New Orleans restaurants
 

In planning our trip to New Orleans in a couple months, I have been creating a list of restaurants I would like to go to. Needless to say, the list is a mile long :)

We aren't planning any expensive meals so the list is shorter than it could be - LOL.

So - the purpose of my post is to prioritize the list and add choices that I haven't yet thought of by way of a restauraunt poll.

What are your 3 favorite inexpensive or moderately-priced restaurants in New Orleans?

(Inexpensive meaning entres under $12 and Moderately-priced meaning entres under $20).

Thanks :)

Inexpensive~Acme Oyster House~delish!!

Yes to Acme in the Quarter under 12
Liuza's by the track under 12
Drago's in Metairie under 20
John Besh's rest in Harrahs Casino under 20

I don't think John Besh's steakhouse has entrees less than $20. Most of the entrees are in the $30 region.

Moderately priced: Palace Cafe, Jacquemos.

Inexpensive: Pan Asia

Commander's Palace for lunch is a "must do." 25-cent martini's should say it all. That and the food is great. It is finally open after Katrina's devestation. We combined lunch with a walking tour of the Garden District. I don't know what is left of the Garden District, but here is the website for Commander's:
http://www.commanderspalace.com/

Your right...dont know what I was thinking!

Oh and please let me know how you can have lunch at commanders for under 25$ 25cent martini or not!

This sounds like my wifes budgeting and how much she saved by purchasing all those shoes on sale!

Seriously....I would recommend that you eat Wendy's for a meal and use that money to enjoy the real cuisine of N.O. such as commanders, or NOLA or something.

After one PoBoy and Red Beans and Rice, they are all about the same.

Be creative. Soup is $6.50. The Market Salad is $8.00. Share an appetizer for $9.50 (most expensive). Drink a martini for 25 cents. It will be less than $20-25/person.

Thanks for the recommendations so far.

With regard to Commanders Palace though - since so many people recommend it, I figure I should speak to that - LOL. I gotta tell you all, the food may be very good, but any restaurant that puts mushrooms in that many things is completely and totally off my list. I have checked the menus on the website many times and anything that sounds good is ruined by the addition of mushrooms.

Ooops - hit post too soon (I am learning "left mouse" and it is taking some getting used to - LOL)

Anyway, so that's why I am not going to Commander's Palace.

And perhaps I am not enough of a foodie, but I happen to really like red bean and rice and po boy sandwiches and can definitely tell the difference - LOL.

The request for recommendations for inexpensive and moderately-priced restaurants is because we actually like {gasp} restaurants on that end of the spectrum and not because we would have to scrimp and save at some meals to make room in the budget for "real cuisine" at other meals.

J_Correa: How about these - Petunia's for breakfast (their crepes/omlettes are so large you can split one between two people), Yo Mama's for great cheeseburgers and the best baked potato around, Masperos has really good food, too. We haven't eaten here yet, but are going to try the Copper Monkey during our next trip in September.

It's really been fun watching you becoming so excited about your upcoming trip. When you return, please let us know how it went. Enjoy the City!!

Elizabeth's - breakfast or lunch in the Bywater - I
Le Crepe Nanou - inexpensive French bistro in Uptown - M
Dunbar's - fried chicken with red beans & rice to die for (flooded out of Mid-City, temporarily located in the Loyola University student center, open to the public) - I
Ciro's Cote Sud - cheap French bistro & pizza in the Riverbend area - I

On a point of order halfapair...it was for under $20 and you could not make budget even with your skimpy appetizers ha ha :>

And correct me if I am wrong but I thought that the 25cent martini was only with an entre???? It is defiantely a deal...they are sort of a half a glass but it is the martini drinkers idea of heaven!

Looking at the menu I did not see the Pork Belly on the appetizer menu. That item is so delicious I am starting a campaign to have it turned into an Entre!

As for ccolor ... Petunia for breakfast yes!!! I had forgotten about them.

About the mushrooms...never can recall a mushroom in any of my dishes...so it must be minor....I certainly would not be taking Commanders off the list on account of a fungus!

Commanders is truly one of the city's greatest namesakes.

Petunia's is definitely on my list - I will elevate it to the top since so many people have recommended it.

The last 2 times I have been to New Orleans, we didn't go to Acme - first time we didn't get to it and the second time it hadn't reopenned yet. So this time, I think it is definitely on the list :)

And there are some other recommendations that aren't on the list, but will be soon.

Thank you all so much!

On the mushroom issue - I have a digestive allergy to the little suckers, so even as a minor ingredient, they have to be avoided. Mushrooms, truffles, chantrelles (sp?), etc. are all verboten. It is a bit of a hassle sometimes, but at least I am not allergic to shellfish or strawberries :) Or heaven forbid, chocolate! There is a recent thread about wine allergies even. My goodness, it could be so much worse!

And yes, I am getting very excited about this trip. Things have been really stressful at work and I am plowing through a really difficult course this semester. The anticipation of this trip is what is holding me together!

We are also celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary on this trip. Over the weekend we learned that 2 couples we know who got married after us have recently split. Makes our anniversary celebration seem that much more important.

Mr. B's Bistro will be at the high end of your range, but a wonderful restaurant with great food. My favorite N.O. destination.

For middle price range, large scale cajun, try Ralph and Kakoos. Good food at a fair price.

How to have a $25 lunch at Commander's Palace? I think 100 olives would pretty much fill you up! And if not, after 100 martinis, you wouldn't care.

And I read through this pretty fast, but has NO ONE mentioned beignets at Cafe du Monde?

Commanders Palace...well worth the expense.

Jacquemos! Is it still there? I was worried about it during Katrina...

And yes, definately Cafe Du Monde for snack/dessert!

I didn't know Mr. B's had reopened, but they have the BEST gumbo ya ya. It's nothing like other gumbo...just in a class by itself.

A real cheapie in the FQ is Deanie's. I'm not sure I ordered right, but we entertained a large group there several years ago on the recommendation of a local. Some food was good; some wasn't. I think the local favored gumbo, creole and red beans/rice. That's stuff I normally love, but didn't order any of it because we had "guests" and thought we should order entrees. Oh well...

I haven't been there for a couple of years but, at that time, Landry's Seafood House at 400 N Peters St on the edge of the Quarter was excellent and moderately priced. I'll let you know when I get back the end of next week.

Is that Landry's like the chain that came here to Naples, Florida? We ran them off, although their equally bad sidekick Joe's Crab Shack replaced them. (I think they have the same owners).

Neo - I have no idea. There were no other locations listed on their menus and I had the impression (maybe innaccurate) that they were a single establishment.

In any event, I had two or three different entrees there on my last trip and they were uniformly excellent. Their crab-stuffed mushroom appetizer was the best I have had anywhere.

Don