I am a foodie and can't wait for my first trip to New Orleans at the end of the month.
I am interested in trying only the local fare - unless there is something else spectacualr there that I can't find in Manhattan. I should add that we are not very mmuch into the caviar-foie gras type of gourmet food.

1. What is the difference between Cajun adn Creole food ?

2. What are the BEST 4 places to eat ? Food is 90% of the decision factor. I would of course prefer a table I don't have to share with strangers.

3. Any items I should bring back ?

I look forward to your replies.
Thanks in advance.

Hi M, Cajun and Creole foods are similar in that rice is a staple as is a roux. Creole has its base in classic French and Spanish heritage. Grande cuisine. Cajun (Arcadian) is more of a hearty country fare. Lots of one pot, potent stick to your rib stuff, nice and spicey.
I love the Acme Oyster house-a bit loud but fun. You will hear mixed things about NOLA, but we loved it (Emeril is my hero). Call and go early to sit at the Chef's bar. Believe it or not, we skipped dinner one night because we ate too many beignets and drank too much coffee at Cafe du Monde. This is a must must must.
My favorite souvenirs are hot sauces. The brand names are a riot.
Would highly recommend a hurricane at Pat O'briens. Touristy, but well worth it.
Have a wonderful trip. Laissez le bons temps rouler!!

Do A search on New Orleans and you'll find lots of restaurant suggestions!!!!!

Try Jaques Imo's, you'll love it!

You're probably too late to reserve the BEST New Orleans restaurants. They tend to book up a good eight-twelve weeks in advance.

After 4 trips to New Orleans, we have finially hit on the secret..Don't go to the overpriced, tourist restaurants. The food is not what you would think. Search the web and check out the smaller places. The service is much better and you don't have those long lines to stand in if you eat prior to 6pm.

IF you can get reservations, Commander's Palace for Sunday jazz brunch, Bayona, and Mr. B's for the best gumbo yaya anywhere.

M, just returned last night from NO. Try Peristyle on Dumaine. You won't be dissapointed. For local fare, the Gumbo Shop. They have side orders of most entrees, so you can get a taste of everything. We also enjoyed the Royal Cafe on Royal St. because you can sit on the balcony and watch the world go by while enjoying some very good food.

I recommend K-Paul's for good local food. I enjoy it every time I go. Redfish Grill is also a place i reommend quite often and take friends to who are visiting - they have a great menu. It's one of the Brennan's places, but it's more casual than Commander's. Palace Cafe is another Brennan's place that I highly recommend for Sunday jazz brunch - more casual than Commander's, not as expensive and definitely not as hard to get in. The eggs benedict is great. Mandina's on Canal (out of the Quarter, but only a short taxi ride) is a true, blue local place that not many tourists make their way to. It's a casual seafood adn po-boy place. If you want oysters, I'd recommend Casamento's uptown on Magazine instead of Acme or Felix's which are both are in the Quarter. Definitely have a muffaletta at Central Grocery in the Quarter. Muriel's is a relatively new place in the Quarter on the corner of Chartes and St. Ann at Jackson Square. We ate there for the first time last week and were very pleased. The spinach and crawfish salad was great. For po-boys, try Mother's on Tcoupitoulas and Poydras (in the CBD) or Uglesich's on Baronne (uptown from the CBD, not a great area). Beignets at Cafe du Monde is a must as is a Lucky Dog in Jackson Square for truly local color. Please let me know if you need more info.

We second Meg's recommendations - she sounds like a true local! We would add
Gautreaux's on Soniat St. in the Garden District - a wonderful, small romantic place in the garden district which used to be a pharmacy! Imaginative dishes and excellent service. Have a wonderful time. New Orleans is so special....You'll feel like you're in Europe. (make sure to ride the street car on St. Charles Avenue.)

And I second Steve's recommendation: Gautreaux's was wonderful wonderful wonderful. Off the beaten track so not as crowded, and the food and service were outstanding (and I know good food!)

I'm a foodie too and NO was the second best food around (second to Paris). My absolute favorite was Nola's. We went for lunch since it was so hard to get a dinner reservation. It was a great idea. Peristyle was excellent. A little off the beaten path, very intimate, a little fancy. Take a cab. I know it's a tourist destination, but I loved the Sunday brunch at Commander's Palace. A 3 hour meal and the best and safest cemetary right across the street. The best recommendation is to call and make reservations now. I called 3 months in advance and couldn't get in alot of places.

Not sure if you've made your trip yet or not, but you must do
Commander's Palace for dinner or brunch,

Mother's is a dive but world-famous for GREAT po-boys, gumbo, etc.

Palace Cafe has great food (part of the Brennan's empire)

and when you've had enough Cajun, try Mona Lisa (in the lower end-of the quarter near Esplanade on Royal). It is a GREAT local's place for Italian. Buy your wine at the corner market across the street!

My #1 vote is for Bayona's. I've been there 3 times on 3 separate visits (over a 5 year period) and loved it each time. I also like the food bar at Emeril's (rather than a table). I know some people think Emeril's is overrated, but both times I was there, the food was wonderful; also, it is a joy to watch the excellent chefs up close. Nola's is also very good. Haven't tried Peristyle. It was closed last time I was in NO (because of a fire, I think). I agree with whoever suggested Mother's for casual fare. We always have the...oh, I can't remember what it was called--a po'boy with roast ham and "debris," the shavings and drippings from the roast. There are 2 "grocery" stores near the French Quarter--Central Grocery and Progress Grocery. They're almost next door to each other on Decateur. They both have great muffaletas, but the one that's the farthest east (towards Esplanade) is my favorite. We were a little disappointed with the Sunday brunch at Commander's Palace. The ambiance and service was wonderful, but the food (IMHO) was ordinary.

Sandy is right - Central Grocery's muffalettas are better than Progress'. i think the sandwich she had at Mother's is a Ferdi's Special.

I enjoyed Red Fish Grill, and Remoulade was good for what it is--good fresh oysters!

We ate twice off menus posted on the street in the quarter. Both were really good. I think there are lots of good restaurants down there.

Avoid Bayonna. I was very disappointed with the food, and it was way too pricey.

Amazing how different people can have different opinions! I was in New Orleans last weekend and had dinner at Bayona (having made the reservations about 10 weeks in advance). We thought the meal was first-rate (one of our 10 best ever), the service outstanding, the atmosphere romantic, and the price reasonable for what we were getting.

Just got back from N.O. and can offer the following recommendations (which I had picked based on input received on this website). We ate dinner at the following restaurants (which I would rate in the order stated): Bayona (loved it), NOLA (interesting atmosphere, great food), Mr. B's Bistro (outstanding BBQ shrimp), and Pelican Club. Also, had a good lunch at K-Pauls (loved the turtle soup). I was able to get all reservations for dinner about 2 weeks ago. I think you will find a good selection of local fare at all of these restaurants. Visiting New Orleans was truly a culinary delite!

Just wanted everyone to know that contrary to what many believe, NOLA is great for vegetarians. Old Dog New Trick on Exchange is a wonderful cafe with cute a hospitable and cute staff. Even at cajun joints, get some creole veggie goodness....

I made my third trip to New Orleans in early June and learned my most valuable lesson. If you can't get a reservation at a particular restaurant and it is a week night, chances are you can walk in a be seated immediately if it is before 8 pm. This occured at Mr. B's (excellent) and Mortons (don't waste your time).