I am a former New Orleans resident and just returned with my cooking and travel club from New Orleans. I took them to my old standby's - Emeril's, Commander's Palace, Galatoires, Dooky Chase's.
First of all - DO NOT MISS Dooky Chase's. It was the only restaurant that had decent gumbo, beautiful tender veal with jambalaya, and absolutely the pecan pie is the best!! Julia Child was right when she applauded Ms. Leah Chase for her authentic creole cooking. For the money this is THE BEST in New Orleans.

Emerils: Nothing personal, but I was a customer of his from the time he opened the doors in 1990 thru 1997. I can tell you, his absence from the restaurant will ensure it's demise. The front line staff are all gone and replaced with what appeared to be summer help; I ordered the Barbeque Shrimp. For years this was beautiful 16-20 count succulent shrimp, NOW REPLACED by 40 count and overcooked. Terrible!!!! The Emeril Salad is nothing more than bagged field greens that I purchase at the grocery store; no fresh greens or beautiful raddichio anymore - they topped it with a very sour liquid something!!! The quail was underdone; the duck was overdone; the Texas Redfish was like rubber; the steaks were mediocre. The beautiful garlic mashed potatoes have been replaced by wallpaper paste like instant potatoes. The Grand Marnier Chocolate Souffle has even changed - it was tough and lacked it's usual flavor. AVOID THIS OVER RATED RESTAURANT LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Commander's Palace: Has also lost it's charm.

Galatoires - Served me 3 strips (cigarette size) slices of salmon with 3 lemon wedges for lunch. You get NOTHING for the money here - the place is full of 80+ wealthy people who don't know any better. AVOID THIS ONE AS WELL!!!

Try Dooky Chase's, Napoleon House, Brigsten's uptown, and possibly Bayonna.

But for the money and flavor and REAL NEW ORLEANS, don't miss Ms. Chase's restaurant. 32 people can't be wrong!!!

Leah Chase does a wonderful job...I would recommend you also try Ugelisch's on your next visit. I went to Jaques-Imos last night for the first time and thought the food was exceptional! Fried squash blossoms stuffed with wild mushrooms and goat cheese was outstanding, my blackened tuna was perfection and the grilled sea scallops with pear abnd jalapeno sauce was outstanding.
I still love Gallatoires...no I'm not 80 or wealthy...just like the souffle potatoes with Bernaise, trout any way, and their grand coute appetizer.
Rob

Hello! I will take them to both next trip. I have been to Ugelisch's and it is excellent, but I have not tried the other one you mentioned.

We did not get our money's worth at Galatoire's, but I am glad you enjoyed yourself. Thanks so much for your input.

Ellie

The WORST place. Can't remember the name. Across the street from Cafe du Monde (sp?) towards Jackson Square on the corner. Cold yucky seafood gumbo without any seafood in it. Terrible service. This place was recommended by our hotel (Omni) for gumbo??? People were eating big plates of crayfish that might have been OK but I'd go to Acme Oyster House for crayfish and oysters.

I ate at one of Emeril's other joints 'Nola' and loved it. Not sure what other experiences have been but I'd highly recommend going.

JCT, was that place Tu Jagues? I think it was across from Cafe Du Monde, and it was certainly recommended in the guide books. But I thought it was pretty awful. crawfish with tasteless remoulade sauce, and overcooked roast chicken. Yuck!

I agree with the input on Emeril's places. Of the three, NOLA's is my fave, but I think N.O. has much more to offer than his restaurants. He is now a celebrity - no longer a chef. Try Bayona in the Quarter on Dauphine - Susan Spicer is still in the kitchen and it's worth a visit. Peristyle is also re-opening this summer after the fire last fall and is worth a try. I still has not made it to Brigtsen's or Upperline uptown but am told they are both good. I haven't been to Commander's for brunch in a few years but have enjoyed dinner there on a fairly regular basis the past few years. Galatoire's? It's a seen and be seen place. Either you have "your" waiter who basically orders for you - or you are familiar enough to order from the menu which offers no descriptions of the dishes and come away happy. It's hit or miss. I still recommend K-Paul's - "touristy" though it may be - it's good food. Avoid Court of Two Sisters - I've NEVER understood the draw. Palace Cafe, Redfish Grill, Bacco and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse (the Brennan properties - although it's the various restaurants are run by different parts of the Brennan family) have yet to disappoint me. I have never gone to Brennan's for breakfast and have heard both good and bad - it's famous, some love it... I've just never had the desire to go there. This is a food town - try it all and decide for yourself - everybody likes something different.

