New Orleans Cuisine in New Orleans........

[nausig]

We are visiting New Orleans and wanting authentic local cuisine. You know, the type of place the locals would eat. Does not need to be fancy just fantastic food!

Thanks,

[FileMan]

Mr B's is my favorite ... right behind is Clancy's

[CEfromLA]

If transportation to Commander's Palace is an issue, they also have a great lunch menu (AND the 25cent martinis) at Cafe Adelaide on Poydras.

[lilmoses]

Is the streetcar to CP area up and running? Heard it was down after Isaac. I'm a tourist heading out there next week and staying in the quarter.

[uptownlibrarian]

It's being replaced by a bus due to fixing the tracks, nothing to do with Isaac. You switch from a bus to the streetcar at Louisiana Ave., so you would be on a bus to go to Commander's.

[shanefink]

Try Clancy’s and Jacques Imos. First one takes reservations, the second only for parties of 5 or more.

[robinsilver]

Thanks for these suggestions. I am going with a group of 8 women, and we don't want to go to too many expensive restaurants. They are not foodies, so not looking for all the big names. We might pick one of those, but we have a variety here to choose from to give us NO food, without paying too much for it. We are staying in the French Quarter, so some of them are really too far to travel to, but there are enough that we will do fine. Any other suggestions in the quarter that you can think of?

[kukubura]

8 women? If you can get them to dress up and swing lunch at Commander's Palace I think it'll be worth it. That's the place I think of when I think of a big table of ladies drinking lots of 25c martinis!

[joedontexan]

Franks on decatur a small italian place in the quarter quite a sleeper good red sauce dishes. and very reasonably priced.

[nolala]

Has Frank's gotten better?

[shanefink]

You should have at least one nice meal, dress up and wear your fancy hats. Most of the inexpensive restaurants in the FQ, you get what you pay for, unless you just want jambalaya, red beans, gumbo, etc. You can get that at Gumbo Shop, Felix’s, Acme Oyster House and the underrated French Market Restaurant. If you want a good burger joint, you can go to Port of Call. Maybe a good somewhat upscale option for a large group in a nice setting would be Muriel’s on Jackson Square.

[Gizmo56]

X2 on Muriel's. It can be surprisingly inexpensive at lunch and when being "strategic" on the dinner menu and staying focused on apps.

After the meal, a visit to the "ghost table" and the "seance room" upstairs are great fun.

[robinsilver]

I guess whoever said that Commander's Palace was pricey must have been looking at their tasting menu, because they all agreed that would be our one special dinner out. I will look at all the other suggestions, and am going to send out links to them, of course in the order of higher recommendations first.
Another restaurant that I noticed on some of the other websites, and it came up on Open Table, is Me'lange. Anyone been?

[kukubura]

Cool! Although CHCW (Chowhound Conventional Wisdom) is Commander's for lunch...

[zin1953]

25 cent Martinis . . .

[robinsilver]

Yes I know, and as tempting as those 25 cent martinis are, I think we prefer a nice dinner out, rather than to get stuffed at lunch. Believe it or not, we are friends who met on a Weight Watcher's message board almost 10 years ago.

[zin1953]

No one has told you to "get stuffed." ;^)

The lunch -- with or without the Martinis -- is eminently satisfying, and one need not be stuffed at the end of the meal . . . .

[Gizmo56]

zin, thank you for saying what I was thinking.

My wife and I were in New Orleans for six wonderful days a month ago. On our second day, we enjoyed the fixed price lunch menu at Commander's Palace, followed by a dinner at GW Fins at 7:30.

Commander's Palace certainly doesn't "stuff" its patrons, and even includes low fat/heart healthy options on their menu. A leisurely lunch in the Garden Room at CP is one the classic New Orleans experiences.

[kukubura]

There's a certain "buzz" at some places that make them lunch destinations. Commander's is definitely one. Also, having such an extravagant experience in the middle of the day is a special pleasure.

[foodwhisperer]

Commander's Palace is a good one time experience for the atmosphere. The food does not live up to the hype. Although, totally different in the cuisine, K Paul was the best meal I've had in New Orleans.

[Bill Hunt]

Once, CP was a "must do" for us, and held great memories.

Over the last 15 years, they have gone down, at least in our opinion, but they still are an important restaurant for many first-time NOLA tourists.

Once, we judged their Turtle Soup to be the definitive version, but lately, they have been bested by a few others, including Ralph's on the Park, our current favorite.

Hunt

[noradeirdre]

I had a fantastic dinner at Commanders not too long ago. Having Tory McPhail in the kitchen and Ella and Dottie Brennan at the table next to us. Food was amazing, and their wine list is great. Unsure why dinner is not recommended, it ought to be.

[nolala]

Seconding the seance room, and frankly it's nice to just go to Muriels for drinks to hang out up on the 2nd floor in "the room."

[nolangel]

Ask your server about the Ghost at Muriel's. It's a really nice place in Quarter. The food is good and reasonable. Cool bar...and the story and short tour about the Ghost of Muriel's and how they set his table every night for him is interesting...and free.

[collardman]

You are easy to please! It might help to know what area you will be in as there are dozens of places that fit your request.

A few searches of past similar posts will get you a good list. Remember, in a restaurant town like New Orleans the places where the locals eat will be full of tourists. They don't come here for the thrill rides or the country music. :-)

[kukubura]

Yup, good points. Just a couple of starter points: if you're in the French Quarter, as I suspect you will be, make sure to try the gumbo yay a and BBQ shrimp at Mr B's Bistro. You can sit at the bar at lunch and get them along with some lovely cocktail specials.

Also, in the FQ you'll probably love Johnny's poboy shop. and maybe K-Paul's, Paul Prudhomme's flagship. We had a knockout meal there a few years ago but you might solicit more recent opinions.

Joey K's on Magazine might be right up your alley. And if you can swing a dressy lunch at Commander's Palace that's not to be missed.

There are tourist traps in the FQ that will prey on your interest in local food with hawkers and signs claiming they specialize in both Creole AND Cajun cooking. Highly unlikely that they do both, or either well.

[joedontexan]

Heres three for ya. all of them in mid city you can take the canal street car and walk to all of them. Liuzzas on bienville, Mandinas on canal and parkway bakery and tavern on hagen for the best poboys in the city in my opinion.

[nolala]

Seconding Johnny's (even if they look packed, there are often still tables in the back) and K-Paul's, especially their bistro lunch.