What are peoples favorite resturants in New Orleans? I am going in august( I know its really hot!) for my 30th birthday, and would like to eat well.

Price is not really a concern

I love crawfish, and there is nothing like the local dive Frankie and Johnny's for a no-nonsense crawfish dinner and stuffed artichokes.

For a fancy lunch and if your a fan of Emeril, try for a seat at the chef's counter at NOLA.

If price is no object then Emeril's Delmonico or Commander's Palace is my suggestion. We are going to Commander's for our anniversary in 2 weeks. It has always been a favorite. The service is great & makes you feel like you have stepped back in time to when elegance was common. Try the chocolate fudge Sheba for dessert if you like chocolate. The turtle soup is excellent as well. Just about everything is great. Ask for the garden room if possible.

We are staying at the sheraton on canal street. How far is commander palace from there - we will not have a car( do we need one in NO?)

also have anyone been to a resturant called PERISTYLE ? it gets the top NO food ranking on Zagats -

I agree with benj's recommendation of Commander's Palace. It's really a New Orleans institution...no trip to NO is complete without at least one meal there. You will, however, need to take either the trolley out Canal Street or a cab (probably a better idea in the heat and humidity of August).

I've eaten at Peristyle, and while the food was good, I don't think it's as good as many other NO restaurants.

Peristyle has new owners and a new chef. I can't comment on what changes they have made but Peristyle could only go down from where they were!

how about UGLESICH'S for lunch ???
And Bayona ? anyone tried these?

Any other suggestions? How far in advance do you need reseravtions in NO

Okay, I'm going to get beaten up for suggesting a "tourist trap", but we really liked K-Paul's. My in-laws loved it so much they made us go back the next night (and I wanted to try one of the many other NO restaurants!) #39;(
You can check out their menu at kpauls.com.

Bayona was good, but I found the service to be less than excellent. They were running late that night (another group waited an hour to be seated for their reservation), and after our appetizers came out, it was over an hour wait to get the main course. It was delicious, but since we were starving when we got there, we were a bit edgy to eat!

I haven't read any other issues like this at Bayona, so perhaps it was just an anomaly. I did think it was a bit odd that no one apologized for the delay.

I called about 2.5 weeks in advance for a Saturday reservation and the earliest seating I could get was 9:30 for a party of 5. They seated us at about 9:50, and we didn't get our meal until right before 11:30 pm.

Galatoire's is our favorite. We also love Cammander's Palace, and have had very good dinners at Stella! and Lillette (both are among the newer NO restaurants).

Byrd

We loved Muriel's. Right off Jackson Square. Great food. Short walk afterwards to Pat O'Brien's for an after dinner Hurricane.

My wife and I went to the Big Easy over Memorial Day. Arnaud's Sunday brunch is a real treat. Service is excellent, food is wonderful, and there was high quality dixieland music. We had a disappointment at Antoine's for lunch. We were served dirty napkins and silverware and the wait staff was rude. It was a very disappointing $75 lunch.

Although we usually eschew celebrity chefs, we had one of the best meals ever at Emeril's NOLA.

My current favorite restaurant in New Orleans, and my vote for most under-rated restaurant, is the Pelican Club. We also love GW Fins and Irene's.

I really don't care for the 'cajun' food in NO. Also, I think it is extremely mistaken to think of NO as cajun.

My #1 pick would be Galotoire's. By far. Commanders is ok, I would do the brunch on Sunday.

Also, to get you in the mood for Galotoire's, read "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Also, fyi, crawfish are out of 'season' now. As well as Oysters. Don't go raw in the summer.

Our favorite was Marisol. And Jacques Imo's was fun!

Ugliches (sp) for lunch is the best. When we went we did Commander's Palace, Mr. B's, Brightsens and others considered really good but Ugliches was the best!

I went to NO a couple of years ago and I would have to say my favorite upscale resturant was Irene's Cuisine. My second favorite was K Paul's. For a po boy you have to visit Acme Oyster Bar. Ate there 3 times....Enjoy

Thanks tons for all the responses. Is it really true that I wount be able to get oysters and Crawfish?? or they just wont be any good this time of year.