Beth. That terrible restaurant was called something corny like "Jackson Square Seafood Company." You could sit by the window and see the fortune tellers and people walking out of Jackson Square. That was the best part, good people watching.

went to NO 1.5 years ago. ate at galatoires, food I had was good, husband dragged me to Court of Two Sisters, while he seemed to be happy I felt the food was just average and overpriced. The place I really liked, though, was a place a business associate took us to, called Pascual's Manale - the barbeque shrimp are fantastic. don't remember any bad food, just some that was better than others.

Breakfast at Brennan's is HIGHLY overrated AND overpriced ($40+ per person for the basic showbiz), not to mention that I found a staple in my Eggs Sardou and only got a cool apology.

Tu Jaques is truly overrated. I don't care HOW old it is.

As for oyster bars, despite its location that screams "tourist trap," Alex's on Bourbon had the best raw oysters I have ever eaten on a recent trip, so I pushed it far up the list above Acme.

Given it's location and "aging newcomer" status, Paradise Cafe has also been a consistent spot for a decent meal and my must-have Bananas Foster.

Same goes for Bacco.

We ate at great places, of which I don't remember the names of any of them (too many hurricanes, maybe) except for Nola's. I had a great experience there, maybe because we couldn't get a reservation until 9:30. But we sauntered in at 7 and asked if it would be at all possible to get in a little earlier. They seated us immediately (and there were people waiting!) I guess it helped that my friend was blonde and 5'11", but it could have been our dazzling smiles and wit. Or maybe we just got lucky.

And the bread pudding is excellent.

Just as in any other city, you'll find everything from the horrid to the sublime. Could it also depend upon the day you visit? Yes, there should be consistency - but live in a perfect world! We had an excellent dinner at O'Briens, and ate on the eclectic patio. Fun for a couple days, but our teens were quite ready to move on with our itinerary.

i think that emerils is a disaster.
the wait staff was officious and yet
absent. the food was without exception
grotesque. i was so disappointed in
that i am a fan of emeril's television
show and i expected charm and warmth at
least. instead we found a sterile and
uninviting experience.

Was in N.O. for a long weekend just over a month ago. Did not get to Emeril's, but did get to Nola's. Found the food to be quite good, but nothing special. I must admit though that the service was excellent. Maybe it was just the staff that our table had, but they were great.

However, I cannot rave enough about Bayonnas. Between the food, the service and the atmosphere it was one of the best meals that I have ever experienced. In my opinion, this is a must not be missed place.

Emeril's is current being completely remodeled. I worked for his company for 2 years. He is now hiring one executive chef to oversee all 6 of the restaurants; Emeril is now going into endorsements. He just signed with Fetzer wines to do their commercials; is coming out with a line of sauces and marinades for B&G Foods and heaven knows what else.

My favorite restaurant is Nola's. They have a great bar, friendly waitstaff, good food and great desserts.

I will never return to Delmonico(sp?) (one of Emeril's places). The food was good, the staff was terrible and the wait between courses was simply outrageous. While I have had some wonderful food at Bella Luna, the service has not been good. The first time I was there, I had made reservations for a wedding party. There weren't enough chairs or menus. The waitstaff screwed up most of the orders. But what we got was very good. The next (and last) time, my friend's steak was way overdone but it had taken so long to get it, it just wasn't worth sending back. TuJacques and Court of Two Sisters - not a chance! The locals all seem to like the Quarter Scene Reataurant but it was awful.

Well, for something a bit off the wall that could actually be considered a "dive", go to Mona Lisa's for terrific pizza, salads, etc...(byob)...It's about 3 blocks up from the old mint building, can't remember street name...I love it! (and for you celeb buffs...Paul Newman's eaten there too when he was filming some movie there)

I had the worst meal I've ever had at Magnolia Cafe. The gumbo was cold and tasted like water. When I asked the manager, Raquel, if she would please remove the gumbo from our bill, she said no. I reminded her that we only ate two bites of it and she said that we were not forced to order it.

On the other hand, Petunia's is wonderful. Great brunch and fantastic Bloody Mary's. Just avoid Magnolia Cafe at all costs!!

Thank you Ashley. Will you be posting another review in 2yrs to keep this dead thread alive?

I've never heard of Magnolia Cafe. Where is it?