ADOLFO'S
611 Frenchman St., 948-3800
Just above the buzzing Frenchmen Street scene is a romantic little candlelit hideaway where you'll find hearty Italian
classics, seafood and local flavors. Bring your appetite and start out with the velvety crabmeat and corn cannelloni or
the escargot and then try one of the numerous veal entrees (Parmesan, piccata or shrimp and artichoke) or the fish of
the day. Reservations for parties of four or more. Dinner daily. Checks. $$
ANTOINE'S RESTAURANT
713 St. Louis St., 581-4422; www.antoines.com
The Creole institution Antoine's offers a menu of popular and traditional dishes. The restaurant's signature oysters
Rockefeller appetizer, invented in 1889, is still a favorite. Oysters Foch rests fried oysters on slices of toast buttered
with patŽ of foie gras and complemented by a rich Colbert sauce. Or try the pampano Pontchartrain, in which a fillet of
pampano is grilled and served with lump crabmeat sautŽed in butter. Reservations recommended. Lunch Fri., dinner
Mon. and Thu.-Sat., brunch Sun. Credit cards. $$$
ARNAUD'S
813 Bienville St., 523-5433; www.arnauds.com
The 80-year-old Arnaud's tradition continues with signature items such as the spicy shrimp remoulade, frog legs and
alligator sausage. Try trout meuniere served the traditional Creole way, using veal stock in the sauce, or go for filet
mignon Charlemond. Finish it off with the signature strawberries Arnaud--strawberries marinated in a port wine sauce
served over French vanilla ice cream and topped with homemade whipped cream. Reservations recommended. Dinner
daily, brunch Sun. Credit cards. $$$
RESTAURANT AUGUST
301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777; www.rest-august.com
Chef John Besh seemss to be the city's fastest rising culinary star these days and a visit to his CBD flagship shows the
reasons for his ascent. The refined restaurant serves Besh's signature dishes like crabmeat truffle gnocchi, speckled
trout Grenobloise and rabbit cooked two ways with muscadine reduction. For an extra-special indulgence, try
Restaurant August's five-course tasting menu. Reservations recommended. Lunch Fri., dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
BAYONA
430 Dauphine St., 525-4455; www.bayona.com
Chef Susan Spicer presents a global approach to contemporary Creole cuisine at her acclaimed restaurant. Guests
dine on specials or perennial favorites like grilled shrimp with black bean cake, crispy smoked quail salad or the sautéed
Pacific salmon with choucroute and a Gerwurztraminer sauce. Reservations recommended. Lunch Wed.-Sat., dinner
Tue.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
BESH STEAKHOUSE AT HARRAH'S
4 Canal St., 533-6111; www.harrahs.com
Walking into chef John Besh's steakhouse, the din of slot machines fades and the focus turns to serious steak and
other high-end culinary trappings. If your wallet and your appetite are equally big after a trip through the gambling hall,
maybe it's time to take on Besh's 38-oz. rib-eye cowboy steak. No matter how the card tables treat you, the molten dark
chocolate cake is always a winner for dessert. Reservations recommended. Dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
BOURBON HOUSE SEAFOOD AND OYSTER BAR
144 Bourbon St., 522-0111; www.bourbonhouse.com
With large picture windows separating Bourbon Street from the tables at Bourbon House, there's a touch of excitement
along with the taste of Creole cooking inside. Redfish on the half shell is grilled skin-on and served with a side of lemon
butter sauce. Diners can sweeten the deal by adding optional crabmeat with a Chardonnay broth. From the raw bar, a
platter of fruits of the sea include fresh-shucked oysters on the half shell, boiled Gulf shrimp, marinated crab fingers,
roasted calamari and marinated seasonal seafood salads. Breakfast Thu.-Mon., lunch and dinner daily. Reservations
recommended. Credit cards. $$$
BRENNAN'S RESTAURANT
417 Royal St., 525-9711; brennansneworleans.com
The first family of New Orleans food presents the famous breakfast at Brennan's. Start your morning off with an eye-
opener cocktail like a bourbon milk punch and dig into traditional poached egg dishes with toppings like crabmeat and
hollandaise sauce. In the evening, taste the trout Nancy topped with jumbo lump crabmeat. Order bananas Foster for
dessert and watch while tuxedoed waiters prepare it tableside. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner
daily. Credit cards. $$$
BRIGTSEN'S RESTAURANT
723 Dante St., 861-7610; www.brigtsens.com
Located in a converted Riverbend home with dining rooms separated by pre-existing walls, Brigtsen's is perfect for a
romantic dinner or an intimate gathering. Dishes change daily, but one familiar entrŽe is the slow-roasted half of a duck
served with cornbread dressing and honey-pecan gravy. Brigtsen's seafood platter, referred to as the "Shell Beach
diet," is a regular special that rounds up seasonally fresh ingredients and offers them grilled, broiled or sautŽed but
never fried. Reservations recommended. Dinner Tue.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
BROUSSARD'S
819 Conti St., 581-3866; www.broussards.com
Enjoy the warm weather by dining al fresco in the large pretty courtyard at this French Quarter institution. Dishes
feature local seafood like crabmeat Broussard's, which bakes crabmeat with artichoke, brie and bŽchamel and serves it
with Herbsaint spinach. The veal chop and the wild game grill are popular meat selections. Reservations recommended.
