Quickie NOLA Primer

[TexanMark]

A Cuse fan asked if I would post over here a question?

Can you all give us a few things to do in NOLA away from the French Quarter?

Places to visit, places to eat?

I know I'm definitely taking the street car through the Garden District over to Tulane. Is the Zoo back to its' former glory?

BTW, my Cuse pregame tailgate has moved from Walk-Ons. They cancelled out on me two weeks ago. Apparently it is now a huge LSU bar. We have moved to Allegro Bistro around the corner. If you want to come by the courtyard area and say hi come on by. Our schools are very similiar and there is a history between the schools. BTW, I hope Tulane will thank Syracuse at the game for our offer to host many of your displaced students in 2005. That would be a real classy move.

[bayouman]

Mark,

The zoo is fabulous. Well worth it if the weather's good.

If you're a history guy, you'll love the National World War II Museum. First class, impressive, inspiring. Allow at least a half day and preferably more.

We have a lot of opinionated, whack job restaurant critics on this board. You can't go wrong at lunch with a NO-style poboy from Parkway Bakery, Domilise's, Tracey's or Mahony's. If you're at the zoo and looking for dinner afterwards, you have a world of choices uptown. Too many to list but some personal favorites with local atmosphere are Brigtsen's, Clancy's, and Upperline. Same thing in the warehouse district where the WWII museum is: Cochon, Tommy's, A Mano, Rio Mar, La Boca, Sunray Grill, all good and all close. If you're on the street car line anyway and want a great steak, Mr. John's on St. Charles is first-rate.

For reviews, prices, directions etc., try www.nomenu.com.

Good luck except for 7-10 PM Sat. night.

[WaveProf]

Attached is the usual "waveprof" guide to NOLA I usually send out of town guests. I'm sure there is TONS of room for disagreement, and lots of things I have left out. Not claiming this is definitive at all. But its my way of giving a long/helpful response, without typing from scratch


Things you asked about:
You asked about Willa Mae's Scotch House, which Food Network (not that I trust them) rates the country's best chicken. I've been there 7-8 times and all but once it rated as my favorite fried chicken ever. I had one so-so experience, other than that its been stellar. They don't have a website, but here is the yelp link --> http://www.yelp.com/biz/willie-maes-sco ... ew-orleans The times on yelp are (unless something has changed VERY recently) incorrect. It is ONLY open for lunch (closing around 2 or 3, but often cutting the line off sooner), and it is closed on Sundays. Meanwhile, the lines can get VERY long, especially on weekends. It is up to you, but if you are serious about going, I would suggest that we go on Friday (while waveprofa is teaching) and that we should get there 1130-noonish. An order of fried chicken (3 pieces of fried chicken plus one very large side dish) is 10 dollars.

You also asked about the Creole Creamery. It is VERY near our old house, and is not super distant from our new house (though much too far to walk). It is fast becoming a New Orleans institution. Crazy flavors, that are (mostly) crazy good (some are bad.....but they are big on taste tests). Sundays and Milkshakes are also good. Ice Cream is reasonable, but sundaes and shakes are a bit expensive.....but the portions for those are big and come the old fashioned way in glass service. Website --> http://www.creolecreamery.com/

Fine dining:
You said you wanted to get a nice meal out and mentioned Commander's and Galatoire's as examples. We don't get to eat out fancy enough to be experts, but I'll share what I know:

~ Commander's is a 5 minute walk from our house (tops). It has a cool atmosphere that merges mom and pop with a elegant room. The service is exceptional, and the food is pretty good. We've been once for dinner, and thought it was good but were slightly underwhelmed (although the Turtle Soup was sublime). We went again for lunch and liked it much better. At dinner mains are in the 20s, appetizers in the low 10s. At lunch, they have (weekdays at least, I think maybe Saturdays too) a deal where you get a 3 course set lunch (with options) for about 20 bucks a head, and martinis are a quarter a piece (classic martini, commanders martini, watermelon martini, and cosmopolitans). I'm not joking. A quarter a piece. They are probably most famous for their Sunday Brunch. We've never been there for brunch, but did go to brunch at their #2 restaurant (Palace Cafe) which has a similar brunch meal, and it was quite good. Reservations are recommended if you want to eat at Commander's. In general, their menu is old-school creole cooking (or at least how it was re-imagined in the 1950s) and is quite good, if sometimes a bit unimaginative/unoriginal. For that type of food I certainly rank it over Antoine's (which can range from amazing to disgusting depending on the night) or Arnaud's (which is good, but I think I slightly prefer Commander's)

~ Galatoire's is probably my personal favorite of the "old-school" fine dining eateries in NOLA, but it isn't for everyone. First off, the atmosphere in the lower dining room (the traditional dining room) is raucaus, loud, and breaks into happy birthdays. The service is great, but its unorthodoxed. It looks like a Paris cafe in the 1910s. Its a LOT of fun, and it IS old/real New Orleans, but it certainly isn't what most people picture when they think of fine dining. The upstairs dining room is more regal/subdued, although a whole host of New Orleanians are still boycotting the restaurant for adding the upstairs dining room because they don't consider it the "real" Galatoires. Second, the food is amazingly good, but surprisingly simple for fine dining. They offer some of the best quality meats/fishes ranging from Crawfish, to softshell crabs, to five different types of fish, to duck, etc (and your waiter will be shockingly honest about what is the freshest) and they cook them in a very traditional, but straightforward way that showcases the product/freshness. Its usually REALLY good but, again, not what the average New Yorker "pictures" as fine dining. The downstairs dining room does not take reservations (though if you go 8 or later you rarely have to wait), the upstairs dining room requires it. Main courses range in the 20s, appetizers in the low 10s. Their wine list is among the most extensive in the world.

