Ha! And I don't put much stock in the chorus of out of town chowhounders all flocking to Mr. Bs.

Hmm, not one of those sites lists guides by name or provides credentials. When I book specialty tours, that's the first thing I consider: is the guide an expert or merely an enthusiast?

Check out Elizabeth Pearce's food & cocktail tours: http://elizabeth-pearce.com/

Grass fed beef in LA isn't such a capital intensive prospect. Our climate allows cattle to be on pasture 12 months a year; most LA cattlemen just supplement with a little purchased "friendly feed" to keep 'em from getting too wild. Of course, there are vet bills, property taxes, and artificial insemination costs, but overall, raising cattle is a less risky proposition than commercial fishing. You just need to own/lease ample pasturage; again, not so expensive in rural areas of the state. $600K would buy several hundred acres of pasture, and the low end stocking rate in many well-watered areas of LA is a couple acres per cow/calf. Breeding is scheduled so that the cows drop their calves from Jan to April (earlier in south LA, later in north LA), the calves graze through the summer, and the young are sold off in the fall to reduce the winter load on pastures.

Yes, it still requires lots of work, but it is a great deal more predictable than commercial fishing. (just my opinion)

Ah, but the redfish certainly DO still exist in those massive schools. You can catch as many as you like, you just can't keep them all.

Here's a recent review of Mr. B's: http://www.blackenedout.com/2013/04/m...
BBQ shrimp to try: Emeril's or Delmonico (appetizer) or Mosca's (though it's called shrimp Mosca and is a creole-italian variation of the dish). Honestly, I think this is a dish best made & eaten at home.

I humbly submit that the shrimp & tasso Henican at Commander's Palace is better than BBQ shrimp.

You and your dad can still catch plenty of redfish in LA coastal waters....it's perfectly fine for a recreational fisherman. Limit of 5 per day, at least 16" long; limit of 1 fish over 27" long. You can have one day's bag limit per person on boat or two day's limit per person on land.

BUT you cannot possess any redfish of any size in federal waters.

The cost differential isn't just about bringing the product to market, it's also about the product's shelf life. Frozen beef is perfectly acceptable to many (most?) consumers, and even a non-frozen primal cut will have a MUCH longer useable window than a whole fish. Hell, good beef is aged for weeks and weeks. (Try that with a whole redfish, which is unacceptable to most resto chefs in frozen form.)

Also factor in gov't subsidies for grains, which is what the cattle standing around in feedlots are eating. Cattle eat and are slaughtered independent of weather, water conditions, etc. Economies of scale and efficiencies in giant meat processing operations drive down the cost of beef.

Even non-CAFO beef, locally raised beef is usually cheaper than fresh seafood. I paid ~$4/lb for my last local, pastured calf, cut & wrapped: less than a lb of shrimp.

It's the whole idea of wild vs domestic. One is unpredictable and a gift of mother nature; the other is the result of 9,000 years of cattle domestication.

Those pond raised reds do look odd, though I've heard it's related to their food rather than the water, dunno how true that is. Specks require a special permit, with restrictive licensing conditions, and an overall annual quota of 1 million pounds.

Not a bar, but $6.99 for rb&r at Cafe Reconcile.
Try Ted's Frostop at Calhoun & Claiborne or Sammy's Food Service on Elysian Fieds; both probably offer a Monday lunch special of rb&r at a modest price. Joey K's is under $10.

Two Sisters on N Derbigny.....

Redfish, aka red drum, are classed as game fish in LA. Thus, the commercial harvest of red drum is prohibited. S Carolina allows a limited commercial harvest of red drum as by catch. TX & LA produce some "farmed" red drum (usually in coastal ponds/marsh impoundments).

So you paid dearly because the commercial supply is sorely limited. Notice I did not say that the fish population is sorely limited---it's just been reserved for sport fishermen. Watch for red snapper to become just as expensive as red drum; increasingly tight regs are applying to red snapper. LA & TX are fighting with the feds over control of limits in state waters re: red snapper: http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/04/louisiana_and_texas_fisheries.html

You can read all the LA Commercial fishing regs here: http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/de...
Pompano requires a special license/permit (no fee) but a $250 fee per strike net, unlike many other species.

Would you have been shocked to pay an equivalent price for a similar weight of beef? Just wondering.

Borgne, one of John Besh's restaurants, is located inside the Hyatt. It's seafood centric, so it is possible to have a good to great meal without leaving the hotel.
http://www.borgnerestaurant.com/
The Hyatt also has a woodfired pizza place, but I think it's takeout only? http://www.pizzaconsegna.com/

As much as I love Butcher, it's not an especially kid friendly setting. Limited seating, all tall stools at either tall tables or counters. The space is fairly cramped...not much room to spread out or to fidget around.

American Sector isn't so expensive, and it's a fairly family-friendly setting, with lots of space between tables, big windows, and a few tables outside in a semi courtyard. The museum also has a more casual venue, the Soda Shop, but I can't vouch for it as I haven't done anything other than look inside.

What about Ditcharo's? Carondelet at Girod. Or how about Leni's on Baronne between Julia and Girod? Gambit reviewed Leni's recently: http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambi...

If by nice you mean good food, then try Cowbell: http://www.cowbell-nola.com/
Open on Mondays. Casual, but very tasty. Oak St near the levee....

