and service.

I know where I'm going for breakfast next time I'm in New Orleans: Cake Cafe in the Marigny. The baked goods were out of this world, including the best bought cupcake ever ( the White Wedding cake is perhaps the single serve version of JoeH's coconut cake) - for under $2! But the breakfast entrees looked incredible (grits with roasted veggies, towering yet lighter than air biscuits, fresh baked bagels...and the cupcakes are a buck with a meal!

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I felt compelled to write. I have a few more days left here.

SUNDAY:

Luke: (put an umlaut over the "u", I'm too lazy to) Delicious bread that day, it was all I needed, yet I fought on for the daily special - soup (mmm, gumbo), breaded tenderloin with waffles. Too much food (after having food poisoning earlier in the weekend)!

Felix's Oyster House: Well, despite my usual plans of dba and Cure, I got roped into here before a trip up Bourbon Street. Surprisingly enough, the service was remarkably friendly despite me, and the blackened alligator really hit the spot! I wouldn't go out of my way for their blackened alligator, but if I was dodging tits and whiskey-crooning guys in suits and creepy emo midget strippers, I would definitely wash down some blackened alligator here with LA 31 beer.

MONDAY:

Dee's Coffee: If you stay in La Pavillon, and I stay in La Pavillon for work, go there. Otherwise, meh. I don't eat there though. I had cheese and crackers from the shop in city hall. CLASSY.

Riverfront Restaurant: Oh my god did a hideous racket descend from the waterfront upon our eardrums here. Crawfish cheesy bread wasn't bad, but wasn't good, if you know what I mean. A cochon du lait sandwich - pork with pickles and gravy - was sadly lacking in gravy, and with very chewy bread, but had tasty pork.

Sylvain: SERIOUSLY OH MY GOODNESS SHUT UP AND GO THERE RIGHT NOW IT WAS AWESOME.

TUESDAY:

Avenue Cafe: Uh, yeah. Errr. Yep. Not really. Decent espresso.

Catty Car Corner Cafe: I liked the meatloaf. Not much else.

CURE: The spicy Jamaican meat pie reminded me a lot of the frozen ones I get from the store. But the fried plantains and the drinks made me forget that.

WEDNESDAY:

Beignets & More: Down in St. Bernard, near their EOC. HOLY CRAP what a biscuit sandwich! And surprisingly good cafe au lait and beignets. The EOC staff loves 'em too, it seems. Nice puddle of butter and oil left in my basket. A+++++ will buy from there again

Rocky and Carlo's: Also down in St. Bernard. An institution. Stuffed pepper, green beans, which for there, means, "green beans covered in tomatos and keilbasa". I approve.

Napolean House: Couldn't be bothered to talk to us at the door.

Bourbon House: Snuck into the back bar, which I remembered from Tales. Mmmm, drinks. Mmmm, crystal alligator (deep fried alligator in Crystal hot sauce with blue cheese). Mmmm, crawfish something-or-another spread made with red peppers, sharp cheddar, and on bread. And oysters bienville. And two creole & heirloom tomato salads. Perfect after a long day following a lost coworker through the French Quarter.

Next couple of says: Jacque-imo's tomorrow. Bar Tonique one night, too. Tomorrow I'll be between Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes, so we'll see.

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Jenna and I were in NOLA earlier this year and one thing I would add is if you are walking around in the Garden District (which is a cool area with nearly no tourists) check out Mahony's PO Boy Shop. Jenna had the Oyster Po Boy, and I had the Fried Chicken Liver one, and both were absolutely excellent.

The oyster happy hour at Luke is still excellent, though oysters are 50 cents a piece instead of 25 cents (understandably so). The Frites at Herbsaint were one of my favorite frites anywhere. Finally, the King's cakes at Cochon Butcher are an absolute must. As is the muffaletta pre travel, though I also adore the muffaletta from Central Grocery pre travel as well.

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Just got back from a four day birthday bender in New Orleans

Food

Cochon - Since we usually catch an early flight down and stay in the Warehouse/Arts District, Cochon has become our hangout spot until our room is ready. Check-in, walk down to Cochon, saddle up to the bar and order some small plates and cocktails. Crawfish pie, braised pork cheeks over spoonbread, smoked green tomato and cucumber gazpacho with pickled red onion, squash salad with herbs and pecan dressing...all very good.

