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Trip to New Orleans with the wife

SkinsNDeacs

SkinsNDeacs

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Next month I am going to New Orleans with my wife. I have been to NOLA a bunch of times (including my bachelor party) but they were all in my single / college days. To be honest, the New Orleans I saw then is not much my scene anymore...crazy late night binge drinking and loud crowded clubs.

I know the city has a calmer side. Any suggestions?
 
One of America's great treasures, imho. Incredible food, walk the French Quarter and browse through all the great shops, check out the architecture (both in the French Quarter and the Garden District), plan on a couple of hours in a watering hole just soaking up the scene for old time's sake (watch the drunks, don't become one!) . . . NOLA is the perfect Friday afternoon arrival/Sunday afternoon departure kind of city.

That said, there are fewer places where you need to be more mindful of where you are than NOLA. Practice common sense and you'll be fine.

New Orleans is one of our most unique American cities -- enjoy!
 
I grew up in Baton Rouge but have not been back to LA in at least seven years. I am heading back for a bachelor party in May. I am scared.

As to the OP, you can basically do an eating tour of the city there are so many cant miss restaurants.
 
I am heading down in late May for a wedding, traveling with the wife, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. Probably won't have time to go bat-shit-crazy. :shrug

What restaurants do people recommend in the French Quarter area? Looking online just leads to long lists that say everything is good; that's not helpful.
 
MBDeac08 said:
I am heading down in late May for a wedding, traveling with the wife, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. Probably won't have time to go bat-shit-crazy. :shrug

What restaurants do people recommend in the French Quarter area? Looking online just leads to long lists that say everything is good; that's not helpful.
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What type of restaurant are you looking for?
 
[demon]I took your wife to New Orleans. She had more fun with me than she will with you.[/DKE]
 
TripleDeacon said:

What type of restaurant are you looking for?
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Anything that is going to feature local, New Orleans, or Louisiana style food. I'm not too picky, but I also don't have tons of money to just blow on food. Basically local places that are relatively cheap, like $5-15 per plate. Nothing fancy.
 
MBDeac08 said:
Anything that is going to feature local, New Orleans, or Louisiana style food. I'm not too picky, but I also don't have tons of money to just blow on food. Basically local places that are relatively cheap, like $5-15 per plate. Nothing fancy.
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Bojangles' Cajun Filet Biscuit.
 
Jacques-Imo's. It is not in the French Quarter so you'll either need to take the St. Charles streetcar or a cab. Amazing food. Get the alligator cheesecake appetizer. I got BBQ Shrimp for the main course and it was a ton of delicious food. There was a bit of a wait and they don't take reservations except for big parties, so be prepared, but I thought it was WELL worth it.
 
Nolll-ya

Skins,

I put this list together for a friend a few months ago that was going to mardi-gras. I'm not going to go back and re-link everything, but you should be able to copy pasta. DISCLAIMER: I am not sure how the oil spill may have affected the food at some of these places, so ask questions.



Here are some of my fave restaurants and other fun spots in NOLA. I tried to divide things by category and neighborhood.


Central Business District (Downtown):

Mother's: Great poboy (sandwich) shop on Poydras. Walking distance from the Marriott. Great for lunch. Get the Ralph and some File Gumbo. Casual. Lines to eat sometimes but they move fast.
http://mothersrestaurant.net/

Drago's: Famous Metarie oyster house that opened up a location in the Downtown Hilton. Chargrilled Oysters are to die for. Stuffed Lobsters are amazing. Casual and not that expensive.
http://www.dragosrestaurant.com/


French Quarter:

Cafe du Monde: A must. The french coffee (cafe au lait) and biegnets here are amazing, even if its a bit touristy.
http://www.cafedumonde.com/

Acme Oyster House. Near the corner of Bourbon and Iberville just inside the quarter. Great for Louisiana classics and fresh shucked Oysters on the half shell.
http://www.acmeoyster.com/

K. Pauls: This is famous Chef Paul Prudhomme's outpost in the Quarter. A little more expensive, but still a casual seafood spot. Great fish, gumbo and Louisiana classics.
http://www.chefpaul.com/kpaul

Mike Anderson's Seafood. Great fish and seafood in the quarter. Their Crawfish Bisque might be one of my favorite things ever. The Norman is outstanding also. On Bourbon Street. Somewhat pricey but casual.
http://www.mikeandersons.com/

Arnauds: Another great, more upscale seafood spot in the Quarter on Bienville. The bar there, French 75 was recently named one of the best bars in the country, and serves classic New Orleans french cocktails. They have a live jazz brunch on Sundays.
http://www.arnaudsrestaurant.com/