Dinner Mon.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
COCHON
930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123; www.cochonrestaurant.com
Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski put their stamp on traditional Cajun cooking in this fun, rustic-looking
Warehouse District restaurant. The in-house Boucherie features a half-dozen pork preparations, including andouille
and sweet potatoes with a black eyed pea vinaigrette, fried boudin with pickled peppers and head cheese with house-
made mustard. Entrees include oven-roasted fresh catch "fisherman style" and smoked beef brisket with horseradish
potato salad. Reservations accepted. Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat. Credit cards. $$
COMMANDER'S PALACE
1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221; www.commanderspalace.com
Chef Tory McPhail's tasting menu is back, and he's still offering standout starters like the Oysters Racca, served crispy,
draped in bacon-braised artichokes with a cream and smoky oyster demiglace. The Veal Daube Haute Creole is
smothered in sautŽed crawfish tails and served with buttermilk fried onions. For dessert, there's the popular Creole
bread pudding soufflŽ. Reservations required. Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner daily, brunch Sat.-Sun. Credit cards. $$$
COURT OF TWO SISTERS
613 Royal St., 522-7261; www.courtoftwosisters.com
The Court of Two Sisters is known for its daily jazz brunch. The seafood omelet is a mix of crawfish, crabmeat, shrimp,
onions, red and green peppers and garlic with a cream sauce on top. Buffet dishes include boiled seafood, pastas,
salads and hot entrees including grits and grillades. The á la carte dinner menu features seared duck breast á l'orange
served with confit, dirty rice and sweet potato puree with candied pecans. Traditional dishes include turtle soup, baked
oysters and many others. Reservations recommended. Lunch and brunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
COQUETTE
2800 Magazine St 265-0421
Chef Mike Stoltzfus and partner Lillian Hubbard combine experience at some of the city's top restaurants with fresh,
young energy to create a standout new restaurant with refined, subtle cuisine.
EMERIL'S
800 Tchoupitoulas St., 528-9393; www.emerils.com
A brush with fame is one draw to the flagship restaurant of New Orleans' best-known celebrity chef, Emeril Lagasse, but
the kitchen delivers on the superstar reputation. The menu showcases the eclectic and well-traveled tastes for which
Lagasse is known, with entrée choices like andouille-crusted redfish with Creole meuniére sauce, grilled filet of beef with
red onion marmalade, marrow butter and oxtail jus or duck schnitzel with roasted shallots. Reservations required. Lunch
Fri., dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
EL GATO NEGRO
81 French Market Place www.ElGatoNegroNola.com
Authentic Mexican Cuisine in a delightful French Market cafe setting. This is the best New Orleans has to offer in cusine
from south of the boarder! Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Try the Sauteed Red Snapper a la Cancun, or the Bronzed
Grouper, Scallops and Jumbo Shrimp Diablo al Los Cabos.