A couple of other options (just so you know your options)
~ Cochon is the new place that is getting thrown into the New Orleans foodie circuit. The Chef is Donald Link, who competes with John Besh (who I think sucks) and Susan Spicer (whose food is sublime) for best known local chef. He cooks pig every way you can possibly imagine it. Its a love affair with pork. Both times I have been there his appetizers (8-13 dollars) are the best apps I've had in my life. Both times his entrees (18-23 dollar range) have been better than so-so, but not as good as the appetizers. Although his rabbit and dumplings (chicken and dumplings with rabbit) and pulled pork cheeks were pretty darn good. The atmosphere is definately nice, and more subdued than Galatoire's, but it tries to give off a bit of a casual, deep-south vibe to it. And he has things on the menu cork sucker that use RC cola, and pickled okra. etc. Reservations are probably a good idea, but not compulsory. We have his cookbook, and it is far and away the best Cajun cookbook I've ever used.

~ Boucherie is really popular cause its really good, original, high end food for really low prices (the chef is outspokenly dedicated to low prices). The dining room is TINY (its the inside of an old house) and reservations are required, and even then expect them to run 20 minutes late, but once inside the service and food are very good. Apps are 8-11, entrees 13-19. Tons of hard corps meat cooked old french style. Particularly famous for their Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding and their Bacon Chocolate Brownie (5 bucks each). The chef just got shot last week in a mugging, and didn't have health insurance, so I don't know what will happen to the menu/prices. He also keeps a good selection of Basque wines, which is why waveprofa likes it haha

~ I mentioned Antoine's and Arnaud's, and those are the other two big "classic" ones besides Galatoire's/Commander's. Antoine's is slightly cheaper than some of the others, so we have been there twice. It is an amazing place that is like a museum of food, showcasing how it was truly cooked in 1880 (rather than how it was reimagined in 1950). The problem is that they have almost 300 tables, tons of tourists, and the food is uneven/unpredictable at best. Our first experience was great....the second one produced food that was bordering on disgusting (including a congealed dish that made me sick to look at......and it was the SAME dish I had loved the first time......point being, inconsistent). Talking to other people has provided me evidence that our experiences are pretty indicative......that they are super inconsistent. That said, their soups are particularly famous/good.....and the service is as good as it gets. The first time they gave us a free cookbook just because they liked us, and the second time, when they saw us debate which soup to order, they brought us out a full bowl of options #2 and 3 on the house as a gift so we could try all three. I want to like Antoine's so bad because, in theory, its the real thing. But I worry about recommending it because of inconsistency. As for Arnaud's, its kind of if Galatoire's and Commander's got married. We've been there once, and it was good, but, to me, I'd suggest going to one or the other, not the hybrid (Arnaud's).

~Herbsaint. Co-run by Donald Link (of Cochon) and Susan Spicer, this is Food and Wine Mag's favorite restaurant in the city. And the two times we've been there it was pretty damn good. A heavy New Orleans influence, but it is less "pure" New Orleans than the other options in this category. The menu is highly inventive however, and seems to always taste even better than it sounds. Mains 18-25, apps 9-13. Reservations recomended.

~~Bayona. In the French Quarter. Susan Spicer run. Pricey, but for my money THE best place to go from the big chefs (and blows John Besh out of the water). Reservations needed.

Other food
~ You might consider Camelia Grill. It is a diner that doesn't really do anything other than being a diner (greasy spoon food etc) but its wacko famous with locals, open 24 hours (or close to it), and a lot of fun because even though its a diner and you sit on stools, they serve you on linen napkins with cloth gloves as they serve you. Their burgers, omelets, and club sandwiches are especially good, and there isn't a one of them that is over 5 bucks....most are under 4. It might be an option the night you land if you are hungry after the airplane.

~Mother's. Similar to Camelia. Best known for breakfast. Its more famous with tourists than Camelia, less famous with locals. Both times I've been there I thought the food was pretty bad, and the lines long. But some people swear by it, so you should at least be aware.

~ La Boulangerie. Less than a mile from our house, this traditional french bakery makes bread and breakfast stuff just like they do in France (or at least close to it).

~ Butcher. Next door to Cochon and owned/operated by the same guy (Donald Link), its his sandwhich shop. We've never been there, but I've heard good things. One could eat in, or pack a picnic from here.

~Po-Boys. Option A: My favorite po-boy place is near our new house, and its called Mahoney's. The former sous chef at Arnaud's gave up fine dining to follow his dream of opening a Po-Boy shop after he heard about Willa Maes being a finalist for a Michelin Star. And open a po-boy shop he did. These aren't your momma's po-boys, but he does everything the traditional style and on the traditional bread, and they are very good, if a bit expensive (or at least the seafood ones are). The cochon-de-lais (pulled pork) is really good and pretty reasonable, but a lot of the seafood ones are more expensive because he uses only fresh louisiana seafood. But they are good. Several restaurants buy their seafood directly from him because they can't figure out where he gets it from. Option B: If you want the traditional, old-school mom and pop po boy, I think the best one is at Guy's (just around the corner from our old house).Nothing as original as Mahoney's, but they do you right.

~ Cafe du Monde: I find their beignets to be heaven (though you can get a bad batch when they are either too busy or not busy enough). I definitely recommend you NOT get beignets at Cafe Beignet.