Fine Dining:

Galatoires: maybe my favorite place in NOLA. Open since 1905. On bourbon in the quarter. Jackets are required for men at dinner. Excellent food. Fairly pricey.
http://www.galatoires.com/

Commander's Palace: Another NOLA standard. In Uptown on Washington. This is where Emeril and Kevin Rathbun learned to cook. Expensive. Jackets for dinner.
http://www.commanderspalace.com/

Cochon: This is in the Warehouse district on Tchoupitoulas Street. Trendy and upscale, but with more of a butcher minded menu. Somewhat similar to Abattoir in ATL. Might be a good change of pace from seafood, or a place to stop if you are in the warehouse district checking out galleries.
http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/

Luke: John Besh is probably the most famous chef currently in New Orleans. Luke is his french brasserie. It is downtown in the CBD near the Marriott and Canal.
http://www.lukeneworleans.com/

August is another Besh establishment that has won several awards
http://www.restaurantaugust.com/

He also has a few other places in town.
http://www.chefjohnbesh.com/



Bars:

You pretty much have to go to Pat O'Briens in the quarter and drink a Hurricane. Its on Bourbon. They have a great patio for the daytime. At night they also have a dueling piano bar. Tip an usher and get him to find you seats. The piansts are usually talented and play all the creole and zydeco classics as well as take requests.
http://www.patobriens.com/patobriens/neworleans/


Other Attractions:

New Orleans French Market: This is near Cafe Du Monde on the edge of the Quarter. Great place for people watching.
http://www.frenchmarket.org/

St Louis Cathedral: Cant miss this. It towers over the french quarter. Has adjacent square and gardens that are beautiful. Lots of street performers and such in the block or two surrounding the cathedral.
http://www.stlouiscathedral.org/

Art Galleries: There tons of wonderful galleries in the Quarter and the Warehouse district. I would think most would at least be open for limited hours during the day, even during mardi gras. One of my favorites in the Quarter is the Michalopoulos gallery.
http://www.michalopoulos.com/

Tchoupitoulas Street dead ends into Canal, and if you walk up Tchoup it is also lined with galleries.
http://www.neworleansonline.com/tools/neighborhoodguide/artsdistrict.html

Harrahs: giant casino in the heart of the CBD near the end of Canal by the river, if gambling is your thing.
http://www.harrahsneworleans.com/casinos/harrahs-new-orleans/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml


Shopping: The Shops at Canal Place is a fairly upscale mall near the end of Canal by the river. They have Saks, etc.
http://www.theshopsatcanalplace.com/




General Advice:


All sorts of great shops and galleries in the Quarter, if you dont want to encounter too much of the drunk mess though, I would steer clear of there later at night. The quarter is great during the morning and day to wander though and take pictures and check out the galleries and shops.

Uptown and St. Charles street specifically have beautiful old plantation homes. There are lots of parades there as well. May be worth a cab ride. I would really stick to the main streets of the CBD, Quarter, Warehouse District and possibly Uptown though. The main thoroughfares of the neighborhoods I mentioned are pretty safe, but it can get sketchy fairly quickly once you get off the beaten path. New Orleans is definitely not the town to go exploring in at night.

Let me know if you have any questions. Have Fun!
 
Stay in the garden district. Streetcar available to Bourbon, and are you really gonna be out past when it stops running? (Something like 1 am).

Irene's Cuisine is awesome, wife and I loved it. Commander's is also awesome.

Napoleon House is a really solid place for a cheaper meal, and you can get nice and drunk off Pimm's Cups. Other decent cheap fare at Cafe Maspero.

Love Lafitte's Absinthe house. Blacksmith bar gets all the pub, but we spent an afternoon at the Absinthe house just chatting with the bartender and trying some specials.
 
Mr. B's bistro in the french quarter has AMAZING bbq shrimp that will change your life. You should hit that up for lunch if you can.
 
Re: Commander's

Turtle Soup w/ sherry is $, and I had the creole couchon de lait, which is great.

I went for lunch, obviously to take advantage of the 25 cent martinis. Will get you quite loose.
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
Jacques-Imo's. It is not in the French Quarter so you'll either need to take the St. Charles streetcar or a cab. Amazing food. Get the alligator cheesecake appetizer. I got BBQ Shrimp for the main course and it was a ton of delicious food. There was a bit of a wait and they don't take reservations except for big parties, so be prepared, but I thought it was WELL worth it.
Click to expand...


Truth. And Jacque ("Jack") is a great guy. I can't recommend this place enough.
 
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