Jazz Fest Primer: Help Me Have a Super Time in New Orleans
 

I am <b>VERY</b> excited to be headed to Jazz Fest later this month. I'm just starting now to really think about how great it will be--I'd love to hear from anyone who has been to Jazz Fest before or who just loves New Orleans. Help me get even more excited!

Any tips for a first timer? I've been to NO once; but it was a quick 24 hours in college (pre-Katrina) and I really didn't see a sliver of the city.

I'd appreciate any recommendations for restaurants or bars to check out---we'd like to splurge on one or two really great meals. Where should we head?

Some restaurants we're thinking about--do we need to make reservations now to nab a table? It will just be two of us:
Gautreau's
Herbsaint
Mandina’s
Stella
Bayona
Commander's

I realize that most of the above top many "best of" New Orleans lists---but are any of them past their prime in your opinion?

I know I want to check out Acme Oyster House---oysters are a new love for me and the Carousel Bar, which sounded neat from shormk2's recent trip report.

What food items should I be sure to seek out at the actual fest?
Any hole-in-the-wall bars to seek out?
Where's the best bloody mary?

Thanks for any suggestions you may have---I'm getting excited!

8-)

Of the restaurants you listed, go with Stella and Bayona. Where are you staying?

Yes to Carousel Bar, ride the streetcar up St. Charles, go to jazz brunch at Commander's (Palace Cafe also has a great brunch).

If you want a break from Jazz Fest and you're staying in the Quarter, go to the Insectarium or Aquarium that are on Canal.

Drago's in the Hilton Riverside (off Canal) is good for casual seafood po-boys.

Call Donald Link at Herbsaint and tell him about my trip report - how he offered to treat us to a night at his restaurant to makeup for his off duty night mishap last Memorial Day Weekend. I give him a lot of credit for personally emailing me a reply and offering that. I think it would be great if he transferred that gesture to you in the form of reservation and perhaps a comped app or two.

Katie - my DH is SOOOOO annoyed that we can't get over to NO for Jazz Fest. We haven't been in almost 10 years! I told him he was welcome to go and stay with my folks...but the kids can't miss school, so I have to stay put.

It's so much fun - such great music, great food, and great people watching!

Have a wonderful time!

Grcxx3-- don't mean to make your husband jealous--but glad to hear that it's that much fun. Question--should we buy actual tickets to the fest in advance? Or is it easy to just get them once we're in town?

gyppielou--That is nice of you to offer but he'd probably want to spoil you on a return visit if he's trying to make good on a mishap. Glad it worked out--I'll be sure to check out your report!

ma1980-- thanks for the suggestions--is there a top restaurant that you think I should have included on that list? We're staying in the Garden District.

I meant mah1980!

Katie, much of the fun of NOLA is exploring & you'll certainly stumble across several interesting places. Don't forget to visit Frenchmen St. & as for the restaurants, you'll want to make reservations. Seems like many in NOLA on on the 'Open Table' reservation site (I think that's the name of it). Of the ones you listed I'd probably go Herbsaint & Stella (what about Cochon ?). I also have a fairly recent report that you may find helpful.http://www.faubourgmarigny.org/business.htm http://www.snugjazz.com/site/

Hole-in-the-walls:

Deja Vu:
http://www.neworleansonline.com/dire...locationID=140

Yo Mama's:
http://yomamasbarandgrill.com/

Have a good time!

I am so jealous! We have several good friends who will be there for jazzfest and I wish I was going with them.

I am no NOLA expert, by anymeans, but I'd definitely recommend pitches of beer and oysters (lots of them) at ACME. We like Yo Mama's a lot as well (the alligator sausage bites were awesome- their gumbo was just okay). Definitely hit the croissant shop on Ursuline!

Have fun! We'll want a full report when you get back!

That was supposed to be pitchers of beer. Oops. And, of course, the Carousel Bar in the bottom of the Monteleone!

Go to where ever you can get reservations, and book now. Stella and August were both booked when we were there last year (second weekend). We ended up at MiLa (we gave up on the usual "Best 10" places at that point), which we were very happy with. If we lived there, it would definitely be on our regular rotation list (but there are too many other places to try before we go back).