Other potential activities you might not think about (especially ones good on a budget)
~ Ferry to the westbank. A ferry that takes passengers (and cars) from next to the french quarter to algiers and back runs all day (every 15-20 minutes), and is free for foot/bicycle traffic, and only 1 dollar for cars. And you get to see the city from the river. Also, Algiers provides a nice park along the river (with views) and benches for picnicking. Another ferry leaves from the same spot next to the french quarter and runs to Gretna, which is about 3 miles upriver. Not much to do there, but that is an even better boat ride and gives you even more views (including of our house, which you can see from the Gretna ferry!). That ferry runs once about ever 40 minutes or so. We sometimes ride our bikes to the ferry, take it to algiers, ride it along the levee, and come back on the gretna ferry. The Gretna ferry does not take cars.

~ Cemetery. There is an old-school above ground cemetary right across from Commander's (so very close to where we live). Its neat, and free. Though opening hours vary. This website has pictures --> http://www.graveaddiction.com/1lafayette.html

~The Avenue Pub. A craft beer pub and appetizer bar on St Charles Avenue between our house and the Quarter, they have 42 rotating beers (mostly craft beers) and tons more on bottle. The dive-bar atmosphere disguises a serious beer culture, with good bar food (think french fries cooked in duck fat, and red beans and rice wontons). The bar itself is open usual bar hours (with a back patio as well), and their is an upstairs patio overlooking St Charles Avenue that opens at 4 PM. I believe they also have a deal where you get a burger, fries, and a pint for 10 bucks 4-7 PM thursday through saturday.

~ St Joe's Bar. Near our old house, this bar has a GREAT backyard patio and is famous for their Blueberry Mojitos. Also cool for all of their old-school religious art which adorns the bar in a mocking way.

~NOLA Brewery tour. OK, I know I know, everyone has taken a brewery tour. But here is the thing. This craft microbrewery is (literaly) 150 yards (tops) from our house, and only gives one tour a week (usually led by the President and CEO). Small little snifters for tasting you ask? Why no, not at all. You arrive and are handed a pint glass which you can fill from one of 5 different types of ale to fill at your leisure. Drink through it during the tour? You can leave the tour and get your own refill. But you don't want to go at the end of the tour? They happily encourage you to stay and try more beer when the tour is over. And guess what else you might ask? Its all free. Free as a bird. And it ain't bad beer either. Tours are on Fridays at 2 PM.

~ The zoo. I'm not a huge zoo person, but it is a very nice one (even if a bit small) and they have a very good cajun/swamp exhibit with alligators, albino alligators, brown bear, otter, nutria, etc. The zoo is uptown by Audobon Park. There is also an Acquarium down by the French Quarter. As well as an insecterium, but count me out on that one!

~ Live music. While its harder to find authentic jazz and/or NOLA music than it used to be, it certainly isn't impossible. Go for Frenchman's Street (Bourbon is for boobs haha) or a couple of specific joints uptown. We can help if you are interested.


NOLA things you might want to try besides what you might already know about
~Many cork sucker were born here, and bitters were invented here. In particular, a drink called Sazerak (sp?) made with whiskey. Can be found at many good bars.

~Snowballs. You probably will be here too late in the year for these stands to be open, but did you know that the snowball was invented in New Orleans? Had tons of watery, tastless snow-cones in your day? Why yes, but that isn't a snowball......which is much better and more complex. Hanson's is particularly good --> http://snobliz.com/ but I'm almost certain they are closed by September.

~Cajun Food. While there is TONS of great Creole food to be had at our famous restaurants, cajun food is often cooked in a touristy way and not that great. Not only have we become much better cooks than we used to be, but the aforementioned Donald Link cookbook is shockingly authentic, and provides entry into a lot of dishes that are either 1) hard to find in restaurants or 2) hard to find a good example of in restaurants because most restaurants that serve it serve touristy versions (think Jambalaya, etc). If it helps the wallet, we are happy to cook for you. Just let us know.

~ Sucre. Fancified (and expensive) sweets and desserts. Particularly famous for their Macaroons. The place is scary good (which is why we try to avoid going there often haha), and an easy walk from our house. That said, it is more traditional french stuff than New Orleans stuff, so while it is everybit as good as similar places in New York etc, and almost as good as similar places in Paris, it isn't necessarily something you can only find in NOLA. But don't tell that to Food and Wine Mag which is currently in love with it.

The French Quarter (or as we say in NOLA simply "The Quarter" since French would seem redundant)
~ Bourbon Street. Gotta walk down it at least once. Overpriced, watered down hurricanes to go in super tall plastic cups cut in the shape of a naked woman, huge ass beer to go that tastes like soap for 7 dollars, 60 year old tourists flashing their breasts out of season.......the epitome of class! OK, that was a sarcastic comment, but, seriously, you gotta go at least once. Its what EVERYone thinks of when they think of New Orleans. To make an analogy to Tolstoy's quote about St Petersberg visavis Russia, Bourbon Street is New Orleans, but Bourbon Street is not New Orleansian.

~ The best bar near Bourbon Street is Pat O'Brien's which has a glorious inner courtyard with a flaming fountain. It is a LOT of fun, though occasionally (far from always) overrun with hordes of tourists. Their hurricanes are usually much better than the ones on the street (though no less expensive), although they can sometimes be very watered down (but often aren't). Their electric lemonades are really good too. They also have a piano bar inside which is neat, but its hard to compete with the stunner of a courtyard.

~ Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is on down Bourbon Street into the beginning of the residential section. Drinks are still pricey, but the fact that it is only lit by candlelight, and still looks much like it did when Jean Lefitte used to drink there, is pretty darn charming. Avoid all other bars that claim to be Pirate bars or are named after Jean Lefitte etc. They are just places with watered down hurricanes. This one is more like cheap beer at expensive prices, but a fun location.

~ Pirates Alley Cafe. Ok one exception to no other pirate bar rule. This bar (behind St Louis Cathedral) has brought absinthe back home to NOLA (which had a HUGE absinthe culture in the 19th century). Never been to this bar, but if you want absinthe this is the place to go -

~ The Chart Room. Two blocks off Bourbon (towards the river). OK, this is a TOTAL dive bar, but if Quarter Prices are getting you down, 1.50 coors light served in a real, chilled mug might make you happy. And you might actually see a couple of locals (rare for the quarter)

~Preservation Jazz Hall. The only live music on Bourbon that isn't washed out country stars covering Achie Breakie Heart. Preservation is cheesey, touristy, and they keep pressuring you to buy more drinks, but it is far and away the most authentic old-school Dixie Land Jazz left in the city. Better (and more diverese options) live music and jazz can be found on Frenchman's (without the touristiness), but if you want Dixieland jazz, this is worth a stop. --

~ Galatoire's and Arnaud's (mentioned in the fine dining section) are both on Bourbon, and Antoine's is just off Bourbon. Cafe du Monde is also in the French Quarter (along the river).

[GretnaGrn]

I will totally affirm all of the comments above. If you're into art, the Ogden museum and the Contemporary Arts Center (both near the streetcar line, just leaving downtown) are nice. City Park (hard to get to without a car) is also nice and has a good art museum, too). While it's technically at the edge of the quarter, the Aquarium of the Americas is also worthwhile. I haven't been to the audubon insectarium yet, but I've heard good things about it (if you're not squeamish about bugs, anyway....).

As for eating, New Orleans has way too many good restaurants to list here. The website listed above has lots of generally reliable reviews, as does the Times-Picayune's web page (nola.com). If something's mentioned favorably both places, it's probably a pretty safe bet. Also, don't feel like you have to go somewhere really expensive to find a good meal; although Commander's and the like are very good, there's plenty of great cheap food around, too.

Have fun, and good luck with everything except for the game.

[WaveProf]

BTW, my Cuse pregame tailgate has moved from Walk-Ons. They cancelled out on me two weeks ago. Apparently it is now a huge LSU bar. We have moved to Allegro Bistro around the corner. If you want to come by the courtyard area and say hi come on by.

Sorry. Can't make your non-tailgate tailgate :) My tailgate krewe will be too busy eating our theme "Syracuse-is-a-Lame-Duck-a-L'Orange." Or our subtheme "Orange you Glad We are from New Orleans".

[ml wave]

Considering taking the Gretna ferry for the scenic view of WaveProf's house...

[JDTulane]

No targets to shoot my orange launcher with?

[JDTulane]

No targets to shoot my orange launcher with?

[WaveProf]

Considering taking the Gretna ferry for the scenic view of WaveProf's house...

You'd need to know where to look to pick it out, not easy :)

Sorry about that, it originated as an email to a specific friend and now I just cut and paste it to save time

[PeteRasche]

I always enjoy reading other people's "insider lists". I have one myself, but I won't post it because it's way out-of-date (have only been a few times since Katrina, so there are tons of things no longer open and also tons of new stuff since). I'm curious how many of us have taken the time to type out one of these for friends who are going to NOLA for the first time.

One thing that always gets my interest is peoples' take on Mother's. Personally, I think it's way overrated. You can get anything they serve somewhere else, with less waiting, faster (and more polite) service, and probably way cheaper. I don't understand why it's so popular other than location; near enough to the Canal Street tourist hotels that it's an easy walk, but yet "outside the quarter" for hungover tourists who don't want to smell early-morning Bourbon Street (and revisit the night before, if you get my drift). Plus I imagine tourists riding down Poydras in a cab from the airport, seeing the long line down the sidewalk at lunch, and asking the cabbie "what's that place?", and then assuming it must be really good if the line is that long. Uh, no, the line is that long because there's never a table available, and because the service is so slow... [/rant]

[WaveProf]

One thing that always gets my interest is peoples' take on Mother's. Personally, I think it's way overrated. You can get anything they serve somewhere else, with less waiting, faster (and more polite) service, and probably way cheaper. I don't understand why it's so popular other than location; near enough to the Canal Street tourist hotels that it's an easy walk, but yet "outside the quarter" for hungover tourists who don't want to smell early-morning Bourbon Street (and revisit the night before, if you get my drift). Plus I imagine tourists riding down Poydras in a cab from the airport, seeing the long line down the sidewalk at lunch, and asking the cabbie "what's that place?", and then assuming it must be really good if the line is that long. Uh, no, the line is that long because there's never a table available, and because the service is so slow... [/rant]

+1. Mothers is disgusting. If you want greasy spoon, great NOLA diner, go to Camelia Grill.

But as for why it is so popular, I think it has most to do with:

1) It is the the most mentioned food location (of any genre/type) in tourist guides.
2) Susan Sarandon and a couple of other big actors liked it a lot and ate their every morning when shooting a couple of movies in the late 90s, and went on national TV talking about it as a great place where the "locals" eat. This event, even if forgotten by tourists now, is oft quoted in the tourist books when they talk about Mothers (see my first bullet point)
3) Mothers spends a lot of money advertising and giving reduced rate catering to the major hotels in the city.

