sandiegojoe

I know the cajun/ new orleans question is overdone to death, and I always hear the big two or three places that are real fancy.

I'm looking for some of the more local, not so fancy places. Places with crawfish ettoufait (sp?) and crawfish by the pound, alligator tail, all that sort of stuff. Maybe with some atmosphere like a local zydeco or blues band playing on the weekends. Any suggestions?

offlady

Our taxi driver took us to Ralph & Cagoos. Not a fancy place, but the taxi driver said locals go there for the price and decent food. Atmosphere sounds like what you are looking for.

Dan

Locals went to Ralph and Kacoos years ago but before it was bought by Piccadilly cafeteria. Since the only location is in the heart of the FQ, I doubt it's less than 95% tourists at this point. Not very good, either. I went for a lunch meeting last month and it was decent (not great) food that was overpriced with bad service to boot!

Fresh crawfish is available in the spring. The rest of the year you'll probably get frozen although some places may have some "pond-raised" connection.

For casual dining, try the Gumbo Shop, Deanie's Seafood, or Acme Oyster House.

benj

We went to Gumbo Shop about 3 weeks ago with some Swiss visitors. The food was really disappointing. I know every place has an off night but I would suggest trying the other 2 places (Deanie's & Acme) first. If you want the music thing too I'd try Mulate's. It is a bit crazy but our out of town visitors love to see the people dance to cajun music & the food was good too. Here is their site. www.mulates.com/

gmoney

I would second the suggestion for Mulate's I thought it was a real cajun atmosphere with the food, music, dancing, zydeco, etc. It is right across the street from the convention center.

laurieb_nyny

In the FQ, Alex Patout has 2 restaurants next to each other called Cajun Bistro & Cajun Cabin. I was skeptical at first because they are bars but the food was really good (menus are on line at cajuncabin.com).

They have live Zydeco music every night & the waiters give Cajun dancing lessons to anyone who asks. Alot of fun!

sandiegojoe

Thanks guys! Mulate's sounds great, and we may hit up cajuncabin too.

I've heard drag queen bingo at the Oz is a fun time too. My wife watches queer eye for the straight guy practically every day, somehow I think she'd like that place.

benj

Check out Cat's Meow. You can watch their webcam at www.catsmeow-neworleans.com/
I passed by there when I was in the Quarter a couple of weeks ago & it was crazy.

Let us know how your trip goes.

jreed

Anybody know a place that has the fancy sauces,bananas foster and french creole type food but not a fancy atmosphere?Acme sounds good but for a limited menu and very casual type atmosphere.In other words Im looking for a nice atmosphere but not stuffy like Commanders Palace or Brennans but the same type menu that they have. more of a fun type atmosphere.

laurieb_nyny

We had good Creole food at Cafe Pontalba (next to the Cathedral on the left with the River behind you).

One night we went to Brennans just for dessert (Bananas Foster).

Ryn2691

Not so much for the original poster, for for JReed, you might want to try Rita's in the Quarter. It's a small place that does a very traditional menu including desserts, but it is reasonably priced and quite casual; I've eaten there in shorts and a
t-shirt more than once.

One caveat, last I checked it was a cash-only house, so come prepared with greenbacks just in case.

For the OP, you didn't specify that you wanted the Quarter or CBD; if you have wheels at your disposal, you might want to venture out to Bucktown. You can't get fresher than that; the fishing fleet docks less than 100 yds. from the restaurants.

Ryn2691

Sorry, that was Pere Antoines' that I was remembering as cash-only. I'd recommend it as well in the same category, probably more than Rita's, actually. Both are neighborhood places that have been there forever.

Pere Antoine's is particularly nice on days when the weather is right for opening the windows and shutters.

neworleanslady

Two of my favorites are Uptown about a $15 cab ride from the Quarter. Jacques Imo's on Oak Street and Dick & Jenny's on Tchoupitoulas. Jacques-Imo's is a truly New Orleans experience complete with walking through the kitchen to get to the dining area.