We're leaving the kids and heading to New Orleans for the weekend in a few weeks. Since our time is limited, I'm trying to identify potential activities of interest and restaurants of interest.

Yes, I've already searched here on New Orleans. Atmosphere is of no interest for my husband if the food is wierd, not good or the portions are child-sized. Let me summarize what I've found so far. You let me know if these opinions are still accurate.
Don't Miss:
·Dooky Chase's (authentic creole cooking)
·Napoleon House
·Brigsten's uptown
·Bayonna (worth a visit)
·Ugelisch's
·Café du Monde
·K-Paul's - "touristy" though it may be - it's good food
·Palace Café
·Redfish Grill
·Bacco
·Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse (breakfast is overrated and overpriced)
·Pascual's Manale
·Paradise Cafe has also been a consistent spot for a decent meal and my must-have Bananas Foster
·Mona Lisa's for terrific pizza, salads, etc
·Petunia's
·Pelican Club
·Bon Ton
·La Louisiane
·Irene's
·Taqueria for lunch

Miss:
·Emeril’s (gone down since his absense)
·Commander's Palace
·Galatoires (small portions for the money)
·Court of Two Sisters
·Jackson Square Seafood Company
·Tu Jaques
·Delmonico
·Magnolia Café
·Gumbolaya

Bars:
Tipitina's, Jimmys, the Maple Leaf, Jaqueimo's, The Balcon Bar, Mayfair, Superior Bar and Grill, Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant, Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone,

ooops! Activities suggested:
Cafe Du Monde
Bourbon Street
Jackson Square Cathedral
Tour of St. Louis NO. 1 Cemetary
French Market
Preservation Hall
Gumbo Shop
listen to the jazz band in Jackson Square
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop
Preservation Hall for the jazz
Historic New Orleans Walking Tour Company Tour
Ride the St Charles Streetcar through the district and out to Riverbend
Check out Audobon Park, stroll through the Garden District

I agree about the Magnolia Cafe - definite miss. We heard it was good, but it wasn't.

Please don't forget brunch at Brennans!! Absolutely amazing. Also, suggest Mr. B's Bistro, Bon Ton, Cafe Du Monde, House of Blues, Michauls, ACme Oyster Bar, Napolean House, the big bad wolf on bourbon street, preservation hall, cajan cooking school, streetcar ride, swamp tour.

Have fun!! Wish i was going.

Don't forget to have a hurricane at Pat O'Brien's!

Have fun.

Naploleon House was terrific. We ate out in the courtyard but it may be too hot this time of year. Great food for the price though. I think our entire dinner with wine was $60!

I forget where we are staying, but we've already got reservations at a hotel on Bourbon Street. Being July, I plan on dressing light and comfortable. It's been years since I've been to NO. How many of these places are on/beside Bourbon Street/French Quarters? Some suggestions were for "uptown" - how far is that?

Good heavens! This seems an odd list to me. Generally speaking, Bacco gets bad reviews - I'm not sure about posts to this board - but most people who live in New Orleans have nothing good to say about it. And I do remember seeing a glowing review on this board of Dooky Chase's, but the review was several years old and I don't hear much about it at all now. In fact, it's not even listed in the current Fodor's guide, which has LOTS of restaurant reviews. Bayona, the Palace Cafe and K-Paul's are definitely worth a visit. Unless you like barbeque shrimp, I'd skip Pascal Manale's. It's famous for that one dish, but there's not much else there.

I agree that foregoing all 3 of Emeril's restaurants is a good idea. But I can't imagine why you've decided to overlook Commander's Palace and Galatoire's, which are considered two of the top restaurants in the country! Both are in the top six favorites of the new Fodors guide to New Orleans. I'd sure reconsider that decision...especially Commander's Palace. I can't imagine a trip to NO without a meal there.

Yea, it would be an odd list. If you do a search on "New Orleans" here, you'll come up with an odd assortment of questions, answers, and time frames.

Quotes from posters here about Galatoire's:
"Galatoire's? It's a seen and be seen place. Either you have "your" waiter who basically orders for you - or you are familiar enough to order from the menu which offers no descriptions of the dishes and come away happy." "Galatoires - Served me 3 strips (cigarette size) slices of salmon with 3 lemon wedges for lunch. You get NOTHING for the money here - the place is full of 80+ wealthy people who don't know any better. AVOID THIS ONE AS WELL!!!" "We did not get our money's worth at Galatoire's, but I am glad you enjoyed yourself." "I still love Gallatoires...no I'm not 80 or wealthy...just like the souffle potatoes with Bernaise, trout any way, and their grand coute appetizer."

"Commander's Palace: Has also lost it's charm." However, re-reading posts applicable to New Orleans, I do find a couple of mentions of Commander's Palace as lunch stops.

But then this is why I summarized my findings so I can get some current feedback about NO.

I agree, going to N.O. without a stop at Commander's is not what I'd suggest unless money is an issue. The pampered feeling you get while dining there is not to miss. If you can get the Garden Room then you will have a hard time deciding which was better.. the food or experience. I would pass on K-Paul's unless you just want to say you went there. He used to be at Commander's so a lot of the dishes are from his time there. Pricewise I think they're comparable & the atmosphere is definitely better at Commander's.