I'm also willing to consider that its at least possible that maybe Mothers used to be good, back in that golden 1950s New-Orleans-was-so-perfect-that-everyone-moved-to-Metairie-anyway age that gets idealized so much.......and because it was good, people fondly reminisce about it, and encourage others to go. I don't know if this is the case, but it would seem to make sense.

[bayouman]

Mother's makes a good bowl of jambalaya. Consistently good.

The rest is nothing to write home about, or stand in line for.

[WaveProf]

Mother's makes a good bowl of jambalaya. Consistently good.

The rest is nothing to write home about, or stand in line for.

I promise to try to shut up after this (though hard for me because this [food] is a topic I'm even more passionate about than TU football), but I just wanted to say that, in fairness, I've never had anything at Mother's that wasn't breakfast except for one bit of someone else's mufalatta. It doesn't surprise me at all that they have solid jambalaya, and sorry to you bayouman for sounding so 100% about something I know little about outside of breakfast. That said, breakfast is what they are most "known" for (especially with tourists).

[TexanMark]

Mark,

The zoo is fabulous. Well worth it if the weather's good.

If you're a history guy, you'll love the National World War II Museum. First class, impressive, inspiring. Allow at least a half day and preferably more.

We have a lot of opinionated, whack job restaurant critics on this board. You can't go wrong at lunch with a NO-style poboy from Parkway Bakery, Domilise's, Tracey's or Mahony's. If you're at the zoo and looking for dinner afterwards, you have a world of choices uptown. Too many to list but some personal favorites with local atmosphere are Brigtsen's, Clancy's, and Upperline. Same thing in the warehouse district where the WWII museum is: Cochon, Tommy's, A Mano, Rio Mar, La Boca, Sunray Grill, all good and all close. If you're on the street car line anyway and want a great steak, Mr. John's on St. Charles is first-rate.

For reviews, prices, directions etc., try http://www.nomenu.com.

Good luck except for 7-10 PM Sat. night.

+1000000 on the WWII Museum (I'm retired AF and my son is Active Duty Army who will be with me)

[PeteRasche]

That said, breakfast is what they are most "known" for (especially with tourists).

Actually, what they are "most known for" (in tourist books) is the Fergie. Because it's a roast beef po-boy with the debris and au jus! And, my gosh, no other restaurant in New Orleans would DARE put debris on their po-boy and pour au jus over it!

[DCGreenie]

Food: Go to Jack Dempsey's, but bring your Glock with you,.

A Cuse fan asked if I would post over here a question?

Can you all give us a few things to do in NOLA away from the French Quarter?

Places to visit, places to eat?

I know I'm definitely taking the street car through the Garden District over to Tulane. Is the Zoo back to its' former glory?

BTW, my Cuse pregame tailgate has moved from Walk-Ons. They cancelled out on me two weeks ago. Apparently it is now a huge LSU bar. We have moved to Allegro Bistro around the corner. If you want to come by the courtyard area and say hi come on by. Our schools are very similiar and there is a history between the schools. BTW, I hope Tulane will thank Syracuse at the game for our offer to host many of your displaced students in 2005. That would be a real classy move.

[DCGreenie]

WOW! thanx for this.....

Attached is the usual "waveprof" guide to NOLA I usually send out of town guests. I'm sure there is TONS of room for disagreement, and lots of things I have left out. Not claiming this is definitive at all. But its my way of giving a long/helpful response, without typing from scratch


Things you asked about:
You asked about Willa Mae's Scotch House, which Food Network (not that I trust them) rates the country's best chicken. I've been there 7-8 times and all but once it rated as my favorite fried chicken ever. I had one so-so experience, other than that its been stellar. They don't have a website, but here is the yelp link --> http://www.yelp.com/biz/willie-maes-sco ... ew-orleans The times on yelp are (unless something has changed VERY recently) incorrect. It is ONLY open for lunch (closing around 2 or 3, but often cutting the line off sooner), and it is closed on Sundays. Meanwhile, the lines can get VERY long, especially on weekends. It is up to you, but if you are serious about going, I would suggest that we go on Friday (while waveprofa is teaching) and that we should get there 1130-noonish. An order of fried chicken (3 pieces of fried chicken plus one very large side dish) is 10 dollars.

You also asked about the Creole Creamery. It is VERY near our old house, and is not super distant from our new house (though much too far to walk). It is fast becoming a New Orleans institution. Crazy flavors, that are (mostly) crazy good (some are bad.....but they are big on taste tests). Sundays and Milkshakes are also good. Ice Cream is reasonable, but sundaes and shakes are a bit expensive.....but the portions for those are big and come the old fashioned way in glass service. Website --> http://www.creolecreamery.com/

Fine dining:
You said you wanted to get a nice meal out and mentioned Commander's and Galatoire's as examples. We don't get to eat out fancy enough to be experts, but I'll share what I know:

~ Commander's is a 5 minute walk from our house (tops). It has a cool atmosphere that merges mom and pop with a elegant room. The service is exceptional, and the food is pretty good. We've been once for dinner, and thought it was good but were slightly underwhelmed (although the Turtle Soup was sublime). We went again for lunch and liked it much better. At dinner mains are in the 20s, appetizers in the low 10s. At lunch, they have (weekdays at least, I think maybe Saturdays too) a deal where you get a 3 course set lunch (with options) for about 20 bucks a head, and martinis are a quarter a piece (classic martini, commanders martini, watermelon martini, and cosmopolitans). I'm not joking. A quarter a piece. They are probably most famous for their Sunday Brunch. We've never been there for brunch, but did go to brunch at their #2 restaurant (Palace Cafe) which has a similar brunch meal, and it was quite good. Reservations are recommended if you want to eat at Commander's. In general, their menu is old-school creole cooking (or at least how it was re-imagined in the 1950s) and is quite good, if sometimes a bit unimaginative/unoriginal. For that type of food I certainly rank it over Antoine's (which can range from amazing to disgusting depending on the night) or Arnaud's (which is good, but I think I slightly prefer Commander's)

