New Orleans Restaurants

New Orleans is known as much for its sensory expression as it is for its joie de vivre, and nowhere is this more evident than in the stellar cuisine offered at local restaurants. Visitors who limit their scope to traditional Louisiana dishes, such as jambalaya, red beans and rice, gumbo, and étouffée, will just be scratching the surface. All of that is readily available, but the delectable surprise of dining in New Orleans is the diversity of dishes and cuisines that are available in the city, not to mention the culinary ingenuity on display.

At this writing, over 700 local restaurants had reopened following an extended post-Katrina recovery period. Scott Boswell oversaw a million-dollar renovation of Stella!, turning it into one of the city's premiere fine dining establishments. Emeril Lagasse reopened Emeril's Delmonico, offering old-world elegance and 21st-century sensibilities. Perhaps the most highly anticipated reopening was that of the venerable Commander's Palace, which finally opened its doors in October, 2006.

The old standbys were joined by dozens of new restaurants, and chefs from all over the country moved to New Orleans to be a part of the city's resurgence. High-profile chefs like Todd English—who opened his authentic French Restaurant, Riche, in the new Harrah's New Orleans Hotel—added to the local restaurant collection. Guy D. Sockrider, one of fewer than 500 chefs worldwide to have earned the Certified Executive Chef distinction, moved to New Orleans to take over the kitchen at Muriel's.

Old or new, the menus at New Orleans's restaurants reflect three centuries of multiple cultures constantly contributing to the always-simmering culinary gumbo pot. What influences can you expect to taste? The list is long, but it's easy to find dashes of Spanish, French, Italian, German, African, Caribbean, and Croatian flavor—and increasingly, Asian and Latin influences. The result is a city that can literally feed the masses—and do so in a style that will remind everyone of their home base.

Menus are often works in progress, constantly evolving. At Vizard's on the Avenue, determined chef Kevin Vizard's tender, slow-roasted chicken and gnocchi masquerade as chicken and dumplings, while the Pelican Club's Richard Hughes offers succulent diver sea scallops served with apple-smoked bacon and white shrimp. And it's hard to argue with Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen's, who serves his rabbit tenderloin over an andouille Parmesan grits cake. Still, if you have any lingering doubts about the imaginative spirit of New Orleans culinary wizards, take a bite of the sweetbreads with capers and souffléed potatoes at Arnaud's. Case closed.

With such precious food, a visit to New Orleans calls for planning meal stops as carefully as sightseeing trips. Come hungry.

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