Traveling to New Orleans For 1st Time; So Many Restaurants – So Little Time.
New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.
Mark Twain
I’m going to New Orleans for the very first time next week. If I had a $1 for every person who told me the food is amazing there – well, let’s just say I’d probably be posting this from my 200-ft. luxury yacht somewhere near Cannes along with Todd (English), my personal celebrity chef.
Because I’ll only be in NOLA for two days, I’ve put together a short list of the recommendations I’ve gotten so far. Which must I try?
In America, I would say New York and New Orleans are the two most interesting food towns. In New Orleans, they don’t have a bad deli. There’s no mediocrity accepted.
Mario Batali
FOODS
- Beignet – the official state doughnut
- Pralines – the confection that French settlers brought to Louisiana
- Muffuletta – Italian charcuterie and a spicy creole olive salad sandwich
- Po-boy sandwich – for pic, check out Domilise’s
BREAKFAST | BRUNCH
- Café du Monde – for beignets with café au lait
- Elizabeth’s – for their praline bacon
LUNCH | DINNER
- Galatoire’s – for lunch on Friday, the “the biggest scene in town”
- Herbsaint – for duck confit
- Upperline – as they say on their website, I may need to get out of the Quarter
- Commander’s Palace – jazz brunch, lunch or dinner
- La Petit Grocery – I think I must go because chef Justin Devillier was raised in OC
- Cochon – traditional Cajun Southern
- Patois – based on their Gallery, they may be top of my list
- Tommy’s – for Italian-inspired creole food
BARS
OTHER
- Central Grocery – for muffulettas (according to Emeril, they started the whole thing!)
- Parkway Bakery – for their Poor Boys
- Grande Isle – for shrimp po-boy and gumbo
