We have Friday night- leaving very early Tuesday morning (early November) and would like a special meal or two (breafast, lunch and dinner..if we can manage that much!!) and the kind of really good, not necessarily well known, spots I would direct someone to in SF Bay area where I live (needless to say no California cuisine!). Is Commanders Palace as much of an institution as I've heard? The more of you who offer your opinions, the better. Thanks so much in advance!!

Do you have AOL access? If so, check out the magnificent AOL Louisiana travel board. Dozens (if not hundreds) of regular posters who don't bicker because it isn't anonymous! They helped me plan my PERFECT New Orleans trip last month.

Barbara, I think you might want to repost later. A major storm went through the area today and I would think that most people have more on their minds than checking out fodors. Even though the storm wasn't as bad as originally thought, this may be a case of poor timing.

Suggest you check chowhound.com . Boards are geographically arranged, and are loaded with foodie information.

ttt for Barbara.

Commander's Palace definitely deserves its wonderful reputation. If you can get there for a Sunday jazz brunch you'll have a real treat!

ttt,

your message really is still here.

Thanks! Now I need some help...

Barbara, I'd love to help but can't figure out where to start since I don't know what you want foodwise, how much to spend, what ambience (hole in the wall vs. upscale, for instance), etc.

Commander's Palace is consistently good. I don't think it's as a great as many others do, but it IS worth the time and money to try it. It's a New Orleans classic.

Dan, thanks for your reply. I'd love to have food with a local (whatever that may be) flavor. We eat well in Berkeley, as I understand you do in New Orleans. I don't want 4 expensive evenings out..maybe 2 and I'd love good neighborhood restuarants that don't necessarily have "star power" that are a little more moderate. I try to do my homework when it comes to food- I love Babbo for a special meal in NY and the bar at the Gramercy Tavern or Pearls Oyster Bar for something less expensive. Here in Berkeley there's a wonderful restaurant called Rivoli that bests Chez Panisse in my opinion (and many others). Hole in the wall lunches are great (even a dinner would be fine). We're in town for our 20th anniversary and continuing on to Nevis, Anguilla and St. Barth and can't afford (and don't want) every meal to be a culinary epiphany.

Some places to consider:

Rene Bistrot, downtown at the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel. Great French bistro feel. Real good value at lunch!

Cafe Marigny on Frenchmen. Used to be a block over but they moved to get a liquor license. Creative fun food and nice atmosphere just out of Qtr.

Bayona is one of my favorites. Lots of local fresh ingredients.

Marisol is great for fresh seafood, as is GW Fins.

Restaurant August is very haute and is probably the place to be seen now. It's good but pricey. Chef used to be at Artesia on the north shore and is VERY well regarded in culinary circles.

Cheap places I like include Old Dog New Trick (veggie), Quarter Scene and Deanie's Seafood.

Try Petunia's in the Quarter, too. Oh yeah, and for a real "local" food (that none of them will admit to eating ) have a Lucky Dog!

Cindy is right. Locals never admit to having a Lucky Dog. LOL. I just read "Confederacy of Dunces" over the summer. Written in 1960 or so, the lead character sells Lucky Dogs. It's a GREAT book for those looking for some light reading.

Barbara, I forgot to suggest Eleven 51, an old house serving great Italian just outside the FQ.

Dan (and anybody else interested) - also a good read is "Managing Ignatius" another book about Lucky Dogs and the vendors hawking them. Enjoy!