Bayona - This was our fancy meal out, overall solidly good, food was impeccably cooked, however didn't really knock my socks off. Star of the night was the gazpacho with crab and aioli. Entrees of sweetbreads and tripletail were both good. The "signature" black bean cake with shrimp was a disappointment.

A Mano - A Mano was named one of New Orleans 10 Best New Restaurants in 2010 by the Picayune and I can see why, everything we had at A Mano was great. Delicious bread, caponata brushetta, tripe alla romana, sauteed speckled trout (gf only let me have one bite and it was one of the best bites of the weekend), buccatini with house-cured guanciale, tomato, pecorino & chili. This is on the short list of places to return to.

Mahoney's - We spent Saturday touring Magazine Street in the Garden District and stopped in Mahoney's for po-boys (fried green tomato and shrimp)...awesome. Expect an hour wait for your food on a Saturday afternoon.

Acme Oyster House - The wait for a table on Sunday night was only 10 minutes. Plump oysters had zero taste, the fried oyster and shrimp po-boy was a shadow of Mahoney's...but the crawfish...oh the crawfish...don't waste your calories on anything else, just order the crawfish (and plenty of beer!)

August - B-day lunch at John Besh's August before our flight home. They are still doing the 3-course pre-fixe menu for $20 and it's a complete steal. The big highlight was the crispy lamb belly, crispy, fatty, lamby...fantastic. I might have to rate the lamb belly as the best thing I ate all weekend.

Music

Friday night. 11pm. The Young Fellaz Brass Band have set up shop on the corner of Frenchman and Chartres. Kermit Ruffins is about to take over The Blue Nile...Frenchman Street is hopping.

The Spotted Cat, Sunday night, Pat Casey and The New Sounds...set starts at 10pm...they were still going strong at 2am. Say hello to Curtis the bartender, and his girlfriend, and his son.

If you decide you have to hit someplace on Bourbon Street, then make your way to Fritzel's European Jazz Pub (700 block) for traditional jazz. Lots of tourists, but the music is good and vibe is chill.

Other stuff

If you find yourself in New Orleans on the first Saturday of the month, head to the Julia Street Art Walk in the Warehouse/Arts District. From roughly 6pm-8/9pm-ish more than a dozen art galleries are open, free wine etc. Plus it puts you within easy striking distance of A Mano and Cochon for dinner.

Take the Canal Street streetcar to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art, nice collection and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden is excellent.

Crescent City Farmer's Market, 8-noon Saturday mornings, Magazine and Girod Street. If you are nearby then defintiely worth checking out. We picked up coffee, baked goods and fresh cut cantalope for breakfast. Several stalls had huge ice coolers filled with fresh caught shrimp which looked amazing. Lots of squash, okra, tomatoes, plums and peaches, several cheese vendors, some prepared food. Not a huge farmer's market but they cram in a lot of stalls.

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So, post-Tales of the Cocktail, I posted a quick post on Scofflaw's Den with one line about each restaurant I hit. But, for more detail on a couple...

Cochon Butcher - First time I'd been able to go there. It was worth it completely. Wow. The head cheese, the boudin, the mac & cheese, the pork belly sandwiches, the cocktails - it was definitely worth it. And I had great company there. I'd been wanting to come here every time I go to New Orleans and never got around to it - damn my laziness!

Coop's Place - I don't know how I kept missing this place. I loved the atmosphere and the food. Their jambalaya (make sure to get the supreme version, I believe) was absolutely fantastic and that was my favorite fried chicken in NOLA so far (well, at least since the last time I went to Jacques-Imo's, but I missed there this trip). Smoked duck quesadillas? YES PLEASE.

Felix's - Look, sure, it's on Bourbon Street - but unlike Acme, it usually doesn't have a line, and I can't tell the difference in raw oysters. They also have blackened alligator, which I love, and charbroiled oysters. As good as Drago's? Maybe, maybe not, but might be easier to get. Oh, and LA 31 on tap. Yum.

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Felix's - Look, sure, it's on Bourbon Street - but unlike Acme, it usually doesn't have a line, and I can't tell the difference in raw oysters. They also have blackened alligator, which I love, and charbroiled oysters. As good as Drago's? Maybe, maybe not, but might be easier to get. Oh, and LA 31 on tap. Yum.

