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New Orleans: dining in/near the Quarter (mini reviews added)
Where are Irene's and Tommy's located? I'll make sure we try those next time. We usually let my daughter suggest some places but she likes quirky little places like Mimi's, Delachaise, and Crepe Nanou. Definitely NOT the places that tourists hit. (She's a bartender in the Quarter so avoids touristy places like the plague.)
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
Lindy - Tommy's is about two blocks towards Julia from Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar in the Warehouse District. I am with you on staying out of the Quarter. We go down there for special occasions or with out of town guests. I frequently have to work down there and HATE having to park.
Crepe Nanou is a favorite among alot of people I know. I haven't eaten there in years though. Not for any particular reason though. I love Dick & Jenny's and also Mat & Naddie's. We also like the Maple Street Cafe.
There are just so many good places to eat here, it's hard to recommend just one or two places.
Oh and Pickle, I am with your husband, I HATE dressing up! Business casual is the MOST you will get out of me.
Pickle - hope you feel better soon!
Crepe Nanou is a favorite among alot of people I know. I haven't eaten there in years though. Not for any particular reason though. I love Dick & Jenny's and also Mat & Naddie's. We also like the Maple Street Cafe.
There are just so many good places to eat here, it's hard to recommend just one or two places.
Oh and Pickle, I am with your husband, I HATE dressing up! Business casual is the MOST you will get out of me.
Pickle - hope you feel better soon!
"Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" - Dave Matthews Band
Pickle- Hope you get well soon!
Your husband sounds like my kinda guy....don't think I would ever pack Dockers to go to NO...nuthin but Levi's jeans for me...
Peace
Your husband sounds like my kinda guy....don't think I would ever pack Dockers to go to NO...nuthin but Levi's jeans for me...
Peace
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
Nothingtolose - I didn't think there was such a thing as parking in the Quarter! That's one reason why my daughter still doesn't drive at age 29 - no where to park once she gets to work. We've been down there enough to be pretty selective. We've got our favorite places and we tend to poke in the shops on Rue Royal most of the time. Bourbon St is just too stinky and gross! Too many frat boys.
Pickle - Feel better!
Just so you know Mimi's has a different chef now - the one who was there when we went headed back to culinary school. Actually Mimi's is a bar and the owner teams up with a chef who serves food on the second floor. It's not in the greatest neighborhood and it looks like a dump from the outside (and the inside too come to think of it) but when we were there the food was incredible.
Delachaise (I hope I'm spelling that right) is kind of an interesting place. It's a wine and cheese bar, but they usually have some appetizers and entrees too. The fun part is getting a huge list of cheeses and picking a variety for a cheese platter. It comes with some bread, olives and other pickled items that I think are huge caperberries. Whatever they are, I love them! Last time we were there a guy came in and plopped his Grammy award on the bar. Turns out he's part of the Cajun group Beau Soleil and they had just won their second Grammy and he was out celebrating. We got to talking and he invited us to come see him and a buddy(not his usual group) perform at the Columns in the Garden District.....very good. We told him about a little theater up here in the Yankee boonies that has recently been renovated and they have been booking some amazing musicians. He got his agent to book Beau Soleil there and we took a whole group of friends to see them perform and they were fantastic! Funny how it's such a small world sometimes.
Pickle - Feel better!
Just so you know Mimi's has a different chef now - the one who was there when we went headed back to culinary school. Actually Mimi's is a bar and the owner teams up with a chef who serves food on the second floor. It's not in the greatest neighborhood and it looks like a dump from the outside (and the inside too come to think of it) but when we were there the food was incredible.
Delachaise (I hope I'm spelling that right) is kind of an interesting place. It's a wine and cheese bar, but they usually have some appetizers and entrees too. The fun part is getting a huge list of cheeses and picking a variety for a cheese platter. It comes with some bread, olives and other pickled items that I think are huge caperberries. Whatever they are, I love them! Last time we were there a guy came in and plopped his Grammy award on the bar. Turns out he's part of the Cajun group Beau Soleil and they had just won their second Grammy and he was out celebrating. We got to talking and he invited us to come see him and a buddy(not his usual group) perform at the Columns in the Garden District.....very good. We told him about a little theater up here in the Yankee boonies that has recently been renovated and they have been booking some amazing musicians. He got his agent to book Beau Soleil there and we took a whole group of friends to see them perform and they were fantastic! Funny how it's such a small world sometimes.
