Bellarosa

I just saw one of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations shows; this time he was in New Orleans. Although I'm a lukewarm fan of his, I have to say that he really caught the character of New Orleans. Having suffered through losing my home and rebuilding in Arabi (St. Bernard Parish--next to the Lower 9th Ward), I feel that AB covered everything from the utter despair to the hope and determination that the residents of New Orleans have experienced since Hurricane Katrina. No, we are not totally back (and I'm not sure we ever will be), but we are coming back stronger than before and will not allow poor political leadership or man-made natural distasters to keep us from regaining our way of life in the Big Easy. Mardi Gras is anticipated to be even bigger than last year and the French Quarter has long since been open for business.

kaykay83

I caught the show last night. Being a moderate fan of AB and a huge fan of New Orleans, I was pretty amped when I heard he was doing another show there. It was a really good look at the recovering restaurat scene (the backbone of NOLA, imo). It just made me want to get back down there all the more! Can't wait for my trip in May!!!

J_Correa

I watched it too - thought he did a really good job.

dmlove

I've never seen him, but noticed the show in the Guide. I'll have to look for a repeat. As I've mentioned here before, we were scheduled to be in New Orleans for the 5 days starting 2 days after Katrina hit. We have to get there now!

chepar

I saw the show and the part where they showed how empty this restaurant was (I think it was Antoine's), coupled with the story about how some of their workers are waiting to come back really saddened me.

I thought it was a good look at how the city is rebuilding and the determination of its residents.

Callaloo

I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. It showed a lot of sensitivity and compassion, and a lot less of the AB snark (which I normally enjoy).

One thing to keep in mind -- I believe this episode was filmed in September of 2007. While the city and restaurants looked really dead, they can also be very vibrant and full, depending on when you visit (e.g. Jazz Fest, Mardi Gras, football weekends). September can be "off season," and hence empty. Don't let the emptiness scare you away, because things are not always as dead as they may have appeared on that program. The key thing is to just GO whenever it works for you. You won't regret visiting, and you'll be welcomed with open arms.

Giovanna

We also watched the show and thought it was well done. We spent a week in and around New Orleans in late October 2007, and while we didn't eat at Antoine's, every restaurant in the French Quarter we ate at was well attended.

Everything we observed in the FQ was business as usual. You would not have known about the terrible devastation NO suffered. However, we did note damage on Canal Street and elsewhere out of the quarter. We didn't go to the 9th Ward, but we're certainly aware of the suffering the people who lived there are undergoing.