The difference, at least when I lived there, is that Felix's is owned by the wise guys, so it's sort of like having a pasta dinner in Jersey. :mellow:

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Incredible! Not a single mention of Restaurant Stella. Has anyone been? http://www.restaurantstella.com/pdf/stella_carte.pdf

Scott Boswell is an acquaintance of mine and I eat at Stanley pretty frequently. As good as the food at Stella sounds (and Scott routinely takes a couple winter weeks off the stage at places like Gagnaire, Noma, etc), it's hard for me to want to commit 3+ hours of an evening for a formal meal. Too much awesome music!

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Incredible! Not a single mention of Restaurant Stella. Has anyone been? http://www.restaurantstella.com/pdf/stella_carte.pdf

Also, has anyone been to the "new" Lafite's Landing in Donaldsonville since a fire shuttered the old location in the late '90's?

Looked into going to Stella last time I was down in NOLA...but really, those prices are insane. $33 for the Vegetarian Daily Composition, I'm sure it's lovely, but there are so many other places to eat (and drink...and listen to music...and eat...and drink...and listen to music)

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Incredible! Not a single mention of Restaurant Stella. Has anyone been? http://www.restaurantstella.com/pdf/stella_carte.pdf

Also, has anyone been to the "new" Lafite's Landing in Donaldsonville since a fire shuttered the old location in the late '90's?

Stella is in the short conversation for the best of the new New Orleans restaurants, but as mentioned already it does require a real time commitment and it's a decidedly more formal, 'old school' experience than places like Cochon. That being said, if you have the money and time, it's worth the three hour tour. Their duck five ways is one of the best things I've eaten in that city. You'll have a hard time finding the strength to stay out after though.

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So my husband and I are going to NOLA for our 5th wedding anniversary. We have been told that to do it up right we should go to Commanders. Think this is good advice? I am allergic to shellfish, (no I can't just down a bunch of drugs before hand and yes, I know that it is a "sin" to miss the shellfish in LA,.... whatever), but we really want to taste some cajun food and be dazzled. What say you all?

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So my husband and I are going to NOLA for our 5th wedding anniversary. We have been told that to do it up right we should go to Commanders. Think this is good advice? I am allergic to shellfish, (no I can't just down a bunch of drugs before hand and yes, I know that it is a "sin" to miss the shellfish in LA,.... whatever), but we really want to taste some cajun food and be dazzled. What say you all?

Well, Cajun food's home is about 2 hours from NOLA.

Non-shellfish is tricky anywhere. I haven't been to Commanders (fine dining isn't really a priority for me--takes too much time). I think the consensus best restaurant in NOLA is Stella, but it's not the classic-ish Creole supper club-type atmosphere of Commanders. Near that price point and style, I adore Clancy's, and others would certainly recommend Brigtsen's as well.

Send me a PM with your exact dates and I'll send you my full "what to do in NOLA" writeup, plus music recommendations (this offer, BTW, is open to anyone on the board).

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The wife and I went to New Orleans for a long weekend, Oct 20 - 23. Thanks to the many fine reviews here on DR we had some awesome dining experiences.

First up was K-Pauls as we arrived on Thursday evening. I know some people are not that impressed, but I am a Paul Prudhomme fan and couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat here. We started with the Pan-Fried Rabbit Tenderloin with Creole Mustard Sauce. The presentation left a bit to be desired but the rabbit was excellent. The sauce was truly the star. Plenty of mustard flavor without being overpowering.

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For our mains my wife had the Bronzed Chicken with Shrimp Miranda. Was very good. I opted for the Blackened Louisiana Drum. Since it didn't say 'Redfish' specifically on the menu I do not know if it was red drum or black drum, but supposedly they are very hard to tell apart. And in retrospect I don't care because it was friggin awesome. Topped with crab and a compound butter. I will remember this one forever. Unfortunately my pictures of these two dishes did not turn out. Map

Friday morning, Cafe Du Monde Map

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For lunch we went to Lüke, owned by John Besh. Started with raw gulf oysters. Wife had the roasted beet, Bayou blue cheese, and spiced pistachio salad. We shared the bacon cheeseburger on the recommendation of our waiter, who was awesome btw. Best burger I have ever had. Meat was a 50/50 mix of brisket and top round according to our waiter, who coincidentally was from Reston. The fries were hot and crispy. The picture blows of the burger because i was halfway through eating it when I realized I forgot to take the pic. Trust me, it was great. Map

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Dinner that evening was at Hersaint, a Donald Link restaurant. My wife had the Beef Short Rib with Potato Rösti and Salsa Verde from the small plates menu. She loved it. I had the Kurobuta Pork Belly with Turnips, Brussels Sprouts and Apple-Mustard Vinaigrette. Kurobuta pork speaks for itself. It was of course melt in your mouth delicious, but the brussels sprouts were fried. And great. For dessert we had the Banana Brown Butter Tart with Fleur de Sel Caramel and the Housemade Blood Orangecello. The tart was great, the orangecello was not. It was very bitter. Map

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Breakfast the next morning was at Elizabeth's. Praline bacon and perfectly poached eggs over crab cakes. I wish i could get that every weekend. Map

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Continued...