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
I don't know if ya'll have been on Bourbon Street post-Katrina or not, but it's not the dirty/smelly/rank place it used to be. Thanks to a new waste management company that took over after Katrina and more pride in our city, the Quarter is alot cleaner than it used to be...even Bourbon Street. It does get rank during big occasions thanks to crowds of drunks, but it's nothing like it used to be. Granted, I don't hang out down there at night unless I have friends in town that are staying down there...drinks are way over-priced 
As for parking, I usually have to walk some to my clients' houses, but I always seem to find a spot on the street. A few of my friends that live in the Quarter don't own cars because parking is a pain in the a$$.
Crepe Nanou is a few doors off of Prytania (the busy street). Maple Street Cafe is on Maple Street. They are about 10 minutes from each other. Over by Crepe Nanou there are a few good restaurants though. St. James Cheese Factory is supposed to be good, but I haven't eaten there yet, nor have I eaten at Delachaise or Mimi's. I have heard good things about both places though.
As for parking, I usually have to walk some to my clients' houses, but I always seem to find a spot on the street. A few of my friends that live in the Quarter don't own cars because parking is a pain in the a$$.
Crepe Nanou is a few doors off of Prytania (the busy street). Maple Street Cafe is on Maple Street. They are about 10 minutes from each other. Over by Crepe Nanou there are a few good restaurants though. St. James Cheese Factory is supposed to be good, but I haven't eaten there yet, nor have I eaten at Delachaise or Mimi's. I have heard good things about both places though.
"Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" - Dave Matthews Band
Thanks NTL - I can't remember the name of the place near Crepe Nanou. The menu was posted on the window so we checked it out while waiting for the girl-child to show up at Crepe Nanou. (She's ALWAYS late.) The menu looked very nice and there were LOTS of people going in and out so it must be good.
As far as Bourbon St - yes it is much cleaner than before Katrina but I still can get a whiff once in a while. It's probably got hundreds of years of odors ground in so it probably will never come out completely. LOL! Also we tend to go down in the off week in between Jazz Fest and Quarter Fest so there might be some "residuals" left over from the previous weekend. We don't drink there either.....I don't want a Hurricane, Hand Grenade, Daquiri or any of those other "kiddie" drinks that come in a big plastic container with a straw...hahahaha!!!
As far as Bourbon St - yes it is much cleaner than before Katrina but I still can get a whiff once in a while. It's probably got hundreds of years of odors ground in so it probably will never come out completely. LOL! Also we tend to go down in the off week in between Jazz Fest and Quarter Fest so there might be some "residuals" left over from the previous weekend. We don't drink there either.....I don't want a Hurricane, Hand Grenade, Daquiri or any of those other "kiddie" drinks that come in a big plastic container with a straw...hahahaha!!!
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
--- A little report on dining in New Orleans ---
The trip turned out to be the laziest trip we've made to NOLA. I was recovering from a cold or whatever I'd had for two long weeks. My husband hadn't had much sleep a few days prior to the trip. We were both a little weary by the time we were on the plane.
The weather was soggy and gray. Never saw a glimpse of sunshine while we were there. The boats on the Mississippi looked like ghost ships, barely seen in the heavy fog.
We walked around some. We stayed in more.
But, no, we didn't forget to eat!
Appreciated all the recommendations you all gave us. We ended up at Muriel's, Drago's, Bayona, Acme, and Tommy's. We walked up to Herbsaint on a Saturday afternoon not realizing they are open for lunch only weekdays (we should've known!). We'll look forward to trying the places we didn't get to on our future trips to New Orleans.
Muriel's (at Jackson Square):
We had a decent but not great dinner. Overall, it wasn't a consistently good meal and we thought there were hits-and-misses on the menu. We liked the atmosphere/decor, though - very New Orleans-like.
Drago's (at the Hilton):
We enjoyed their charbroiled oysters. However, the raw oysters had no taste at all. If our eyes had been closed, we wouldn't have known what we were eating... although the texture would've probably given it away. Some folks were complaining about it to the wait stuff - rightfully so, we would say. I guess the oysters HAD to be seasoned with cheese, garlic, etc. and charbroiled in order to gain some taste. I thought we just had a bad batch but, according to nothintolose, she also had a similar experience recently at Drago's at the other location. Hmm...
