Romantic Dinner in New Orleans
 

Need suggestions quickly...

We will be in NOLA on May 30 for our one year anniversary and my hubby decided as of today (go figure!) that we should go out for a romantic dinner. I know there are millions of excellent restaurants, but does anyone have suggestions for romantic/candlelight/outdoors restaurants?

Thanks in advance for any help!

I'd suggest August; I was just in New Orleans and it was our splurge meal. It was excellent. It's not outdoors but I believe we had a candle on our table...and it was definitely romantic. I'd ask to sit in the front room.
http://www.restaurantaugust.com/

We liked Stella! as well but not as much as August. It's also good for a special occasion.
http://www.restaurantstella.com/

You'd need to snag a reservation to eat at either; we took a late one at August because that was all that we could get. Definitely worth it.

Commander's has a romantic courtyard as well.

Definitely Bayona. They have outdoor seating. It is very romantic. I like August, but I think Bayona is more romantic & cozy.

A lot of people are talking about a newer restaurant called Patois. It's supposedly a real gem--I haven't been there, but from what I've heard it's also worth looking into.

Between August and Stella!, I'd go with Stella!

I've been to August several times, and Stella! once. The food was overall somewhat better at August, but it was always pretty noisy there. Noisy enough to kill the romance. Maybe if you went super-early, it would be quieter.

Stella! was quieter, and quite cozy and suitably romantic. The cuisine is more ambitious at Stella!, and much more complex. Chef Scott Boswell is frankly in a bit over his head, in my opinion, and New Orleans doesn't really have the food scene to support the kind of gastonomic ambitions that he has. Nevertheless, his efforts succeed more often than not, and I'd favor Stella! because of the ambience.

The thing is, I don't know if you'll be able to get a reservation at either of these places only three days in advance.

I actually have never been to Commander's Palace. The buzz among foodies is that the food has gone way downhill recently, but I can't comment on the ambience. I would think you couldn't get in there three days in advance either?

How about the Bistro at Maison de Ville?
http://www.hotelmaisondeville.com/dining/

Or maybe Feelings Cafe? It looks gorgeous, although the food doesn't get such special reviews.
http://www.feelingscafe.com/

We like Irene's when we are needing a quite pleasant place to eat in NOLA

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/456187

You all have been a huge help! I will be calling first thing in the AM to see if we can be squeezed in one of the above... wish me luck! :-)