Pescetarian Downtown

[rozz01]

Hi...
I'm going to come on vacation next week and I will be staying at the Hampton downtown. Wondering about any suggestions for reasonable to moderate eats in the area... any help would be appreciated, haven't been to NOLA in five years. Thanks in advance

[Bill Hunt]

Maybe I just missed it, but I did not see G W Fins (upper FQ) mentioned. They do local seafood and do it in many variations, most of which are NOLA style, or heavily NOLA influenced.

I like Felix's, and disagree with another poster, as I find their shrimp po-boy to be very good. They are NOT just a raw-bar, though that is what they are known for.

Enjoy,

Hunt

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Gw Fins
808 Bienville St., New Orleans, LA 70112

[MoonpieLover]

Rio Mar! Rio Mar! Rio Mar! Pescetarian heaven, in the Warehouse District about 10-15 min walk from your hotel. Price point less than Le Foret, more than Felix's (about on par w/ Domenica, MiLA, Palace). Start by ordering something off the crudo menu and go from there. It's Spain meets New Orleans, creative and really good seafood. Great cocktails too. And +1 for the oysters & raw bar at Luke; ditto if you can get up to Casamentos, it's a classic New Orleans experience.

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Casamento's Restaurant
4330 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115

Rio Mar Restaurant
800 South Peters, New Orleans, LA 70130

Domenica
123 Baronne Street, New Orleans, LA 70112

Le Foret
Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130

[rozz01]

Its a long time coming, but I'd like to thank all of you for your help. I went to Luke's three different times... became addicted to the cheese grits of all things. Two out of three of the meals there were incredibly good, though brunch was a lot smoother all around. I hit Bennachin again and that was as good and as spicy as I recalled. My one surprise was P & G. The food was great, but I was the only person in the place. Four servers and one customer is a little odd :). Thanks again for all the help. By the way, the people at the Hampton couldn't have been more helpful or kind.

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P & G Restaurant & Bar
345 Baronne St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Bennachin Restaurant
1212 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116

[rozz01]

You guys have been so much help. I really appreciate it. I'm already dreaming of the black-eyed pea fritters a Bennachin. Luke's, Felix's and Palca cafe are gonna be must-do's.

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Bennachin Restaurant
1212 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116

[erikschwarz]

Hope you have a great trip, and afterwards please post a review here if you have time. About Bennachin: I did not include it in my posts above for two reasons.

1) I thought it might be a bit too much of a walk into the Lower Quarter to be convenient.

2) More important, Bennachin is a good restaurant - where I enjoy dining on occasion - but hardly an outstanding one. If you have regular access to West African cuisine, you might find it somewhat disappointing. The fritters are delicious though!

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Bennachin Restaurant
1212 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116

[paz5559]

The OP's request was for "reasonable to moderate eats" - neither Le Foret nor
Galatoire's satisfy that requirement.

[erikschwarz]

Everything is relative. By the standards of many cities, both Galatoire's and Le Foret are reasonably and moderately priced. I do not know where the OP is coming from, so I gave a range from P & G upwards.

[rozz01]

I've saved up for this trip, so a couple of splurges are in the cards!

[Suzy Wong]

You are aclose to a lot, by walking or a bus ride etc Since you eat seafood, you can pretty much find something anywhere. (I live/am from in N.O.and vascilate between just seafood and no seafood) That said, Domenica in The Roosevelt Hotel is a great choice. Their 4 cheese pizza, and apple and pecan salad of many great things. The following would be reasonable and moderate in my opinion:

http://www.domenicarestaurant.com/

Po-boys, Serio's Deli

Back to the Garden for salads and sandwiches/lunch....

Palace Cafe on Canal St:
http://www.palacecafe.com/
May be a little more $ but very good example of old school N.O. place/cajun cuisine Bon Ton on Magazine off Poydras, :

http://www.thebontoncafe.com/

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Serio's Mike PO-Boys & Deli
133 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130

Back To the Garden
833 Howard Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113

Domenica
123 Baronne Street, New Orleans, LA 70112

[erikschwarz]

Are you at the Hampton Inn on Carondelet (they seem to call this location the French Quarter even though it is in the CBD) or the one on Convention Center Boulevard? I am a pescatarian who lives downtown and can probably help, so please do post an exact fix on your hotel location.