Commander's, Lucy's, Maple Leaf are outside the Quarter but easy to get to by public transportation.

Another suggestion if you want a sandwich to remember is Maspero's on Dectur St near Jackson Square. Very casual & usually busy. The sandwiches are HUGE & always fresh. But bring cash. They don't take credit.

ttt

The only thing that I see wrong with your list is that Jacques-Imo's isn't really a bar, it's a restaurant, and it's awesome. One word of advice though: go early or late, b/c it gets really crowded. And if they ask you to eat in the back of a truck, it's fine. Don't worry.

Galatoires is the quintessential NO fine dining experience. No reservations-go early and don't walk down Bourbon Street afterward-enough to make you "rent" your expensive meal from Galatoires. The Pelican Club is great--not "old-world" NO more fusion cuisine. Palace Cafe is good with nice artwork on the walls. For some of the best neighborhood food, if you can get to Bucktown, go to R&Os, an Italian,seafood local hangout on Lake Pontchartrain. Great Po-Boys, tamales, Italian salad, crawfish pie and Shrimp Roumalade. Definitely worth the cab fare! Have a great time and Bon Appetit!

A couple of comments on your list...

Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse is very good (also very pricey!), but this is not the same place as Brennan's (as in "Breakfast at Brennan's". Two separate restaurants, same family (which also owns Mr. B's, Commanders, Palace Cafe, Red Fish Grill). There a different branches of the family, but in my mind you can't go wrong with any of them. Definitely go to Commanders if you can... lunch prices are very reasonable. Of the others, Palace Cafe is probably my favorite.

I agree with some of the others' comments on Galatoire's...not worth it. Just had a huge deal in the paper with a lot of regulars complaining because G's management fired a waiter "just because he had been accused of sexual harrassment" (on two different occasions! I have only been there once, but didn't think it was as special as the lines outside would lead you to believe!

"Uptown" is not far from "downtown" ... just hop a streetcar, or take a quick cab ride.

Enjoy your trip!!

Anne

Ugelisch's is a lunch spot. We are told you must get there early and still expect to wait. Check to make sure they are open in the summer. Seem to remember reading somewhere they close ... summer is New Orleans off season.

Yes, don't miss: Café du Monde

As another poster mentioned, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse is not the same place as Brennan's (which is famous for breakfast). Great steaks here. Not skimpy on portions.

We did have a surprisingly good meal at Redfish Grill. The food and service were excellent. The atmosphere a bit noisy.

We did not have a great meal at Napoleon House, but the atmosphere is definately not to be missed. Have drinks here instead.

Also, DON'T MISS Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop!

Petunia's is best for breakfast. Huge crepes! We've also been for lunch and it was fine. But breakfast was the best.

Also good for breakfast is Quarter Scene Restaurant on Dumaine and Dauphine.

We finally made it to Irene's, and it was as good as people say it is. Go early or be prepared to wait ... though I hear the wait is often shorter than they tell you when you put in your name.

You have been misled about Commander's Palace. It is wonderful. Expensive, but not overly so considering that you are eating at one of the best restaurant's in the country. Service was impeccable when we were there. We went for dinner. Plan to return for brunch next time.

And I must also disagree about Tujaques. I know it gets mixed reviews. But we have eaten there twice for dinner and had nothing short of terrific food and service both times. And it's the 2nd oldest restaurant in the Quarter. Some real New Orleans history here. We'll keep going there.

I whole-heartedly agree with your decision to avoid Gumbolaya on Decatur. At all costs ... miss this one! The only truly bad meal we've ever had in New Orleans.

Gumbo Shop is a restaurant, not an activity. Yummy!

Agree with all your activities. We've done all these except for Audobon Park. Hope you're staying for a while as this is quite a list! If it's still going to be hot weather when you go, you might want to plan some indoor activities ... I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the D-Day Museum. You could ride the free ferry to Algiers and take the shuttle to Blain Kern's Mardi Gras World. You can see where Mardi Gras floats are made. Also look into things like Ursaline Convent, Beauregard-Keyes House, the 1850 House, Cabildo, Herman-Grima House, Gallier House Museum, Presbytre, Harrah's Casino, Riverwalk Marketplace.
Yes, the best of New Orleans is out in the open on the streets of the French Quarter, but beware of the heat.

Have fun!

Definatly a hurricane at O'Brians, you can keep the glass. Don't forget a bloody mary. My favorite was from the Royal Cafe. The most spicy I ever had (I had 2 for breakfast with an omlette)

I think you have been misled. Brunch at Commander's Palace is probably one of the best meals in N.O. Make sure you make reservations well in advance or you can't get in. Personally love K-Paul's, especially the turtle soup. Cafe du Monde is absolutely touristy, but everyone seems to have to do it once while in N.O. Acme Oyster house has the best oysters in N.O. (although the rest of the food isn't that great). You also should stop at the Union Grocery, best muffaleto sandwiches you'll ever have. Just the smell of the place will make your mouth water.

to author x what does ttt mean? Im confused.

Page are you new to this site? Welcome hope you are enjoying it. TTT means to the top which moves this thread to the top.

I am new, thanks.