Honestly, we went to JazzFest in 06 and it was so much fun, but last year was back to normal, which was too crowded for us to enjoy. The food demos were also really impressive in 06, but the one we sat through was miserable last year.

My biggest JazzFest tip is that there are flush toilets and sinks in the grandstand building. I think they even had plenty of toilet paper.

We really enjoyed WINO (Wine Institute of New Orleans) and then the Aussie bar just down the street. It may be called Kangaroo Jack's. We stopped for "one beer" after an awful meal at Galatoire's, and ended up making friends with some locals and proceeded to shut the bar down.

Oh yeah- about Acme. I was really weary of going there (too much of a tourist trap), but everything we had was great. The oysters were so good we had to order another dozen (on top of the meal we were eating).

I'm with cocontom: Go wherever you can find reservations. Some of the top places are probably already booked for the nights you want. Call now.

An eatery that we enjoyed and it's a bit out of the main FQ action on Esplanade: Gabriella's. We found it to be well run, good food, nice atmosphere without a lot of the tourist hassle. Lots of locals eat there too. It isn't a hole in the wall place, but it's one of those "out of the way" spots that I always enjoy.

I am SUCH a nice person!

I have just made all the arrangement for my DH and a friend (a NO native whose wife is one of my best friends) to go to Jazz Fest, staying overnight to go to a House of Blues concert!

It's a win-win for everyone.....the guys get their music fix, and us gals will have BIG IOU to cash in when we feel the need!

Katie,

You will be visiting my favorite city at the best time of the year to visit (IMHO). You will have a great time! :)

Jazzfest is an awesome festival, but is better enjoyed with a little preparation beforehand. First, I'd check out the official web site www.nojazzfest.com and print out the cubes (matrix of performers by stage and timeslot) and the Fairgrounds Jazzfest map. Study the map ahead of time to get a good idea of where everything is so you can efficiently move around the Fairgrounds from place to place.

You will also want to think about how you will get to the Fairgrounds and back. I don't recommend cabs, as the line to get in a cab after leaving the Fairgrounds is quite long (especially if you plan to leave after Dave Matthews Band on Sunday). Instead, consider your hotel shuttle bus (if it has one) or taking the Canal Streetcar line (City Park/NOMA spur) and walking to the Fairgrounds from there. However, you may not want to do that after a full day of walking around the Fairgrounds.

Some food items to seek out at the Fest are crawfish bread and Crawfish Monica, and Natchitoches meat pie. Wash it down with a mango smoothie or something refreshing. Remember that alcohol dehydrates so save that for later in the day. I usually stick to water until around 3PM and then I switch over to beer at that time.

<<Natchitoches meat pie>>

Be still my heart!!! I LOVE those things!!!!!

For those that don't know what a Natchitoches meat pie is, it's like a beef empanada.

There used to be a store in Lakeview that carried them (frozen) and it was SUCH a treat! But I haven't seen them available in stores for about 20+ years.

When we would visit NO each summer (when we lived overseas) that was the main reason I would agree to go to the Zoo!!!!! Just get me thru the gate and back to the swamp area!

I have learned to make pretty good ones, but not as good as the original!

Just a few more tips, if you haven't already left (I'm leaving tomorrow -- yippee!).

- Buy a chair; they are cheap at places like Walgreens, and you'll be glad you had one.

- Bring Kleenex travel packs and hand sanitizer for the porta potties. They are gross (especially by the end of the day), so be prepared.

- It's probably too late now, but advance tickets to Jazz Fest cost $40; they are $50 starting (I think) the day before. But the Ticketmaster "convenience charges" (i.e. the convenience of printing them yourself from your own computer) well exceed the savings, so in the end it doesn't really matter.

- While you might be able to get a dinner reservation at one of the top places, at this point, you will be shoe-horned in and likely seated way later than your reservation. We reserved August, Herbsaint, and Commander's Palace months in advance. Last year, a short-notice booking at Cochon (when little else was available) was disappointing due to overcrowding and harried service.

The weather is supposed to be great this weekend. Looking forward to hearing about your experience.