~ Galatoire's is probably my personal favorite of the "old-school" fine dining eateries in NOLA, but it isn't for everyone. First off, the atmosphere in the lower dining room (the traditional dining room) is raucaus, loud, and breaks into happy birthdays. The service is great, but its unorthodoxed. It looks like a Paris cafe in the 1910s. Its a LOT of fun, and it IS old/real New Orleans, but it certainly isn't what most people picture when they think of fine dining. The upstairs dining room is more regal/subdued, although a whole host of New Orleanians are still boycotting the restaurant for adding the upstairs dining room because they don't consider it the "real" Galatoires. Second, the food is amazingly good, but surprisingly simple for fine dining. They offer some of the best quality meats/fishes ranging from Crawfish, to softshell crabs, to five different types of fish, to duck, etc (and your waiter will be shockingly honest about what is the freshest) and they cook them in a very traditional, but straightforward way that showcases the product/freshness. Its usually REALLY good but, again, not what the average New Yorker "pictures" as fine dining. The downstairs dining room does not take reservations (though if you go 8 or later you rarely have to wait), the upstairs dining room requires it. Main courses range in the 20s, appetizers in the low 10s. Their wine list is among the most extensive in the world.

A couple of other options (just so you know your options)
~ Cochon is the new place that is getting thrown into the New Orleans foodie circuit. The Chef is Donald Link, who competes with John Besh (who I think sucks) and Susan Spicer (whose food is sublime) for best known local chef. He cooks pig every way you can possibly imagine it. Its a love affair with pork. Both times I have been there his appetizers (8-13 dollars) are the best apps I've had in my life. Both times his entrees (18-23 dollar range) have been better than so-so, but not as good as the appetizers. Although his rabbit and dumplings (chicken and dumplings with rabbit) and pulled pork cheeks were pretty darn good. The atmosphere is definately nice, and more subdued than Galatoire's, but it tries to give off a bit of a casual, deep-south vibe to it. And he has things on the menu cork sucker that use RC cola, and pickled okra. etc. Reservations are probably a good idea, but not compulsory. We have his cookbook, and it is far and away the best Cajun cookbook I've ever used.

~ Boucherie is really popular cause its really good, original, high end food for really low prices (the chef is outspokenly dedicated to low prices). The dining room is TINY (its the inside of an old house) and reservations are required, and even then expect them to run 20 minutes late, but once inside the service and food are very good. Apps are 8-11, entrees 13-19. Tons of hard corps meat cooked old french style. Particularly famous for their Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding and their Bacon Chocolate Brownie (5 bucks each). The chef just got shot last week in a mugging, and didn't have health insurance, so I don't know what will happen to the menu/prices. He also keeps a good selection of Basque wines, which is why waveprofa likes it haha

~ I mentioned Antoine's and Arnaud's, and those are the other two big "classic" ones besides Galatoire's/Commander's. Antoine's is slightly cheaper than some of the others, so we have been there twice. It is an amazing place that is like a museum of food, showcasing how it was truly cooked in 1880 (rather than how it was reimagined in 1950). The problem is that they have almost 300 tables, tons of tourists, and the food is uneven/unpredictable at best. Our first experience was great....the second one produced food that was bordering on disgusting (including a congealed dish that made me sick to look at......and it was the SAME dish I had loved the first time......point being, inconsistent). Talking to other people has provided me evidence that our experiences are pretty indicative......that they are super inconsistent. That said, their soups are particularly famous/good.....and the service is as good as it gets. The first time they gave us a free cookbook just because they liked us, and the second time, when they saw us debate which soup to order, they brought us out a full bowl of options #2 and 3 on the house as a gift so we could try all three. I want to like Antoine's so bad because, in theory, its the real thing. But I worry about recommending it because of inconsistency. As for Arnaud's, its kind of if Galatoire's and Commander's got married. We've been there once, and it was good, but, to me, I'd suggest going to one or the other, not the hybrid (Arnaud's).

~Herbsaint. Co-run by Donald Link (of Cochon) and Susan Spicer, this is Food and Wine Mag's favorite restaurant in the city. And the two times we've been there it was pretty dag-burn good. A heavy New Orleans influence, but it is less "pure" New Orleans than the other options in this category. The menu is highly inventive however, and seems to always taste even better than it sounds. Mains 18-25, apps 9-13. Reservations recomended.

~~Bayona. In the French Quarter. Susan Spicer run. Pricey, but for my money THE best place to go from the big chefs (and blows John Besh out of the water). Reservations needed.

Other food
~ You might consider Camelia Grill. It is a diner that doesn't really do anything other than being a diner (greasy spoon food etc) but its wacko famous with locals, open 24 hours (or close to it), and a lot of fun because even though its a diner and you sit on stools, they serve you on linen napkins with cloth gloves as they serve you. Their burgers, omelets, and club sandwiches are especially good, and there isn't a one of them that is over 5 bucks....most are under 4. It might be an option the night you land if you are hungry after the airplane.

~Mother's. Similar to Camelia. Best known for breakfast. Its more famous with tourists than Camelia, less famous with locals. Both times I've been there I thought the food was pretty bad, and the lines long. But some people swear by it, so you should at least be aware.

