I think they are, but then again I've never seen what's so special about the place to begin with. I know the use grass fed beef and all that, but pre-formed frozen patties taste like cardboard no matter what cow they're from. Still, it's better than McDonald's, I guess.

I've got a follow-up question. Anyone know of a place that sells fresh duck, for roasting at home. Goose would also be acceptable, and I'm also looking for pork belly.

OK, been to Oceanaire, and can now comment. It's Ruth's Chris, but for fish. If that sounds appealing to you, you;ll love it. My take is that it's definitely more of an expense account kind of place, what with the $35 crabcakes and $11 sides. The dishes were fresh and flavorful, and had some creative flavor combinations such as pomegranate beurre blanc with pistachio-crusted fish, but unfortunately, there was about 1 tablespoon of the sauce, in a thin layer across the plate. I didn't expect New Orleans style-saucing, but there wasn't even enough to get the taste. The crab cakes were good, but they weren't $35 good. We skipped dessert, but we could have chosen creme brulee, chocolate mousse, ice cream-topped brownie, or a trio of sorbets. Yawn.

If Oceanaire is the best SD has to offer in high-end cuisine, I'd recommend just grabbing a fish taco.

I'm a New Orleans foodie, recently transplanted to SD. I agree that it's not exactly a culinary destination, but I've found a couple places I like. We're going to oceanaire in and hour, so I can't comment just yet, but one place in Hillcrest we went to and quite liked was called Urban Solace. They've got a nice courtyard, New Orleans style architecture(strangely enough) and upscale comfort food.

I'm happy to say I was not disappointed, even with my still high expectations.

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Urban Solace Restaurant
3823 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92104

Well, we always appreciated his efforts at the Delachaise, but you could tell he was straining to make it work in that environment without a ton of support from the front of the house. I hope the food continues to be strong, but I fear there may be no way to keep the place from turning into a meeting place for the slicked-back hair types who don't really care about food.

I can't wait to see where he turns up next!

Ah, I see...so they were right about a leak, but were wrong on the details. Thanks for that.

Luke is great for lunch. Try the pate.

Several people I talked to told me that there had been a leak and they knew that Besh won the Iron Chef competition...turns out to not be true, so I'm wondering if the outcome was changed at the last minute in retaliation for the leak or if multiple people(and the congratulations ad in the Gambit) were all just independently wrong.

Anyone is a position to know what happened behind the scenes?

For traditional - Brightsen's
Famous place - August
Modern - Cochon or Cuvee
Wildcard - Vizard's

You'll have no problem staying under $300. Unless you really splurge on wine, you're closer to $200.

Re: your other post about Vizard's, it's not directly comparable with Luke.

Luke is a fairly casual place, and it's in a hotel. I think it would be fantastic for lunch, and I'd recommend the rabbit pate. Presentation, flavor, and everything were dynamite.

"The food was ... not particularly unique"

Are you sure you're talking about the right place? If you weren't impressed by the silky-smooth scallop flan and blue-cheese chocolate cake, you need to go back and try them. That you mention a hotel atmosphere also makes me think you're thinking of a different place. Vizard's has about as much hotel atmosphere as Matt and Naddie's.

OP - When I went, Vizard's was unusual, unique, and interesting, but like Mike, I've only been once. However, I was just talking about it with some friends this weekend and they shared my opinion, so I would definitely put Vizard's on your short-list.

Well, you know Herbsaint will be good, because they're so consistent. Lilette might be better, but it might be worse also, and it's hard to know.

If you haven't been to Lilette, I'd say give 'em a shot, but not if you're taking a date (or the boss) out.

Seconding the 3 legged dog.

The Orleans Grapevine has a nice small plate menu, a player piano, and a decent wine list. Despite the proximity to Bourbon, it's pretty quiet in there.

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Orleans Grapevine
718 Orleans Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116

I may be stepping into something here, but is your vegan friend really that much into food to begin with? I know several vegans and food is fairly low on their list of priorities. I don't think it makes sense to let the person who may not be really into food anyways make all the dining decisions. This is probably not a popular viewpoint, but I suggest a compromise with your vegan. You're already making a special effort to find places where they can get something that suits them, and that's great, but you shouldn't restrict yourself to only those places for every meal. I'd suggest letting them know that you want to go to at least some places which may or may not have vegan options, and since you've accommodated them so far, they should be able to put up with it and either eat before or later if they can't find something that suits them.

I'm not anti-vegan or anything. In fact, this weekend we're going to be trying our hand at seitan. I'm just saying that there's a lot of good food in New Orleans, and it would be a shame to miss it, especially trying to accommodate someone who may not really be all that into food in the first place.

Places favored by my vegan friends are linked below. They're decent places, too. Nirvana has a good selection of Indian breads.

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Nirvana Indian Cuisine
4308 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115

Lebanon's Cafe
1500 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Is that the place that advertises Live and Boiled Seafood Chicken Daiquiris?

Yeah, I know it's at least open until 1 or so, because I've gone there that late.

Hey y'all. N00b here, excited to meet everyone. The Delachaise is always open late night, and Chef Chris DeBarr has an interesting small plate menu. Don't miss the duck fat fries.

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Delachaise
3442 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115