Acme (in the Quarter):
Their raw oysters were decent. Not the greatest we've had but, at least, we could tell we were eating oysters.
Bayona (in the Quarter):
We had the best meal of all here on this trip. From appetizers to entrees to deserts, they were all excellent. For the quality of the food they serve, we thought the cost was more than reasonable. The only slight negative was that we had a reservation but still had to wait for 25 min to be seated. It was a Saturday night, though.
Tommy's (in the Warehouse district):
For the identical amount we spent here and at Bayona, we thought Bayona was superior. Still, Tommy's was very good. Their menu seemed to be more on the traditional side, which was fine with us.
Sherban, my husband missed his opportunity to eat muffulettas. Didn't realize the place was closed Sundays.
I only took a few photos on this trip. Rain is to be blamed. I actually like the rain, but not when I want to actively walk around (or when I'm on the beach on St. John!). Hope to see some sun and blue next time.
(He likes abstractness.)
Thank you all again for your suggestions on dining.
Have happy holidays,
Pickle
The trip turned out to be the laziest trip we've made to NOLA. I was recovering from a cold or whatever I'd had for two long weeks. My husband hadn't had much sleep a few days prior to the trip. We were both a little weary by the time we were on the plane.
The weather was soggy and gray. Never saw a glimpse of sunshine while we were there. The boats on the Mississippi looked like ghost ships, barely seen in the heavy fog.
We walked around some. We stayed in more.
But, no, we didn't forget to eat!
Appreciated all the recommendations you all gave us. We ended up at Muriel's, Drago's, Bayona, Acme, and Tommy's. We walked up to Herbsaint on a Saturday afternoon not realizing they are open for lunch only weekdays (we should've known!). We'll look forward to trying the places we didn't get to on our future trips to New Orleans.
Muriel's (at Jackson Square):
We had a decent but not great dinner. Overall, it wasn't a consistently good meal and we thought there were hits-and-misses on the menu. We liked the atmosphere/decor, though - very New Orleans-like.
Drago's (at the Hilton):
We enjoyed their charbroiled oysters. However, the raw oysters had no taste at all. If our eyes had been closed, we wouldn't have known what we were eating... although the texture would've probably given it away. Some folks were complaining about it to the wait stuff - rightfully so, we would say. I guess the oysters HAD to be seasoned with cheese, garlic, etc. and charbroiled in order to gain some taste. I thought we just had a bad batch but, according to nothintolose, she also had a similar experience recently at Drago's at the other location. Hmm...
Acme (in the Quarter):
Their raw oysters were decent. Not the greatest we've had but, at least, we could tell we were eating oysters.
Bayona (in the Quarter):
We had the best meal of all here on this trip. From appetizers to entrees to deserts, they were all excellent. For the quality of the food they serve, we thought the cost was more than reasonable. The only slight negative was that we had a reservation but still had to wait for 25 min to be seated. It was a Saturday night, though.
Tommy's (in the Warehouse district):
For the identical amount we spent here and at Bayona, we thought Bayona was superior. Still, Tommy's was very good. Their menu seemed to be more on the traditional side, which was fine with us.
Sherban, my husband missed his opportunity to eat muffulettas. Didn't realize the place was closed Sundays.
I only took a few photos on this trip. Rain is to be blamed. I actually like the rain, but not when I want to actively walk around (or when I'm on the beach on St. John!). Hope to see some sun and blue next time.
(He likes abstractness.)
Thank you all again for your suggestions on dining.
Have happy holidays,
Pickle
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
Pickle it is STILL raining here and driving us all nuts!!! This past Saturday the city was so saturated that when the horrible rains came, the streets flooded (some houses and lots of cars too). I feel like it has been raining for a month! The sun came out Wednesday and almost blinded us all, but was gone this morning and the damn rain was back.
Sorry you had to be here deal with all of the rain, but at least you didn't let it keep ya'll from eating.
Sorry you had to be here deal with all of the rain, but at least you didn't let it keep ya'll from eating.
"Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" - Dave Matthews Band