~ La Boulangerie. Less than a mile from our house, this traditional french bakery makes bread and breakfast stuff just like they do in France (or at least close to it).

~ Butcher. Next door to Cochon and owned/operated by the same guy (Donald Link), its his sandwhich shop. We've never been there, but I've heard good things. One could eat in, or pack a picnic from here.

~Po-Boys. Option A: My favorite po-boy place is near our new house, and its called Mahoney's. The former sous chef at Arnaud's gave up fine dining to follow his dream of opening a Po-Boy shop after he heard about Willa Maes being a finalist for a Michelin Star. And open a po-boy shop he did. These aren't your momma's po-boys, but he does everything the traditional style and on the traditional bread, and they are very good, if a bit expensive (or at least the seafood ones are). The cochon-de-lais (pulled pork) is really good and pretty reasonable, but a lot of the seafood ones are more expensive because he uses only fresh louisiana seafood. But they are good. Several restaurants buy their seafood directly from him because they can't figure out where he gets it from. Option B: If you want the traditional, old-school mom and pop po boy, I think the best one is at Guy's (just around the corner from our old house).Nothing as original as Mahoney's, but they do you right.

~ Cafe du Monde: I find their beignets to be heaven (though you can get a bad batch when they are either too busy or not busy enough). I definitely recommend you NOT get beignets at Cafe Beignet.

Other potential activities you might not think about (especially ones good on a budget)
~ Ferry to the westbank. A ferry that takes passengers (and cars) from next to the french quarter to algiers and back runs all day (every 15-20 minutes), and is free for foot/bicycle traffic, and only 1 dollar for cars. And you get to see the city from the river. Also, Algiers provides a nice park along the river (with views) and benches for picnicking. Another ferry leaves from the same spot next to the french quarter and runs to Gretna, which is about 3 miles upriver. Not much to do there, but that is an even better boat ride and gives you even more views (including of our house, which you can see from the Gretna ferry!). That ferry runs once about ever 40 minutes or so. We sometimes ride our bikes to the ferry, take it to algiers, ride it along the levee, and come back on the gretna ferry. The Gretna ferry does not take cars.

~ Cemetery. There is an old-school above ground cemetary right across from Commander's (so very close to where we live). Its neat, and free. Though opening hours vary. This website has pictures --> http://www.graveaddiction.com/1lafayette.html

~The Avenue Pub. A craft beer pub and appetizer bar on St Charles Avenue between our house and the Quarter, they have 42 rotating beers (mostly craft beers) and tons more on bottle. The dive-bar atmosphere disguises a serious beer culture, with good bar food (think french fries cooked in duck fat, and red beans and rice wontons). The bar itself is open usual bar hours (with a back patio as well), and their is an upstairs patio overlooking St Charles Avenue that opens at 4 PM. I believe they also have a deal where you get a burger, fries, and a pint for 10 bucks 4-7 PM thursday through saturday.

~ St Joe's Bar. Near our old house, this bar has a GREAT backyard patio and is famous for their Blueberry Mojitos. Also cool for all of their old-school religious art which adorns the bar in a mocking way.

~NOLA Brewery tour. OK, I know I know, everyone has taken a brewery tour. But here is the thing. This craft microbrewery is (literaly) 150 yards (tops) from our house, and only gives one tour a week (usually led by the President and CEO). Small little snifters for tasting you ask? Why no, not at all. You arrive and are handed a pint glass which you can fill from one of 5 different types of ale to fill at your leisure. Drink through it during the tour? You can leave the tour and get your own refill. But you don't want to go at the end of the tour? They happily encourage you to stay and try more beer when the tour is over. And guess what else you might ask? Its all free. Free as a bird. And it ain't bad beer either. Tours are on Fridays at 2 PM.

~ The zoo. I'm not a huge zoo person, but it is a very nice one (even if a bit small) and they have a very good cajun/swamp exhibit with alligators, albino alligators, brown bear, otter, nutria, etc. The zoo is uptown by Audobon Park. There is also an Acquarium down by the French Quarter. As well as an insecterium, but count me out on that one!

~ Live music. While its harder to find authentic jazz and/or NOLA music than it used to be, it certainly isn't impossible. Go for Frenchman's Street (Bourbon is for boobs haha) or a couple of specific joints uptown. We can help if you are interested.


NOLA things you might want to try besides what you might already know about
~Many cork sucker were born here, and bitters were invented here. In particular, a drink called Sazerak (sp?) made with whiskey. Can be found at many good bars.

~Snowballs. You probably will be here too late in the year for these stands to be open, but did you know that the snowball was invented in New Orleans? Had tons of watery, tastless snow-cones in your day? Why yes, but that isn't a snowball......which is much better and more complex. Hanson's is particularly good --> http://snobliz.com/ but I'm almost certain they are closed by September.

~Cajun Food. While there is TONS of great Creole food to be had at our famous restaurants, cajun food is often cooked in a touristy way and not that great. Not only have we become much better cooks than we used to be, but the aforementioned Donald Link cookbook is shockingly authentic, and provides entry into a lot of dishes that are either 1) hard to find in restaurants or 2) hard to find a good example of in restaurants because most restaurants that serve it serve touristy versions (think Jambalaya, etc). If it helps the wallet, we are happy to cook for you. Just let us know.

~ Sucre. Fancified (and expensive) sweets and desserts. Particularly famous for their Macaroons. The place is scary good (which is why we try to avoid going there often haha), and an easy walk from our house. That said, it is more traditional french stuff than New Orleans stuff, so while it is everybit as good as similar places in New York etc, and almost as good as similar places in Paris, it isn't necessarily something you can only find in NOLA. But don't tell that to Food and Wine Mag which is currently in love with it.

