Here is another of many New Orleans restaurant updates with photos. See my restaurant picks by city in the left column of this blog for more going back a number of years and here is my update from January 2010. In my view the city has the best food anywhere but I am biased as this is my hometown and provides the tastes I grew up with. We went to a selection of old school and new school places. They are presented in order of our visits. We found Willie Mae's Scotch House to be the best old school place and Patois to be the best new school. Fortunately, we did a lot of walking to counter all this good food.
We went to Willie Mae's Scotch House right form the airport. Willie Mae Seaton's great-granddaughter Kerry Blackmon took over the kitchen when the Scotch House reopened in 2007 following an extensive post-Katrina repair job. Fried chicken is its most famous and for good reason. The wet-battered chicken with its tight, brittle crust is some of the best I've ever eaten and the main reason the restaurant is the recipient of a James Beard Award. WE will make this a must stop on every trip going forward. It is located at 2401 St Ann St in the Treme (504) 822-9503.
Our first dinner was at Mat and Naddies. This was a new place for me and it is highly recommended. It was the second best new school place we visited this time, after Patois but ahead of some very good other ones. It is located at 937 Leonidas St. (504) 861-9600. It has a new school take on Creole and is near to two places where I used to live so the neighborhood was familiar.
On Friday we went to Surrey’s Juice Bar for breakfast. Now it does have good juice but the rest is not low cal. I had a wonderful shrimp and grits after being tempted by the sausage gravy and biscuits. Fortunately my wife had the eggs with boudin sausage and biscuits so I got to sample then also. The dish was exceptional and a great way to start the day if you are looking to put on a few pounds. It is located at 1418 Magazine Street (504) 524-3828.
Patois is located at Laurel Street near the zoo. On Friday we ate both lunch and dinner there and it was our favorite place for new school food during the trip that included a lot of wonderful meals. The dish you see is a potato gnocchi with crawfish. We had it for lunch and then again at dinner. We also had the roasted pheasant breast and confit leg and almond crusted Gulf fish, as well as a crispy duck confit salad. 6078 Laurel Street 504.895.9441.
Saturday breakfast was at Croissant D’Or in the quieter end of the Quarter. This is a wonderful bakery that I have gone to many times. I had one of their croissants and an almond cake with layers of pastry around almond paste. It is located at 617 Ursulines Avenue (504) 524-4663.
On Saturday we went to Firorella's for lunch, famous for its fried chicken. It is cooked to order and is listed as one of the top ten food things to do in the city. Fiorella’s is located near the French Market at 45 French Market Pl (504) 528-9566. We have gone there on our last three visits.
Saturday night we ate at Bayona, an upscale place run by Susan Spicer. It was one of the first new school places. They have their traditional menu of long time favorites and then a large selection of food for the night. The duck was wonderful. This was a repeat and I have her cookbook. It is in the French Quarter at 430 Dauphine Street (504-525-4455). IN addition to the great food they have an excellent wine list.
Sunday breakfast was at the Le Richelieu Hotel. They have a very nice standard Southern breakfast. 1234 Chartres Street, between Gov. Nicholls and Barracks Streets. The non-food shots are from their web site.
Sunday lunch was at Felix’s for raw oysters, shrimp poboy, and gumbo. It is fine for traditional New Orleans seafood and, unlike the better known place across the street, it has no line. It is located at 739 Iberville Street 504-522-4440.
Sunday dinner was at Mr. B’s, an old favorite that serves food that is a cross between old school and new school Creole. The dish you see is a crawfish and tasso ham pasta dish that was excellent with a nice Creole cream sauce. It is in the French Quarter at 201 Royal Street (504) 523-2078. We also had Monday lunch there as we were in the area. They have great gumbo.
Monday dinner was at Irene’s, a New Orleans style Italian restaurant. I had a very fresh soft shell crab with almond butter for starter and a nice Drum fish with a wonderful sauce. It is a local favorite and I can see why. The setting is a classic with great service and the food is excellent. It is located at 539 Saint Philip Street (504) 529-8811.
After dinner on Monday we went to Bacchanal which is a wine retail shop, a wine bar, a live music venue, a deli, and bistro with guest chefs. It opens at 11 am and usually closes around midnight, seven days a week. They feature live music in the courtyard seven nights a week-weather permitting. We have a chef cooking on the grill six nights a week. Chef Joaquin Rodas is now their official Chef at Bacchanal five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday. We saw the Jon Freilich Band at 7PM and had some nice wine. Next time we will eat also. The last picture of the front door is from their web site.
Our last breakfast was at Meals from the Heart Café in the French Market 7100 N. Peters run by Marilyn Doucette and Averill Lazard. It covered in the next photos and is in the stalls with stools and also offers take out. The café focuses on healthy food that still tastes great in the New Orleans tradition such as crab cakes. I highly recommend it. The dishes you see are two great turkey sausages and a cake crab with egg. It is open from 9AM to 6PM daily. 504-525-1953.
... and to think that I was going to skip breakfast this morning. :|
Posted by: Mick Mather | July 25, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Mick - This is not a place to diet but I had to skip a lot of breakfasts afterwards to make up for it.
Posted by: bill Ives | July 25, 2011 at 10:34 AM