Or go up Freret St to High Hat: http://www.highhatcafe.com/

Very near High Hat is Wayfare: http://www.wayfarenola.com/

Cafe Reconcile, 1631 OC Haley Blvd. Lunch only, weekdays: http://www.foodtrucksmap.com/nyc/
Sammy's Food Service for poboys, etc: http://sammysfood.com/
Charlie's Seafood: http://www.charliesseafoodrestaurant.com/
Crabby Jack's: http://crabbyjacksnola.com/

I hear ya, Montuori. I hate the thought of a long-lived place falling by the wayside. But I want to live in a vibrant, evolving city, not a wax museum. I regret the potential loss of Tujague's bar far more than the potential loss of its kitchen.

Right now, crabs are a bit scarce...but as the weather warms up, they'll be more plentiful and cheaper. (Eat crawfish if you're looking for something right now). But you can get boiled crabs at Zimmer's Seafood on St. Anthony, Charlie's Seafood in Harahan, and Sal's Seafood in Marrero. Crawfish or crabs available at all three, depending on the weather.

Mosca's, US 90 near Avondale, for a Creole Italian roadhouse experience.
Middendorf's, US 51 N, in Manchac, for seafood, thin cut crispy catfish, boiled crabs, etc. Has a nice big outdoor deck as well as dining rooms.
Latil's Landing, at Houmas House plantation, in Darrow: http://www.houmashouse.com/restaurant...

There is NO acceptable food within hoofin' distance of the airport, unless you consider the Airport Hilton's stuff acceptable (and I do not). So you're gonna have to cab it. Sorry--it is to my eternal sorrow that NOLA's airport isn't better connected to public transportation options and/or better integrated into an accessible street grid.

RE: near-airport food article: I have to take issue with describing Taqueria Corona as "basically just down the street" from the airport. It's at least four and a half miles, by my count. And who in the hell would take a cab or waste calories on Spudly's Super Spuds? There are far better or equivalent spots way closer to the airport than those suggestions...seems like the author is unaware of anything actually IN Kenner. Why would you bypass Fiesta Latina or Taqueria Chilangos to eat at Taqueria Corona?

Harbor Seafood IS a good option, and if you get bored hanging out at Harbor Seafood, you can easily walk to the Cafe du Monde just a few doors down (coffee & beignets just like in the French Quarter) and/or browse at the Asian Gourmet Market next door to the Cafe du Monde. The Esplanade Mall is about 8-10 blocks away from this location (right at a mile one foot)....it has a Target, Macy's, etc if you still need to kill time while waiting on your other arrivals.

Also within walking distance of Harbor, about 3 blocks away, is Norma's Sweets, a Cuban bakery/bodega with tasty cuban sandwiches, tamales, and drinks (limited seating). There is a snowball stand in the parking lot if you want to sample another local specialty.

Vietnamese food at Pho Sunrise (2305 Vets, right at 3 miles from the airport, and the restaurant is big enough and proprietors friendly enough to let to linger for a while). You could walk from Pho Sunrise to Chez Pierre, a Viet-French bakery with pastries and coffee (2211 Vets), if you tired of the pho shop during your wait.

Or Mexican at Taqueria Chilangos (2723 Roosevelt, less than three miles from MSY, and way better food than Taqueria Corona). There is also Pollo Campero, on Williams near Vets (slightly less than 3 miles), a centroamerican fast food chicken joint......

Slightly higher end than any of these places is The Brick Oven Cafe, on Williams just off the intersection of Williams and Vets (directly across the street from Pollo Campero). Italian, with a wood oven. Passable pizza, tasty chicken Vesuvio, with a full bar.

La Boca has a prix fixe group menu..... http://www.labocasteaks.com/

You think he'd realize the value of the building plus the restaurants name/reputation/brand would be worth more as a package than simply selling the building. Maybe a deep pocketed investor would perform a rescue, a la Emerils Delmonico. Or is the whole thing a publicity ploy to get someone/group interested in doing just that? Hell, if John Georges will buy a newspaper at an inflated price, maybe he wants another antique restaurant.

No snowballs? Make some time for a trip to Hansen's or Plum Street. While you're strolling in the FQ, have a popsicle from Meltdown on Dumaine.

Here's a nice article about Cajun Seafood & the story of its Vietnamese-American proprietors: http://www.nola.com/dining-guide/inde...

Upstairs at Galatoire's...

Wow--this is genius. Who has such a system? Seems like it would increase sales at a busy deli counter.

Get out of the FQ fo' sure. Zimmer's Seafood, 4915 St. Anthony St in Gentilly. Or Seither's Seafood, 279 Hickory in Harahan. Or cross the river and hit up Sal's Seafood, 1521 Barataria in Marrero.

Those upper level booths at GW Fins look nice, but beware the thrumming bass vibrations from the club next door. I had to move, as the whole seat, table, etc were buzzing. Sort of felt like being on a train.

I don't think it is difficult to get a seat at the bar or in the restaurant. I know the bar has some small plate specials at happy hour. Plenty of reservations on open table for this place...

Cafe Reconcile will reopen on the 15th, and it has typical NOLA cuisine...you can have a portabella mushroom poboy, plus a bunch of veggie sides. Other spots to consider are Carmo and Domenica (roasted cauliflower, fried kale, nice meatless pastas).