[rozz01]

IT is the location on Carondelet. I'll be there for from friday and leaving Tuesday, so four nights. Any ideas appreciated....

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Carondelet Cafe'
222 Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA 70130

[erikschwarz]

Okay, here are some restaurants I like within easy walking distance of your hotel. In no particular order:

1. LE FORET, 129 Camp St (corner of Common). A highly-regarded newcomer to the scene. Louisiana-sourced food with emphasis on French technique. Sounds like classic Creole cuisine, but it is a new take. http://leforetneworleans.com/

2. RAMBLA, also on Camp St (b. Common-Gravier). Good tapas and an interesting bar. They are knowledgeable about ports, a fave of mine. If you get a bit tired of NO cuisine - hey, it happens - you might go for this change of pace. http://ihhotel.com/restaurant.html

3. MILA, on Common Street (near Carondelet). The chefs are from MI and LA, and they offer seasonal, locally-sourced food, much of it from one particular farm Check out the 3-course prix-fixe lunch. http://www.milaneworleans.com/

4. P& G, on Baronne St (b. Union and Perdido, 1 1/2 blocks uptown of Gravier). An NO-style diner that bustles at breakfast and lunch time and will give your purse a break. The shrimp po' boy gets raves. No website - the day they go online will be the day they lose the funk! - but you can find discussions on Chowhound.

The four restaurants above are in the CBD, basically around the corner from your hotel. You can also walk across Canal St to the Upper Quarter. A few of my recs there are:

5. GALATOIRE'S, Bourbon St just above Iberville (Carondelet becomes Bourbon once you cross Canal). Justly renowned grande dame and lots of fun. Sit downstairs, not up, unless the wait is killer. http://www.galatoires.com/

6. FELIX'S, on Iberville (just off Bourbon). If you want an oyster bar, forgo Acme, which is overrun by tourists, and hit Felix's, which locals still patronize. I suggest sticking with the oysters: the dinners are unremarkable. http://www.felixs.com/

All of the above have good seafood, and some have good vegetables, particularly Le Foret, MiLa and Rambla. The first two can put together an all-vegetarian meal for you, and at the last you can select all-veg tapas.

And last but certainly not least:

7. GREEN GODDESS, a few blocks farther into the Quarter on Exchange Place (b. Royal and Chartres). They offer an honest-to-goddess vegetarian menu with some very good and quite innovative dishes. Caveat: the place is tiny and fills quickly, so go off-hours.
http://www.greengoddessnola.com/

Hope you have a great stay and please post a report!

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Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130

P & G Restaurant & Bar
345 Baronne St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Mila
817 Common Street, New Orleans, LA 70112

Rambla
217 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

Felix's Restaurant & Oyster
739 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Green Goddess
307 Exchange Place, New Orleans, LA 70130

Le Foret
Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130

[rozz01]

I've heard mixed things about Felix's, are they really good? I must admit a weakness for a good raw bar..

[erikschwarz]

I like Felix's, as do many other locals. I also like Casamento's, which has better ambience, but you would have to schlep uptown. Another option near your hotel is Luke, one of John Besh's restaurants. Luke has an "oyster happy hour" daily from 3-6 pm. 50 cent oysters and 1/2 price drinks.

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Casamento's Restaurant
4330 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115

Luke Restaurant
333 St Charles, New Orleans, LA 70130

[rozz01]

Do you know if Luke's has that happy hour on the weekends too? I map-quested it and it is super close

[erikschwarz]

I think it may be weekdays only. Call and check. Btw, most of my recs are super close to your hotel.

[JazzyB]

Happy Hour at Luke/Domenica, daily 3-6.

[fat harry]

The oysters from the oyster bar at Felix's are excellent. Everything else on the menu is terrible.