Lunch was Willie Mae's Scotch House. Wife went with Chicken fried pork chop with potato salad and peas. I had the three piece fried chicken with mac and cheese. They were unfortunately out of red beans when we got there around 2:30pm. I couldn't believe it when our server told us that. I will let the pictures speak for themselves here. Map

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Last up was a late dinner at Mother's. We both got the Ralph sandwich, which has to be one of the worst names for a food ever. But it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever crammed in my maw. Ham, roast beef, a delicious concoction called debris, cheese, mayo, mustard, cabbage, and pickles. 2/3 size shown. We shoulda split one. The sweet potato pie was out of this world good. Map

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I also want to give a shout out to Abita beer. Loved it. Also thanks to everyone who has posted here about the awesome restaurants in New Orleans.

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Janet and I and friends are in NOLA as I write. Just two quick notes: Best single dish so far was the sweetbreads on truffled grits app at MiLa, a restaurant whose quality goes well beyond the notice it has received. A platonic dish, as Richard Collin would have called it. The best deal by far has been the $20.11 fixed price three course lunch at August, which in addition to the three courses included an amuse and some extra sweet bits at the end; I have no idea how Besh makes money on it, even indirectly, but it is a must.

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By trying to sucker you with a cocktail. Most cocktails run $10-$15 range...I believe we paid $13 for a mimosa. Go for lunch, avoid the cocktail menu!

That's true, but those cocktail prices seem to prevail elsewhere in town, irrespective of the food prices. Bottom line -- enjoy the food in NO and order cocktails anywhere carefully.

BTW, among best dishes I also need to add Drago's charbroiled oysters (Metarie location, can't vouch for downtown) and Mr B's BBQ shrimp. Among the greatest mouthfuls you will find.

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Funny, I was just mentioning to someone that I was surprised at how cheap mixed drinks in New Orleans were last week. Not talking serious mixology, but gin gimlets were running me $4.50-$5 at most places on Frenchman Street.

I'm not able to eat as much or as often as I used to but I loved Sylvain - Roast Pork Po' Boy. It was rocking on a Sunday night and had a great vibe. Also had a nice shrimp and andouille po' boy at American Sector, John Besh's restaurant in the World War 2 Museum.

Although I was a little disappointed in the museum itself, but we are pretty spoiled in this area when it comes to museums.

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Funny, I was just mentioning to someone that I was surprised at how cheap mixed drinks in New Orleans were last week. Not talking serious mixology, but gin gimlets were running me $4.50-$5 at most places on Frenchman Street.

I'm not able to eat as much or as often as I used to but I loved Sylvain - Roast Pork Po' Boy. It was rocking on a Sunday night and had a great vibe. Also had a nice shrimp and andouille po' boy at American Sector, John Besh's restaurant in the World War 2 Museum.

Although I was a little disappointed in the museum itself, but we are pretty spoiled in this area when it comes to museums.

My point of comparison was mixed drinks at upscale and other notable restaurants/holes-in-walls of the type we were dining in (that being the major point of a trip to NOLA, for me anyway). I don't generally partake, but my sweetie was ordering lots of Kir Royal that always seemed to go for about $15 a pop. But maybe I'm just behind the times. I suspect you are right about the bar scene -- I was amazed at the number of bars there that advertize themselves as being Daiquiri mills, in big neon signs.

Like you I can't eat as much as I used to. And the WW2 Museum is interesting, though long on text and short on artifacts. Sorry I didn't know you were in town -- would have been great to meet-up, say on Frenchman Street, where we were Sunday night (Snug Harbor) while you were at Sylvain. Maybe next time -- we're already talking about going down again when the weather breaks come Spring. So many restaurants -- so little time!

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Also had a nice shrimp and andouille po' boy at American Sector, John Besh's restaurant in the World War 2 Museum.

Although I was a little disappointed in the museum itself, but we are pretty spoiled in this area when it comes to museums.

