New Orleans is a city that has long been defined by its food. Here is my short list of favorites from the luxurious full-service spots to the lunch counters and take-out cafes. This is my personal list based on places I have visited and dined repeatedly with local friends and why I keep returning.
Galatoire’s Restaurant 209 Bourbon St. (504) 525-2021 — This iconic restaurant has rarely won cooking awards for high gourmet excellence, however, it is one of the New Orleans mainstays that serve a tried and true menu and had a fiercely loyal following, especially for Friday afternoon when this is “the” place to see and be seen in the city. Be prepared to wait on Fridays if you don’t show up and get in line for reservations by around 9:30 a.m. Makes no difference whether you are the U.S. Senator or an artist from around the corner — everyone has the same priority; everyone waits. Oh, and everyone has a dress code — wear slacks and a sports coat (or borrow one from the rack in the entrance hall).
Other than on Friday afternoons, Galatoire’s is far more sedate and easy to find a table. But for my bucks, the only day to come to Galatoire’s is on Friday afternoon. Just be patient. Wait in the bar upstairs sipping a gin and tonic or glass of wine. Get slowly lubricated for the lunch in the main dining room below with its mirrored walls, high ceilings and slow moving paddle fans (don’t let them talk you into sitting upstairs). The atmosphere is electric and convivial. You’re sure to have new local friends after your meal rubbing shoulders with the city’s movers and shakers.
August 301 Tchoupitoulas St. (504) 299-9777 — This is luxury, well done. This restaurant, arguably, serves some of the best upscale meals in New Orleans. John Besh, the chef and creator of this eatery, is a powerhouse among local restaurant owners. He was one of the hardest-working members of the community bringing the city to life after Katrina and spent the first months personally feeding hungry FEMA workers in August’s lush surroundings as the workers strived to jumpstart the city’s revival.
The main dining room exudes elegance with massive white columns, dark mahogany and glistening mirrors. His perfectly-created French-inspired dishes range from appetizers of acorn squash “mezze luna” with chestnuts, local satsuma and fennel to Gumbo “z’herb” served with a slow poached yard egg, swiss chard and a ham hock broth; to entrées of rabbit cassoulet to seared, cripsy scallops and spicy duckling. Desserts of satsuma crepe “suzette” with pistachio savarin and brown butter ice cream, or napoleon of nougatine with Valhrona chocolate bavarois and salted toffee ice-cream worth breaking any diet vow, just for this evening. Worth every penny.
Lüke 333 St. Charles Ave. (504) 378-2840 — A relatively new restaurant in town, has become an unpretentious space for everyone from the suit-wearing businessman with an elegant escort to a sportsman sporting T-shirt and shorts. The front of the restaurant has bistrot tables strung out infront of an ornate bar. In the back, tables surround a glass-enclosed kitchen with Chef Steven McHugh and his cooks operate at full speed slicing patés, tossing entrées in pans and drizzling syrups on desserts. It’s all rustic French and German-influenced cuisine with a New Orleans touch.
A visit to this unique restaurant is not complete without testing their moules et frites — Prince Edward Island mussels steamed with garlic
and thyme with housemade fries; and the homemade assiette de charcuterie — sausages, terrines and patés served with stone-ground mustard, house-made pickles and country bread. Wines are not overpriced and Brendan’s Bread Pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and hot buttered pecan sauce is some of the best to be found in this city.
Clover Grill 900 Bourbon St. (504) 598-1010 — Right on Burbon Street, this establishment never closed during Katrina. It was a locals’ gathering spot, defied the weather and offered a bit of group therapy during the storms. Today, it is my breakfast greasy spoon of choice with the give and take behind the breakfast counter ranging from colorfully theatrical to basic (depending on the staff’s partying the night before and what’s playing on the juke box). But for basic bacon, grits, eggs, bottomless (if indifferent) coffee and a place to read the morning paper, this is a great place to come.
I’m normally up early and take a walk through the French Quarter, so finding space isn’t much of a problem at one of a handful (less a thumb) of booths and 11 stools at the counter. It has become my breakfast place away from home when in the Crescent City. Honestly, I’ve never had anything here but sausage, eggs and toast, so anything else you get at this 24-hour spot like their hubcap hamburgers, you’re on your own.
Cafe du Monde — Yes, this is about as touristy as it gets, but it’s the real thing. After Hurricane Katrina, it was one of the first establishments reopened; a sign of the city’s rebirth. Lines of tourists are still snaking outside the covered patio waiting for tables for powder-sugar-coated beignets and chicory-heavy coffee. My tip: Get your coffee and beignets at the small take-out window and walk across the tracks and enjoy your coffee and beignets on the banks of the Mississippi. Save time and get a different point of view.
Port Of Call — This is the place for burgers. That’s about it, with a smattering of other stuff. But, everyone seems to come here for big, juicy burgers and baked potatoes, no fries. Dine jammed in beside other burger lovers in the dark booths or at the bar in a wonderfully air-conditioned place. It’s a good place to make friends.
Locals come here by the droves. There is a wait every night, whether tourists are in town or not. Try the giant burger (trust me, they’re all giant) with mushrooms and Swiss cheese. I normally have a beer, but try a monsoon if you’re in the mood for something different. This is the perfect place to take a break from gumbo and jambalaya. After your burger at night, head over to Frenchmen Street for great music without the Burbon Street crush; it’s only a short walk away.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
