Many of New Orleans great restaurants have re-openned and even some new ones are appearing. Now is the time to go there and enjoy some of the best food in the country while helping revive an economy that needs you help. Here is where we ate on our recent trip in April.
Upperline offers a modern take on Creole dishes. It was so good we went there twice. One of the signature dishes is fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. There is a creole tasting menu that I had the first time. It included Duck Etouffée with Corn Cakes and Louisiana Pepper Jelly, Oyster Stew with Watercress and Andouille Gumbo, The Original Fried Green Tomato with Shrimp Remoulade, Spicy Shrimp with Jalapeño Cornbread and Roast Duck with Ginger Peach Sauce, Warm Bread Pudding with Toffee Sauce, all at a reasonable price. I actually finished it as the portions were not too big but enough to give you a good taste. The next time I had Cane River Country Shrimp which was nicely spcied in a cream sauce. Upperline is located uptown at 1413 Upperline Street. (504) 891-9822. Book in advance as it remains very popular.
Firorella’s is famous for its fried chicken. One of the current guides lists its chicken as one of the top ten food things to do in the city. The chicken is cooked to order and takes 20 minutes. The first time we when we were too hungry t wait and had some good traditonal New Orleans cajun food. We went back again for the chicken and were rewarded. It was very crisp on the outside and juicier than on the inside than any commercial chicken I can remember. Fiorella’s is located near the French Market at 45 French Market Pl (504) 528-9566.
Crescent City Brew House was a pleasant surpise. We went there late when other places were not open and the line at the Acme Oyster House was too long. I thought it would just be average bar food but it exceeded our expectations. We had some great ribs and crab cakes. The beer is excellent also. They have live music on some nights. It is located at 527 Decatur Street 888-819-9330 / 504-522-0571.
Magazine P0-Boy Shop is a great place to get a quick bite on the Magazine Street shopping strip, one of the area sleast touched by the hurricane. It is recommended by the Times Picayune as one of the best places for po-boys and I agree. Their shrimp po-boys and gumbo were wonderful. It is located at 2368 Magazine St. 522-3107.
Arnaud’s is a classic Creole in the French Quarter (1918). We did their jazz brunch as I have done a number of times. I think it is the best of the traditional jazz brunches and it has retained its quality. There is a three piece jazz combo that wanders around the tables. We taked a bit and two of the three band memebrs lost their homes in Katrinia but one is commuting and another in doubling up with friends. I always get some of their remoulade sauce to bring back but you also get it online at their site. It is located at 813 Bienville St. (504) 523-0611.
Croissant D’Or is a wonderful bakery, as good as any in any city. Their crossiants were especially nice. It was near our hotel and we picked up breakfast there on a number of days. Coffee is good, also. Like most people were encountered on this trip, everyone was very friendly. It is located at 617 Ursulines Ave (504) 524-4663.
Cochon is a new place, just openned by the Herbstaint people. I love Herbstaint and had been there on my place three trips. Cochon is a very different format, doing southern country cooking. The brisket was some of the best I have eaten. They also had several “dresasings” which is southern for stuffign. I had the eggplant and shrimp served in a casserole dish, very good. The initial reviews are very positive. It is located in the warehouse district at 930 Tchoupioulas St. (504) 588-2123
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