Group dinner (8-10) in New Orleans - please help!
Hi everyone,
I am (desparately) seeking suggesting for a group dinner in NOLA. It will be 8-10 women late 20s-early 30s for a laid back bachelorette party on a Thursday night in August.
Here are my thoughts:
-I would like to keep it affordable, say, at least SOME entree options that are in the $12-$20 range.
-Ideally, looking for a restaurant that offers some food options that are typical of New Orleans, since everyone will be from out of town, and most first-time visitors.
-Any neighborhood. We'll be staying in the French Quarter, and having a rehearsal dinner there, so perhaps someplace out of the Quarter would be nice (though not necessary). Needs to be cab accessible from the Quarter though.
-Friendly service is important to me, and a casual atmosphere with some character to boot would be pluses
-MUST accept reservations
Boucherie looked fantastic, but unfortunately closed in August. Three Muses doesn't take reservations.
Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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Boucherie
8115 Jeannette St, New Orleans, LA 70118
Three Muses
536 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116
By momotravels
on Jul 12, 2011 04:20 PM
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I did a search for a party of 10 for a random date in August and did not come up with any great options. When I reduced the party size to 8, some good options, including Dante's Kitchen, Herbsaint, La Petite Grocery and Restaurant August, came up. (Of these, La Petite Grocery fits in best with your desired prace range.) Perhaps you could check out the menu options and pricing for these places and see if any appeal to you. I suspect that since all of them accept reservations for 8 people on line, some or all of them would accept a reservation for 10 people over the phone.
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Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Herbsaint
701 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130
Dante's Kitchen
736 Dante Street, New Orleans, LA 70118
La Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
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Blumie - Thank you for your reply - I appreciate it.
Oh the restaurants you listed, I agree that La Petite Grocery fits into my price range. I think it's a nice option, but I think I'd ideally like something a bit more funky/casual. Any thoughts?
Thanks again.
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La Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
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Adolfo's on Frenchman fit's the funky/casual vibe. Creole/Italian. Not expensive. I believe they take reservations for groups over 5 (maybe?).
Sylvain on Chartres. Cool, lively spot. Nice cocktails. Solid food...in your price range.
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+1 for Herbsaint - the food was wonderful, the service was great and the prices were reasonable. We were there as a group and could make a reservation no problem. Plus, the chef won the James Beard award a few years ago.
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Herbsaint
701 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130
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Thanks for the suggestions. I think Sylvain looks like a pretty good fit.
I have also been looking at Elizabeth's in the Bywater, Katie's Restaurant in mid-city, and Crescent Pie & Sausage. If anyone has any additional thoughts on these, I'd appreciate it!
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I usually like Elizabeth's (try the fried chicken) but not every dish is a winner. (Specifically, I can take or leave many of their brunch options; never had that problem at dinner though.) It's a good deal more casual than, say, Herbsaint but the staff are cool and they handle groups very well. If you want to pick a place and not fret, it's a good choice.
They're easy walking distance to Vaughn's as well, which is handy on a Thursday if you want to dance to Kermit Ruffins afterwards.
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Herbsaint
701 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130
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Katie's, Crescent Pie are both good choice.. We've had ten at Crescent Pie. Cafe Achafalaya may be in your price range. Also probably in your range but maybe too sterile is Zia's on St. Charles
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I would inquire with G W Fins, as their private room seats 12 - 15 well. The mains might be slightly over your specs., but not by much.
They specialize in local seafood, and local recipes, so the NOLA aspect fits right in.
Enjoy,
Hunt
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Bill, GW Fins is one place you and I just disagree on. (It's not that I think it's bad -- far from it -- but I don't think it's as wonderful as you do.) But no matter where one comes out on the place, I certainly don't see it fitting in on the "funky" side. It's anything but!
One place that we haven't mentioned yet is Jacques Imos. They take vacation in August, but if they're open, it's a great option. I don't care for the food as much as many others do, but it's certainly a great place for a bachelorette party!
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Take the St. Charles Street car to Oak Street, nice scenic ride and will be fun for the out of towners to see the beautiful homes on the Avenue. First stop: Oak Wine Bar is in the first block. Great tapas, drinks and wine selection. Second stop: a couple of blocks down Oak Street stop in at Jacques-Imo's cafe for dinner. Third stop: Next door is the Maple Leaf for a little live music. After all of the fun, take a cab back to your hotel.
http://www.oaknola.com/
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Jacques-Imo's Cafe
8324 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118
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Oh how I wish! That would be the absolutely perfect itinerary. Much to my dismay, Jacques-Imo's is CLOSED the first week of August.
But, you've hit the nail on the head, as to the atmosphere and experience that I'm looking for.
Any alternatives?? Thank you!
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Jacques-Imo's Cafe
8324 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118
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At the end of Oak Street are a couple of restaurants: Squeal and Cowbell. Squeal is good BBQ (IMHO) and I have not eaten at Cowbell, but my daughter (more your age) says it is great. You may also want to consider eating dinner at OAK, I have done that many times.
Google "restaurants on Oak Street New Orleans" and you will see that there are lots of places nearby, but not necessarily in walking distance. You could also get back on the street car and eat at Vincent's on St. Charles...good, inexpensive Italian food.
I forgot to suggest that you make one other stop on your way to Oak Street: for drinks at the Columns Hotel, 3811 St. Charles Avenue. Always a fun place.
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Columns Hotel
3811 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115
Squeal
8400 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118
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