The tuna was ordered also and I was informed after we got back to our hotel how awful it was. Plus, when I got back to work the next week, a co-worker walked up and said "I heard you all had a really crappy dinner," so it wasn't just me or the duck. I can say another in our group got the veal and practically wiped the plate clean. The others had some kind of fish, not tuna, and never really commented. Maybe we should have all gotten the veal :)

Personally when I comes to muffs I feel more isn't always better. It's about the balance of the ingredients along with the bread that makes for best flavor. I'm a Franks fan, but I like CG too. I was just in NO last week and we went to Napoleon House for dinner. The hub and youngling split a muff and neither liked it. I didn't try it, the the filling seemed to be off based on the thickness of the bread and there was a strong celery component. Anyone can do a muff, stick with the ones that really do it best. I haven't tried too many others. Since I like Frank's so much, when I'm wanting one I usually just go there. How about Verti Marte?

I just spent last week in New Orleans. I've been many times but this was my first time where I had meals planned out so as to make a big dent in my NOLA restaurant bucket list. For first time visits, you end up trying to get in all the must-do places, Commanders, Central Grocery, Acme, etc, which I've done and was glad to be able to venture out away from those tourist hubs this time. So, for my recommendations based on the places I got to on this round: two good breakfast spots (I didn't eat a single meal at our hotel btw) The Old Coffee Pot in the Quarter and Lucy's Retired Surfer (brunch Sats and Suns) , actually Lucy's was on my breakfast agenda but we ended up someplace else but made it there for lunch and wished we had stuck to the original plan. The place is fun and out of the way in the WHD. Everything we had there for lunch was great and I will definitely hit them for brunch next time. Also worth mentioning, I love Cafe Beignets' beignets (in FQ). As a newcomer you will want to hit Cafe du Monde. You almost have to. But once you've done it, avoid the lines and heat and get snacks of beignets from Cafe Beignets the next time. Also, Antoine's Annex in the FQ has a great pastry chef but the absolute best croissant I've had in my life was at Croissant d'Or on Ursuline (a few blocks toward the back side of the FQ from the square). For lunch I heard one of the best burgers in town is at Port of Call on Esplanade. I went there and discovered the truth to this rumor. Great burger in one of the holiest of hole in the walls there is. Also, The Avenue Pub on St Charles has great burgers. It's a pub, not a restaurant though. Joey K's or Mahoney's for poboys on Magazine where you can also spend time walking and checking out all the shops. We went to Napoleon House for dinner one night, Its in an old historical building with a low key, but nice, menu. Don't get the muffaletta here, there are too many better elsewhere. Go for a light meal and definitely get a Pimm's Cup. You can't go wrong with Cochon. It's a contemporary setting with a trendy menu and everything they do is good. Our last night we ate at Domenica, a Besh place at The Roosevelt on Canal. You simply can't go wrong at any of his places. One more place for dinner Friday night, Brigtsen's. Based on their loyal following of locals and high reviews in all the forums it was at my suggestion we go there for a business outing for a party of 7. I don't know if it was just a bad night or what, but I'll hear about that bad experience for a very long time, let's just leave it at that. If you like oysters, you must try the chargrilled ones at Dragos. Just go for drinks and the oysters, the rest of their menu is nothing to write home about. Oh, the World War II museum was very good, and inside is The Soda Shop, another Besh place (I didn't realize it until after I got home or I would have eaten something while we were there). As far as Emeril, if you like him and want to say you've been to one of his places then do it. I've been to Delmonico and Nolas, and though they are both good, I just wasn't that impressed. For an upscale classy dining experience, Galatoires, Commanders, Antoine's are the quintessential NO traditional iconic spots. Farther out, Upperline, Patois, or Clancy's would be good options. One last thing, you most definitely want to google and read up on personal safety and places not to venture out to. We didn't have any bad experiences, but I knew in advance where not to wander. The crime rate is up, especially pick pocketing and phone theft. Happy Eating :)

I realize how old this thread is but I stumbled upon it as I got curious and began looking around for reviews of Brigtsen's. We spent last week in Nola, part fun -part biz (mostly fun). Some reps had planned to take a few of us out to dinner on Friday and turned to me for suggestions on where to go. I have a NO restaurant bucket list and Brigtsen's as well as some of the others mentioned in this thread are on that list, with Brigtsen's being highly recommended just a few months prior by a good friend. I provided links for several sites and Brightsen's was agreed upon based on the menu selection (a party of 7, we opted for diverse variety to please everyone). I ordered the pulled pork over maque choux griddlecake and had to restrain myself from licking the plate clean. I truly dislike posting negative reviews, however I must say that sadly my appetizer was the only good part of my whole Brightsen's experience. For one, the flow between courses seemed off. Long periods of time would go by and we'd all be sitting there with empty glasses before she would come back around, and even then some would be offered more drink and some weren't. As I said, my app was delicious and everyone else seemed to enjoy theirs also. But then came the entrees. My husband and I both got duck, not the same duck dish but both duck nonetheless (this irks me because usually we get different dishes so we can try different items), and one other in our party got the duck as well. Amoung the others were the tuna, veal, another fish dish, and something I can't remember. When I took a piece of my duck meat I was so disheartened. It was cooked to death, dry, and quite hard. It was difficult to pull the meat apart and it had no flavor. My duck was literally inedible but I didn't want to call any attention to my situation. All i ended up eating was the cornbread dressing under the meat (which wasnt great) and my mashed potatoes. The mixed veggie side looked so ho-hum i didnt even touch it. A bit later my husband leaned over and whispered to me that his duck was horrible. By the end of our meal no one wanted to attempt dessert. When all of our plates were cleared, the third duck recipient proclaimed for the whole table (and everyone else in the room, which thank goodness wasn't many) that "that meal was about on par with McDonald's". I felt horrible. When we got back to the hotel, the person who ordered the tuna told me how much his "sucked". People were talking about that meal days after, and just today at work someone came up to me and said, "heard you got a really crappy dinner in New Orleans". I'm apparently the one responsible. And I feel horrible for the reps who paid to provide a nice dinner for everyone.
The point of this post is that I see so many rave reviews on this place, even within this thread, I just can't see how a restaurant that's so well established with such a following can turn out to be such a nightmare on my first time getting to experience it. I want to chalk it up to it just being a bad night (on a Friday no less, but I did find it odd that they had very few diners on the evening we went), or that we just got the wrong thing, but I will never be able to convince my hub to go back. I guess the moral is that regardless of the reviews and individual tastes aside, you never truly know about a place until you go there. I will never again recommend a place that I haven't already experienced.