New Orleans is great. It has so much going on with its restaurant scene. When you get there, you’re bombarded with so many different food options. On Canal Street and into the French Quarter, you find places that serve beignets and breakfast/brunch, which is huge in New Orleans. You will find places that have fried chicken and daquiries, and you will find dozens of places that serve cajun/creole meals that are seafood-centric. I don’t usually get any meals in the French Quarter, but I do like to grab a Lucky Dog sometimes, and I like the muffaletta at Central Grocery quite a lot. It costs $30, but it will feed four people, and it is delicious. Cafe Du Monde is one of those rare places that lives up to its reputation. Yes, it is a tourist place, and yes, it is awesome. We always get cafe au lait and an order of beinets, and it’s so fast and simple, and you get to sit down and take it all in for a minute.
For brunch, we tried Elizabeth’s in the Bywater, and it was amazing. It serves hearty meals with a culinary twist on them. I had a special there that was two boudin balls with poached eggs and crawfish etouffee, and it was the best thing ever. Ruby Slipper is popular, but I found it a bit of a letdown. The service wasn’t great. Betsy’s Pancake House, which is the opposite of a tourist trap, has traditional diner-style breakfast options, and it may be my favorite place, honestly. Camelia Grill is great, though, too. It only has counter service, so a lot of the time you have to wait to be seated. There about fifty more brunch options in New Orleans.
For dinner, we had oysters at Casamento’s, and I liked it. It’s a small hole-in-the-wall on Magazine Street known for its good oysters. We had a dozen raw ones and some fried ones. They fry in lard, I’m told, and that imparted a nice extra dimension to the fried foods. Jack Dempsey’s in the Bywater has amazing fried seafood, if you’re wanting that, and it’s a hidden gem and doesn’t usually have many tourists. Arnaud’s in the French Quarter was a lot of fun. It is fine dining, so expensive, but is is great. Parkway Tavern & Bakery has awesome poboys; anything you could want out of a poboy place. They have it all. I’ve also had Domilise’s, and I found it excellent, too. Luizza’s By the Track has good poboys as well. For a more culinary dinner, there’s a load of options in New Orleans, more than you could try in two weeks. There’s fried chicken places. Places to get creole food. Places to get just about anything.