Who Dat?! Who Dat Say Dey Goin' To New Orleans...
February 19, 2014 5:08 PM   Subscribe

In mid-April, Pips and I will be taking a trip to New Orleans. It's our first time and our hotel is on the fringes of the French Quarter. We've been doing research about places to go (and when the time is right we'll call for a MeFi Meetup), but right now I need inside dope. I wanna know about great places for eating and drinking, especially unknown ones. I'm a big foodie and boozie, so I'm up for just about anything. Thanks in advance.
posted by jonmc to Travel & Transportation around New Orleans, LA (17 answers total) 21 users marked this as a favorite
 
There was another recent question about this in January. I'm sure you'll get more here, but for posterity...
posted by The Michael The at 5:49 PM on February 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


Bennichin is pretty good -- it's New Orleans food with a North African influence. I also like Green Goddess which is like Indian and Creole food and Sakura which has a ginger lemonade that is like heaven and ambrosia making sweet love in a glass.
posted by spunweb at 6:21 PM on February 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


The food here is really something else.
posted by cynicalidealist at 6:26 PM on February 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


Not a specific rec, but maybe take some time to watch a season or two of Treme? It's as full of New Orleans trivia as The Wire was full of Baltimore trivia, if not more so.
posted by Going To Maine at 6:30 PM on February 19, 2014


Seconding Green Goddess.
posted by Eddie Mars at 6:30 PM on February 19, 2014


Have you read any of the other New Orleans questions? Is there something you're looking for specifically in terms of your own interests, tastes, preferences?

That said, April is when all the festivals really start up. Here's the official ones from the CVB but there's probably a lot of other random stuff going on during that time! We went back in October 2012 and there were two little events going on within walking distance of our hotel. When in April exactly are you going?

I'm not really a "foodie" but Cochon and Green Goddess are excellent. If you want to go somewhere upscale don't bother with Commander's Palace unless you go for the Jazz Brunch. I recommend Palace Cafe which is owned by the same family but less pretentious, and the food is divine. If you want good po'boys avoid Mother's, it's only popular because it's well-known. Take a cab to Parkway, it's worth it.
posted by radioamy at 6:45 PM on February 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


OMG - go to Yo Mamas and get a loaded baked potato. It changed my life. The place is a complete hole in the wall.

Then head way down to Frenchman Street for literally on the corner pop up jazz around 10pm.
posted by floweredfish at 6:53 PM on February 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


jonmc! I'm glad you're coming to visit. Here are some of my favorites:

Cochon and Cochon Butcher
Domenica
Satsuma Cafe
Lüke
Peche
Coquette
Boucherie
La Petit Grocery
posted by umbú at 7:02 PM on February 19, 2014 [7 favorites]


umbú has a good list! I've also been to Sylvain and Kingfish fairly recently and had good meals. Kingfish in particular would be a great place to get a bite and a drink; I think you can eat at the (giant) bar and that seemed like the place to be when we were there. It also has a neighboring deli-style offshoot where you can get lunch, similar to the Cochon/Cochon Butcher setup.

Killer Poboys and Dis Taco are both pop up restaurants in the back of bars (Erin's and Molly's at the Market respectively) that are both pretty good and cheap places for a quick dinner or lunch. I'm mentioning them specifically because it can be tough to find good food in the Quarter that isn't fine dining (although the standard recs like muffulettas at the Corner Grocery, poboys, oysters etc. might serve this purpose for you while you're here).
posted by MadamM at 7:56 PM on February 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


I had the best fried chicken ever at Coop's. Their oysters were delicious as well.

Cochon and Cochon Butcher are fabulous. If you go to Cochon (which you should!) get the rye or bourbon tasting, both of which are just amazing. Cochon Butcher's sandwiches are great. They also sell Cochon and Cochon Butcher t-shirts there, and of course meats/sausages/etc.

We also really liked Killer Poboys. I don't know if you smoke or not, but because it is in the back of a bar, even though its seating area is "nonsmoking," it's smoky. My husband and I didn't care but our friends from Oregon we had met up with in NO couldn't deal.
posted by miss tea at 5:17 AM on February 20, 2014


Fried Chicken: Willie Mae's Scotch House (although outside the quarter)
posted by czytm at 8:07 AM on February 20, 2014


I highly recommend Cane & Table for both food and drinks. They're part of the Cure family which means their cocktail pedigree is impeccable, and the food program is handled in part by Chef Biderman from Company Burger.

Which, by the way, is the pinnacle of hamburgerness. I am not a hamburger guy but I went back to Company Burger the day after my first visit. It's ... transcendent. And greasy.

I would also recommend a jaunt up to Toups' Meatery - it's in the same vein as the above-recommended Cochon but smaller and quieter. Absolutely one of my favorites.

You can not go wrong with the selection at Maurepas Foods either. I have several frequent visitors that demand we return there every time they come to town.

In terms of just drinks of course I recommend Cane & Table and Cure as well as their sister location on Lee Circle, Bellocq.

Honestly, though? Just look at the Eater Heat Map to see what the newest and hottest places are. They also have a Cocktail Heat Map. My opinion is that Eater is hands down the best up-to-the-minute guide to NOLA food and drink.
posted by komara at 8:37 AM on February 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


Felix's was recommended to me by the most awesome cop on the NOPD, and I liked it well enough to go back there twice. For some reason the vibe reminded me of Katz's, although I couldn't tell you why.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:42 AM on February 20, 2014


Oh, and Igor's had the best red beans and rice I ate the last time I went, and the atmosphere was decidedly funky. Although it may have been enhanced by the fact it was Mardi Gras...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:44 AM on February 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


Okay, now for "unknowns": you want jerk chicken like you've never had? Find Coco Hut on Bayou Road. Best pho without traveling all the way to the suburbs on the west bank of the Mississippi? Eat Well Food Mart at the intersection of Canal and Broad. Best neighborhood bar? Pal's, in Mid-City. Best fried shrimp po-boy is at Domilise's in Uptown, and death to anyone who disagrees. Stein's Deli on Magazine has any non-New Orleans sandwich you could want. 12 Mile Limit has fancy cocktails and a good barbecue program, and you'll probably think you're in the wrong place when you see the neighborhood, but you're not. Great Sunday brunch, too, if you're into eating brunch in a dark bar. The only decent Thai food is out by the mall in the Metairie suburbs so don't be fooled into getting some anywhere near where you'll be. Please don't eat any Lucky Dogs, and if you're in the Quarter and starving at 4AM go to Verti Marte.
posted by komara at 8:49 AM on February 20, 2014 [4 favorites]


I have heard some good music at the Rock N Bowl. Alcohol was involved.
posted by Kangaroo at 6:09 PM on February 20, 2014


The Eater Heat Map was updated this morning with a bunch of the current favorites still in place and a few small additions.
posted by komara at 10:35 AM on March 6, 2014


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