I'm headed down to New Orleans mid-February and have the day I fly back to myself until mid-afternoon. The WWII museum was on my short list of places to check out. It was recommended to me by a few people, but they were museum people, which could be good or bad. Hmmm. Other things on my short list, walking tour of Treme, voodoo museum, museum of Southern Art (Ogden I think?). Anyone have any comments or suggestions? It's a Monday so a few places I'd want to check out are closed.

Back to food - has anyone been to Dante's Kitchen recently? Or to Mat & Naddies? Both were recommend by the friend I'm staying with, in part because of proximity although I know she really likes both. A meal at Cochon is already part of the plan as well as po boys at some point.

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I'm headed down to New Orleans mid-February and have the day I fly back to myself until mid-afternoon. The WWII museum was on my short list of places to check out. It was recommended to me by a few people, but they were museum people, which could be good or bad. Hmmm. Other things on my short list, walking tour of Treme, voodoo museum, museum of Southern Art (Ogden I think?). Anyone have any comments or suggestions? It's a Monday so a few places I'd want to check out are closed.

Back to food - has anyone been to Dante's Kitchen recently? Or to Mat & Naddies? Both were recommend by the friend I'm staying with, in part because of proximity although I know she really likes both. A meal at Cochon is already part of the plan as well as po boys at some point.

In October four of us shared 15+ courses at Cochon, the next night 10+ at August which, yes, is an entirely different restaurant. Still, I believe that August is one of the best restaurants in the U. S. today. You should go. If you do include the gnocchi with crabmeat and truffles.

The one restaurant that we didn't try-and I wish we had-is Stella.

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In October four of us shared 15+ courses at Cochon, the next night 10+ at August which, yes, is an entirely different restaurant. Still, I believe that August is one of the best restaurants in the U. S. today. You should go. If you do include the gnocchi with crabmeat and truffles.

The one restaurant that we didn't try-and I wish we had-is Stella.

I went to August the last time I was in New Orleans, and I had the gnocchi. The meal was absolutely fantastic, but I'm not looking to return on this trip unless it's for lunch by myself on Monday when my friend will be at work. Seeing as she'll be about 5 months pregnant, I'm inclined to eat at one of the places she suggested so I was just hoping someone might have been to either. :)

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Well I leave for New Orleans in exactly one week and we've got reservations for dinner at Sylvain for Saturday night! :D We're going to play the rest by ear - lunch or brunch at Cochon Butcher or Dante's Kitchen on Sunday probably. Still have to decide what to do about Monday. My flight got moved up 4 hours :angry: so it's either a museum for a few hours or an early lunch at August or Cochon before I fly out...

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It will definitely be Cochon if we haven't made it there prior, I've been to and loved both, but Cochon is one of my favorite restaurants.

Haven't even heard of Casamento's. Care to share more about it?

its on magazine, down past the garden district but well before the swing into uptown. bout 4 or 5 blocks off st charles. the BEST SOFT SHELL ive ever had. if i may be so arrogant as to qualify that statement: my family is from bawlmoor; my uncle and his cousins were/are crabbers and 'wudder-men; i have a tattoo of a crab on my forearm. my great-granny smacked us over the head after she inspected our shells and found them too "full."

and at casamento's i had the best soft shell crab EVER, in my 29 years on this earth. a cold abita and some colder gulf oysters to start and i, as they say, was happy as a, well, crab in sand in december.

and you must, even if you dont have to, use the restroom at casamento's. you must walk the gauntlet thru the kitchen, past the woks (!) that pass for deep fryers here (no there are no deep fryers, though one wouldnt believe it by consuming the crispy salty treasures that emerge) and GO TO THE RESTROOM; its outside (sort of) and the banter and small talk ( and ribbing you get from the staff, until you show that crab tattoo) are the stuff that stories told to your grandchildren will be made of.

all that aside, im ignorant as to the crab season in louisiana, though we get gulf crabs up offseason, so...

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I am certain that were you to look up the definition of "eating your way through a city" you would find my trip this past weekend to New Orleans front and center.

Due to a mechanical error on my plane, my flight Friday night was canceled and I had to fly in Saturday morning so the eating began the moment I stepped off of the plane. We went first to Cochon Butcher for lunch. I had the pork belly sandwich, which had a layer of pork belly sliced about 1/2" thick and perfectly tender with a crispy exterior topped with mint and cucumber, which provided the perfect way to cut through the fattiness of the belly.

