New Orleans Restaurants

New Orleans Restaurant Reviews

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. Traditional Louisiana dishes, such as jambalaya, red beans and rice, gumbo, and étouffée are readily available, but the delectable surprise of dining in New Orleans is the diversity of dishes and cuisines that are available, not to mention the culinary ingenuity on display.

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.

Menus are often works in progress, constantly evolving. At ONE, Chef Scott Snodgrass's Uptown restaurant, the menu changes seasonally. Come in on a cold winter night, and you're likely to find ale-braised rabbit with stone-ground grits. Downtown at 7 on Fulton, you might opt for seared scallops with smoked tomatoes and almonds with hollandaise sauce. Or go traditional at the world-renowned Commander's Palace with chef Tory McPhail's crispy soft-shell crab with pinched herbs and shaved sweet onions. Still, if you have any lingering doubts about the imaginative spirit of New Orleans's culinary wizards, take a bite of the sweetbreads with capers and souffléed potatoes at Arnaud's. Case closed.

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