The French Quarter (or as we say in NOLA simply "The Quarter" since French would seem redundant)
~ Bourbon Street. Gotta walk down it at least once. Overpriced, watered down hurricanes to go in super tall plastic cups cut in the shape of a naked woman, huge mule beer to go that tastes like soap for 7 dollars, 60 year old tourists flashing their breasts out of season.......the epitome of class! OK, that was a sarcastic comment, but, seriously, you gotta go at least once. Its what EVERYone thinks of when they think of New Orleans. To make an analogy to Tolstoy's quote about St Petersberg visavis Russia, Bourbon Street is New Orleans, but Bourbon Street is not New Orleansian.

~ The best bar near Bourbon Street is Pat O'Brien's which has a glorious inner courtyard with a flaming fountain. It is a LOT of fun, though occasionally (far from always) overrun with hordes of tourists. Their hurricanes are usually much better than the ones on the street (though no less expensive), although they can sometimes be very watered down (but often aren't). Their electric lemonades are really good too. They also have a piano bar inside which is neat, but its hard to compete with the stunner of a courtyard.

~ Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is on down Bourbon Street into the beginning of the residential section. Drinks are still pricey, but the fact that it is only lit by candlelight, and still looks much like it did when Jean Lefitte used to drink there, is pretty darn charming. Avoid all other bars that claim to be Pirate bars or are named after Jean Lefitte etc. They are just places with watered down hurricanes. This one is more like cheap beer at expensive prices, but a fun location.

~ Pirates Alley Cafe. Ok one exception to no other pirate bar rule. This bar (behind St Louis Cathedral) has brought absinthe back home to NOLA (which had a HUGE absinthe culture in the 19th century). Never been to this bar, but if you want absinthe this is the place to go -

~ The Chart Room. Two blocks off Bourbon (towards the river). OK, this is a TOTAL dive bar, but if Quarter Prices are getting you down, 1.50 coors light served in a real, chilled mug might make you happy. And you might actually see a couple of locals (rare for the quarter)

~Preservation Jazz Hall. The only live music on Bourbon that isn't washed out country stars covering Achie Breakie Heart. Preservation is cheesey, touristy, and they keep pressuring you to buy more drinks, but it is far and away the most authentic old-school Dixie Land Jazz left in the city. Better (and more diverese options) live music and jazz can be found on Frenchman's (without the touristiness), but if you want Dixieland jazz, this is worth a stop. --

~ Galatoire's and Arnaud's (mentioned in the fine dining section) are both on Bourbon, and Antoine's is just off Bourbon. Cafe du Monde is also in the French Quarter (along the river).

[doncecco]

All good comments so far.

One new one for me was the Ruby Slipper in the Pelham Hotel. Tried it for first time a couple of weeks ago.

Eggs Cochon.

Think eggs benedict but instead of canadian bacon and english muffin - big, wonderful buttermilk biscuit, with slow braised pulled pork, perfectly poached egg, and one of the best, relatively light hollaindaises I have had.

OMG! I knew at once it was a good thing I no longer lived in New Orleans because I'd be 300 lbs. again!

[Bham Wave]

I would give two thumbs up to WWII museum. The place is incredible. Go see the movie.

As far as restaurants go we love going to Bayona. Great food.

We also love Bombay Club...great food and cool atmosphere.

Another restaurant we like is Tujaques. Neat atmosphere. We have had some very entertaining waiters in this place. Old place with neat history.

[JDTulane]

I could go on for ages and ages but the one thing I will +11111111 to is the WW2 museum.




SEE THE 4D EXPERIENCE. IT made this grown man (23) cry and made looking at the ww2 stuff that much more powerful.

[Wavefan50]

Charbroiled oysters at Drago's in the N.O. Hilton are excellent. Expensive. Big. Busy.

The ham at Mother's was the only thing I thought was good; and it was very good. Eggs, you can't mess up anywhere.

Everything at Jaques-imo's is excellent. Small, hard to get in. Worth the wait. Uptown.

Deanie's in Metarie is excellent for seafood. Reasonable prices, huge portions.

Elizabeth's Restaurant, excellent unique food. Menu changes daily. Lunch and dinner, reasonable, off the beaten path.

[bigmoneytx]

check your PM

Charbroiled oysters at Drago's in the N.O. Hilton are excellent. Expensive. Big. Busy.

The ham at Mother's was the only thing I thought was good; and it was very good. Eggs, you can't mess up anywhere.

Everything at Jaques-imo's is excellent. Small, hard to get in. Worth the wait. Uptown.

Deanie's in Metarie is excellent for seafood. Reasonable prices, huge portions.

Elizabeth's Restaurant, excellent unique food. Menu changes daily. Lunch and dinner, reasonable, off the beaten path.

[WaveProf]

Plus one on Elizabeth's if they want the Marigny

[BC Wave]

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park (Barataria Unit) is a 30 minute drive from downtown. In addtion to a couple of hours you can spend there there are swamp tours nearby and a good restaurant on the bayou, Restaurant Des Families which has a great bayu view with birds and alligators.

[WaveProf]

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park (Barataria Unit) is a 30 minute drive from downtown. In addtion to a couple of hours you can spend there there are swamp tours nearby and a good restaurant on the bayou, Restaurant Des Families which has a great bayu view with birds and alligators.

DES families is awesome especially for Sunday brunch, but the park's boardwalk is the most snake infested location I've ever ventured to