ButcherPorkBelly.jpg

My friend had the BLT, which was loaded with smoky bacon and topped with collards. Also delicious but I think it paled in comparison to the pork belly sandwich. The housemade chips that come with it are delicious, but were mostly ignored as we had to also share a side of the incredibly rich (can you say hedonistic?) pancetta mac 'n cheese topped with crispy breadcrumbs. The bread and butter pickles also shined, sweet with a slightly spicy finish. I would have loved to bring jars of these back.

After a visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, which I really enjoyed and a little time to freshen up, we headed off to dinner at Sylvain. I think SeanMike said it best when he said "SERIOUSLY OH MY GOODNESS SHUT UP AND GO THERE RIGHT NOW IT WAS AWESOME". :D We started with cocktails, an aviation for me and a mocktail for my friend since she is expecting. I made a version of an aviation for a dinner party once, but had never actually had one made for me so I was eager to try it and the cocktail did not disappoint. As might be expected, we did have to wait a bit for cocktails to be made, but I was pleased that we were still given time to finish them before our appetizers arrived. For apps, we had the Fried Eggplant with parmesan reggiano and lemon aioli. For $7 this was a ridiculous portion of triangle cuts of eggplant deep fried to crispy perfection. We also had the Roasted Beet Bruschetta with sherry vinaigrette and goat cheese. I was reticent to order this, how many times you can have the beet/goat cheese combo and still be surprised, but we LOVED this dish. The sherry vinaigrette mixed into the roasted beets along with the high quality chevre made this dish a winner. The server admitted later that she heard me say I didn't want to order it for the reason I mentioned (oops :ph34r: ), but she politely didn't say anything. For my entree, I really wavered between the beef cheeks and the duck confit but I was more in the mood for the confit and since Leleboo had given it such a rave review I went for it. Oh my god, perfection. The confit was so tender with perfectly crispy skin and it was served on a bed vidalia creamed black-eyed peas with a bourbon mustard sauce. I would have been happy to have a bowl of those black-eyed peas alone. My friend got the shrimp and clams with chorizo and fennel-tomato broth. I was so enamored with my duck that I didn't even bother to try hers so I can't speak to it. I decided to skip dessert although my friend enjoyed the honey panna cotta. Wines were delicious as well and the service was spot on. The only complaint I have is that the restaurant set up is a bit odd in that you have to go outside to get to the bathroom. It was cold in New Orleans this weekend and we happened to be seated by that door, which obviously was opened quite frequently between diners coming and going and people needing to use the restroom. Tough because much of the year it's warm there, but it would be nice if they put one of those heating lamps right by the door to take off the chill.

Sunday morning we had brunch at Dante's Kitchen. Not wanting to miss a chance for New Orleans food I decide to skip the breakfasty food and go with the shrimp and grits. A huge pile of creamy grits topped with 5 large grilled gulf shrimp with head and tail on and a savory andouille red eye gravy.

DantesShrimpandGrits.jpg

It was exactly what I would hope for in this dish and the portion was so generous I couldn't finish my grits. Of course that could in part have something to do with the bacon pecan sticky roll we shared (it was giant) and the brandy milk punch I had beforehand.

Our mid-day "snack" was a friend shrimp po' boy, dressed at Parkway Bakery & Tavern. Overflowing with lightly coated and perfectly crispy shrimp with the perfect amount of toppings and an Abita Turbodog on the side, it hit the spot.

Dinner was at The Company Burger. I don't think I've seen mention of this place here yet. I have to say, if you're in the mood for a burger while in New Orleans, go here! It's located down the street from Cure and has a focus on high quality beef and local ingredients. The burgers ( you have the option of a single patty, which weighs just over 5 oz or 2 patties, which weigh just over 7 oz) are served on a fresh-baked bun with cheese, red onions, and house made pickles. There's a toppings bar that has your choice of mayos (chipotle, plain, basil that I can remember), special sauce (similar to thousand island), pickled jalapenos and who knows what else. I added bacon to my burger, the chipotle mayo and a slew of the delicious pickled jalapenos. They don't do lettuce or tomato on their burgers (apparently that meets with a lot of criticism from the yelpers :rolleyes: ) but they'll add it if you request it. The burger was fantastic, the bread is perfect, the meat is exceptionally meaty, and the toppings delicious. I also added an order of onion rings on the side. They were the best onion rings I've ever had - lightly coated and perfectly crispy red onions. Some might consider them salty, I just found them to be perfectly seasoned.