EMERIL'S DELMONICO
1300 St. Charles Ave., 525-4937; www.emerils.comClassic and contemporary merge in perfect harmony at this St.
Charles Avenue institution where New Orleans dined for a century before chef Emeril Lagasse took the helm. Delmonico
exudes the air of old-line tradition even in its updated and sophisticated incarnation. Start a dinner with the sweet-and-
sour calamari or a classic Caesar salad prepared tableside. Entrée choices include a bevy of prime steaks, a 14-oz.
veal chop and seafood entrees like lobster Bolognese. Desserts like Crpes Suzette and Baked Alaska are also finished
tableside. Reservations recommended. Dinner Tue.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
EMERIL'S NOLA RESTAURANT
534 St. Louis St., 522-6652; www.emerils.com
The French Quarter outpost of celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse is a tad less formal than his other local restaurants, but
the kitchen produces cuisine in line with its owners' worldwide reputation for bold flavors and quality ingredients. Start a
meal here with the roasted clams and apple-smoked bacon in beer broth with focaccia, caper aioli and crispy veal
sweetbreads before tackling the grilled pork porterhouse with brown sugar-glazed sweet potatoes. Be sure to save room
for the "NOLA Buzz Bomb" a flourless chocolate torte with bittersweet chocolate mousse and brandied apricots.
Reservations recommended. Lunch Sat., dinner daily. Credit cards. $$$
GALATOIRE'S RESTAURANT
209 Bourbon St., 525-2021; www.galatoires.com
Jackets are still required at dinner and all day Sunday at this century-old Creole landmark. The menu features its
signature shrimp remoulade and crabmeat Maison, or a round-up of chilled seafood appetizers in the Galatoire grand
goute. Classic Creole specialties include trout meuniere amandine, oysters Rockefeller, lamb chops bŽarnaise and fried
soft-shell crabs in season. Chef Brian Landry crafts desserts like a sweet potato cheesecake and banana bread
pudding. Reservations accepted for the upstairs dining room. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Credit cards. $$$
GW FINS
808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467); www.gwfins.com
Chef-proprietor Tenney Flynn prepares fresh local seafood as well as fish flown in from around the globe. GW Fins
features popular appetizers such as the wood-grilled shrimp and tempting entrees like horseradish-crusted drum. The
bar offers a menu of 30 specialty martinis. Reservations recommended. Dinner nightly. Credit cards. $$$
HERBSAINT
701 St. Charles Ave, 524-4114; www.herbsaint.com
Modern Creole cuisine infused with European influences at this casually elegant restaurant. Be sure to try the
Herbsaint, tomato, and shrimp bisque - and the "small plate" of shrimp with green-chile grits. Also see Bayona
restaurant in the French Quarter. Also by Susan Spicer - one of the top chefs in the United States. Reservations
recommended. Lunch Mon-Fri. Dinner Mon.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
IRENE'S CUISINE
539 St. Philip St., 529-8811
Locals love romantic Irene's, which, tucked away at the quiet, lower end of the French Quarter, perfumes the air around
it with the seductive aroma of roasting garlic. New Orleans meets Italy meets France (with a touch of San Francisco) as
cioppino gets a dose of local seafood with redfish and shrimp joining clams and mussels in spicy tomato and fennel
broth on a bed of fresh pasta. The cannelloni al forno delivers housemade tubes of pasta stuffed with veal, pork,
cheese and eggplant. Reservations for parties of five or more. Dinner Mon.-Sat. Credit cards. $$
K-PAUL'S LOUISIANA KITCHEN
416 Chartres St., 524-7394; www.kpauls.com
Paul Prudhomme-protégé Paul Miller is keeping the flavors of South Louisiana fresh at this legendary French Quarter
restaurant. He's giving redfish a break and blackening pork chops instead. Hot out of a cast-iron skillet, they're stuffed
with cheese and basil, then finished with mushrooms and Zinfandel. The turtle soup and gumbo (made with house
andouille) are among the city's best. Miller tweaks the menu regularly, so check in often. Reservations recommended.
Dinner Tue.-Sat. Credit cards. $$$
MURIEL'S JACKSON SQUARE
801 Chartres St., 568-1885; www.muriels.com
With its pretty downstairs dining room and elegant upstairs complete with Storyvillesque lounge, Muriel's offers great
views inside and out onto Jackson Square. The menu offers a fresh twist on classic Creole fare with dishes like a
seafood gumbo, turtle soup, stuffed mirlitons, pecan-crusted puppy drum, a double-cut pork chop with a sugar cane
apple glaze and Dijon mustard-crusted salmon. Reservations recommended. Lunch Wed.-Sat., dinner daily, brunch
Sun. Credit cards. $$$