I just came back last weekend from New Orleans! These are the Restaurants I ate at: Central Grocery (BEST muffaletta!), Landry's (yummy fried oysters!), Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. (BBQ Shrimp was great!), Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (food is pretty good, nice atmosphere!), Felix's Oysters (way more than just oysters, plus easy on the wallet! Loved the Oysters Rockefeller!), Zydeque (barbequed pork was awesome!!), Louisiana Pizza Kitchen (very good calzone.. nice change from Seafood and Cajun), Mothers (a MUST for any trip. Best Jambalaya I had in NOLA, and the ham Po'Boy was excellent!), and Fiorella's (not bad, not my favorite. Oh, and Cafe du Monde beignets are also a must! Plus, I attended the New Orleans School of Cooking. It was the best time! Comedy, Cooking and Great Eating all at the same time! We had Gumbo, Jambalaya, Pina Colada Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce (Excellent) and Pralines. I love New Orleans!!!

Acme Oyster is a must! Gumbo shop is good as many have mentioned. You've got a good list going now.

A fun spot to grab a drink is at the Hotel Monteleone (on Royal Street). They have a Carousel Bar (it actually turns as you sit.) We found that a good spot to people watch & have a cocktail.

I would respectfully RUN from Landry's or Bubba Gump's although I'm glad (and maybe a little surprised) that someone enjoyed them.

Thanks for the trip "food" report, kfleck.
We are looking forward to the great food in New Orleans!

Thank you for the tip about the lounge in the Monteleone Hotel, tpatricco. That sounds like fun!

Dan, you have been very helpful in helping me plan this trip! Thanks so much! Laurie

Hi Laurie,I was in New Orleans in June. 2 great rest. we ate in were Mother's for lunch and Camellia Grill for breakfast at the end of the St. Charles car ride. They were both terrific and "happening places".
Another fun place I would recommend is the Oz Bar. (400 Bourbon St.?)They have drag queen bingo there on Wed,Thur.and Sun nites.(6-8 p.m.?) It is the best entertainment around. 2 hrs. of laughter. The drag queen who is the bingo caller is very rude and arrogant but alot of laughs. Have a great time in N.O. We loved it. Have any questions, you can contact me. Lois

Drag Queen Bingo? Darn, I missed that place.

Irn376, Drag Queen Bingo sounds like a hoot! Thanks for the tips! Laurie

Drag Queen Bingo? I live here and never heard about that! Are you sure you weren't in about the 700 block of Bourbon? That's approximately where the street changes from straight to gay. It's not a problem. You just notice more guys than girls.

I also agree to skip Landry's and Bubba Gumps. They're okay, but not great. It's a chain out of Lafayette, LA (or used to be) and there are much better places. They are a bit too cliche for the New Orleans local market. I still don't understand how our Red Lobster stays in business except for the fact that it's in the busiest mall in the burbs.

If you miss drag queen bingo in NOLA, you can catch it at Il Postino on Sunday nights in New York!

I really liked lunch at Muriel's, everything we ate was very nice. I would normally skip Bubba Gump's, but after walking around all day it was quite an oasis and we needed a quick place to rest our feet and have a cold one. Met the famous Kal at Mother's for breakfast--I would recommend going for a late breakfast to avoid the line. I liked the andouille sausage, etc. but not the shrimp omelette for some reason.

Have a great time!