CompanyBurgerBurger.jpg

They also feature a vegetable of the day and have some beers on tap and a small cocktail menu. I had the rum coke old-fashioned, which featured house made Mexico style coke, Old New Oreans rum, Angostura orange bitters and an orange peel garnish.

CompanyBurgerRumCoke.jpg

My bill - burger w/bacon, onion rings, cocktail, & tip - was a reasonable $22. We also enjoyed chatting with the chef for a few minutes afterward. He's got his cookbooks on display on the counter and anyone is free to peruse them. Allowed me to take a gander at the Modernist Cuisine books.

That area of town (Uptown) seems to be a newly happening place btw. In addition to Cure and The Company Burger, there's a new hot dog joint called Dat Dog that I would have loved to check out, as well as a place called High Hat Cafe that I heard and read good things about.

Before my flight out on Monday, I completed my food tour with the requisite trip to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait and to pick up containers of the coffee to bring back as thank you gifts for my pet sitters.

CafeDuMondeBeignets.jpg

I think on a future trip I'd like to try the beignets elsewhere as I imagine there are probably better in the city, but I couldn't miss going there this time, especially since I had a little shopping to do in the area. Speaking of, if anyone is looking for original clothing as gifts or souvenirs, check out Fleurty Girl. There are a few, including one on St. Peter's in the French Quarter. The onesie I brought back with the picture of a king cake and the phrase "Caution: baby inside" was a big hit with my dog sitter.

I have to apologize for the crappy cell phone pics, but I figured they're better than nothing. I at least spared you the out of focus photo of my po' boy. :P

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Oh, I forgot to mention our trip to WINO, the Wine Institue of New Orleans. I think maybe it got mentioned when I went there last time, but they've got a preservation system with a ton of bottles ranging across all regions and styles. They do cheese plates and classes as well. It's a fun spot to try some new wines or buy a bottle if you're looking for something to drink in (or on the street, almost forgot you're in New Orleans after all :P).

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Reading over this thread in prep for a quick visit to NO for a wedding this month, knowing that I'll have a limited amount of time, the only thing I thought of that I had to try was a muffaletta at Central Grocery, I didn't focus on beignets because I'm not into sweets. What other foods would you definitely fit in, if you were there for 3 days?

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Reading over this thread in prep for a quick visit to NO for a wedding this month, knowing that I'll have a limited amount of time, the only thing I thought of that I had to try was a muffaletta at Central Grocery, I didn't focus on beignets because I'm not into sweets. What other foods would you definitely fit in, if you were there for 3 days?

It's a big place with many possibilities. Will you have access to wheels or be limited to walking distance and streetcar? If the latter, what will be your location and maximum radius? Do you want to try a real full NO meal or stick to specific items like the ones you mentioned? How much time will you have for eating vs. the other things you need to do?

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Think we'll have a rental car, arriving Wed. (hotel central business district), Thursday for sightseeing, wedding at Cafe Amelie Friday night, then flying out 0 dark thirty Saturday morning unfortunately-2 adventurous teens (1 pescetarian), 2 tagalong parents. I've tried cooking my own versions of Cajun/creole food, but would like to try the real thing. I've resigned myself to the fact that if I can't sample a lot on this trip, we'll make a future, more leisurely trip down to visit the married couple, & eat in peace...

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Not a ton of NOLA's music venues are <21-friendly, but a couple that are worth checking out on Thursday night are the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, which has music from 6pm most Thursdays, and Mid-City Lanes/Rock 'n' Bowl, which usually has swamp music of some sort on Thursdays, and is a bowling alley with decent bar food, including boudin balls.

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Restasurant August is one of the best restaurants in the United States. I would certainly consider it as a real possibility for my last meal ever.

Having said this the NY Times link notes "Krispy Kreme bread pudding..."

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Not that I would hold this against August, but I grew up in NC, home of the KrispyKreme, & after spending too many Saturdays selling & smelling those suckers (fundraisers), I don't care if I ever see or smell another KrispyKreme again (not that I'm bitter or anything)...& now my kid is pushing cookie dough, which is almost as bad as doughnuts, but doesn't smell...

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Not that I would hold this against August, but I grew up in NC, home of the KrispyKreme, & after spending too many Saturdays selling & smelling those suckers (fundraisers), I don't care if I ever see or smell another KrispyKreme again (not that I'm bitter or anything)...& now my kid is pushing cookie dough, which is almost as bad as doughnuts, but doesn't smell...

August is not the restaurant which does the Krispy Kreme dessert. Rather it IS one of the twenty semi finalists for a James Beard Award as "outstanding restaurant" in the United States. http://www.jamesbear...MIFINALISTS.pdf It is a superb restaurant; for myself it would be worth the trip alone.

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OK, definitely going to try to make August for one dinner (I've only seen John Besh on tv, never eaten his food, but he seems like a sweetie). I think it's going to be a great, albeit brief, trip-the last of my inlaw sibs to get married (yay, no more weddings! Or at least until everyone starts getting divorced & remarrying), & in March, it shouldn't be ridiculously steamy...

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If you want to do August on the cheap...weekday lunch they offer a 3 course $20 Restaurant Week style menu, usually 3 choices per course plus an amuse and plate of cookie etc. with the check. It's a great deal. Just beware, the drink prices are very high, like $15 a cocktail high.

For something low key think about Cochon.

If people, for whatever reason, just don't want to do Cajun/Creole, then hit A Mano for Italian. If they are offering speckled trout go for.

August, Cochon, A Mano are all with in about a 5 minute walk of each other.

If you want to go super low key in that area then hit Mothers...it's a local institution.

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Not to flog the horse I rode in my previous response, but, Thursday nights in particular offer a few extra all-ages music options. Do consider them--New Orleans' music "scene" is so much more organic/natural than any other cities' in the USA. The Ogden is close to American Sector, Cochon, Cochon Butcher, A Mano, and Tamarind. Mid-City Lanes/Rock 'n' Bowl is close to Boucherie and Jacques-Imo's (and shows at R'n'B are usually late enough to allow for dining beforehand).

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Mothers may be an institution, but unfortunately it has become mostly a tourist trap. The local rap on it is that they have degraded the cooking (Po Boys) considerably. Most say that Parkway and Mahonys are better choices for a Po Boy, or even Johnny's which is the only Po Boy place in the FQ itself that appears to be worth it. But you said you were thinking of Central Grocery for a muffaletta, so that would probably take care of your sandwich needs anyway.

I can confirm that the lunch at August is about the best deal in town. Since you're staying in the CBD, you might consider MiLa. Their sweetbreads with truffled grits dish (app) was about the best thing we had during a recent 2 week stay (except see below). If you want to try traditional Creole food, Galatoires or Commander's Palace would be good choices. There are many places that put out a good meal, but those will be the best for traditional. Another Italian possibility in the CBD would be Domenico, which is another John Besh operation.

The best single dish I know of is the charbroiled oysters at Drago's in Metairie, and you could get there since you will have a car, or you could stop going to/from the airport? Drago also has a location downtown, but it is not as well thought of; I've only been to Metairie, but make multiple trips every time in town.

All of the above are open for both lunch and dinner AFAIK.

.

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John, I have raved, fantasized and longed for Mother's for years on here and Chowhound. Thick, hand sliced slabs of roast beef individually carved much like Hodges but better. With debris on really good French bread.

It was not like this in October. They had a machine: the roast beef was sliced at most a uniform 1/4" thick with a flavor not dissimilar from what I would find at say, Safeway's deli.

I sat there with Carol looking at the line out the door and could not help believe that it won't be there a year or two now. It'll take that long for all of the tourists-like ourselves-to find out that Mother's has nothing in common with what it once was. It has changed. Whoever owns or manages it has different values from what it once was known for.

We also had jambalaya and gumbo both of which were still good. On a trip several years ago Mother's had fantastic breakfast especially for their ham. We didn't have it on this trip. Still, the roast beef was a huge disappointment. I must add that in numerous threads on several boards over the years I've raved about Mother's roast beef w/debris against any roast beef/Italian beef/beef on weck sandwich on earth.

Just not on our last trip. And as long as they use that slicer it's not going to improve or its flavor from what I tasted.

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Joe -- Brett Anderson, the Times-Picayune's restaurant critic, is currently on a quest for the best Roast Beef Po Boy in New Orleans. Here is a link to his recent post about Mothers. It is clear that he does not think it is what it once was.

http://www.nola.com/...eef_po-boy.html

You can click on the list of spots at the end to see other reviews. I haven't read them all, but interestingly, he gives high marks to Short Stop in Metairie.

.

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