Seige's Profile
Another TC's sojourn begins.
Oh bummer. Yeah, their menu changes daily and is on chalkboards inside. Never had a bad meal there, but the portions are gianormous. And they have homemade bread just like my grandma would make. So, so good! Definitely try it again sometime. You won't be disappointed.
MSP 'hound's first trip to NOLA - help!
Replying to myself, I know. Just added Mr. B's to the list. Anyone know the dress code there? Could we get by with jeans or are khaki's/dress pants a must even at lunch?
Another TC's sojourn begins.
+1 for Harbor View Cafe. LOVE that place! Be warned - they only take cash or checks. No credit cards.
MSP 'hound's first trip to NOLA - help!
Hi All!
I've already posted a thread about breakfast in NOLA, and I probably should have given things a little more thought and posted this first, but I've been overwhelmed by all the options! My husband and I are making our first trip to NOLA the second week of June. We'll only have 3 full days in the city (Thur-Sat). We don't have tours figured out yet, but our main goals are to learn a little more about the history of the city, probably do a cemetery tour and then eat really good food. Not in that order though. We want to figure out some restaurants first and then we'll plan tours and activities around those places. :)
I don't necessarily have days selected for particular places yet, but I will list our contenders so far below and ask for your thoughts. Feel free to suggest places you think are absolute musts that we've missed. A few things to note first:
1) Hubby spent a few years in the south as a youngster, so he loves southern food - red beans, rice, grits, collard greens, the whole nine yards. And he loves spicy! I've been a mid-westerner my whole life and while I love some southern things (fried chicken, waffles) other things are a bit more of struggle for me - still haven't taken a liking to collard greens - and while I like a little spice, I like spice of the MN variety. :) Aside from personal taste, we don't have any real dining restrictions.
2) Our ideal dining scenarios are always eating somewhere we can't eat at home and cuisine we can't find at home. So no chains and probably more emphasis on the creole, cajun, seafood, French/NOLA side.
3) Dress code is an issue for us. We are not slobs by any means and have eaten at many fine dining establishments all over the world, but we like to be comfortable when we travel and that means hubby doesn't bring along a jacket (especially in HOT weather) and I am rarely in a dress. Khakis/button down/maybe a tie for hubby and a nice shirt/sweater and dress pants for me will work for a meal or two but overall we like REALLY good food at restaurants that don't have a meltdown over someone wearing nice jeans (maybe even shorts) and a nice shirt. From what I've read it seems like dining in NOLA is a dress-up affair, so I'm looking for some suggestions of places that definitely won't require a jacket for dinner and may even being willing to deal with jeans.
4) We'll be staying at the Hotel Monteleone and will not have a car, so we'll be relying our our tootsies and public transportation to get where we need to go.
Breakfast Contenders - can only choose 2 or 3
Cafe du Monde (non-negotiable - have to do this)
The Old Coffee Shop
Stanley!
Elizabeth's
Surrey's
Saturday Brunch Contenders - can only choose 1
Cafe Atchafalaya
Eat
Commander's Palace
Lunch Contenders - can only choose 3
Commander's Palace - if we don't go there for brunch
Johnny's in the Quarter
Willie Mae's Scotch House
Cafe Amelie
Clancy's - if we wouldn't go there for dinner
Herbsaint - if we wouldn't go there for dinner
Ralph's on the Park
Dinner Contenders - can only choose 3
August (I love, love, love John Besh. Is this the best Besh option?)
Green Goddess
Brigtsen's
Clancy's
Herbsaint
Orleans Grapevine
Cocktails - haven't figured this out yet, thoughts so far
Carousel
Jean Lafitte's
Napoleon House
Treats
Angelo Brocato's
As an aside - I've read a lot about Galatoire's and while dinner wouldn't work for us there given the jacket requirement. What about lunch? Is it really uber formal? And could someone explain to me what the "show" is that is constantly talked about? Is it jazz music or something else? I haven't been able to figure it out.
I have read the posts that say food portions in NOLA are large, so we may not hit all of these places, but want a variety of options just in case. Also, we're considering the New Orleans Culinary History Tour - http://noculinarytours.com/tour/french-quarter-tasting/ - any thoughts on that? That would obviously cut out some of the dining options I've listed here.
Oh and notably absent from my list are any of Emeril's restaurants. We have eaten at his restaurant in Orlando and are guessing his NOLA restaurants are fairly similar. If we're off base with that and really missing out, let me know.
Sorry this got long, but thanks in advance for your help! We're looking forward to enjoying your city's culinary treats!
Breakfast/Brunch in/near French Quarter
Hubster and I are taking our very first trip to New Orleans in just a little over a week. This is the least prepared I've ever been for a trip in my life, but we love good food and have a feeling NOLA won't let us down!
We also LOVE a good breakfast/brunch. Friends have suggested the Court of Two Sisters, but I've read a lot of reviews that don't have much good to say about the food and as a rule I typically despise buffets. The food sits out and gets gross, etc. Just not my thing at all. While I have no doubt the courtyard at CoTS is lovely, ultimately I want really good food. And by really good food I don't mean it has to be in a really nice place. It could be in a hole in the wall (albeit a relatively safe one :)) - as long as the food's good, we're good. So what would you all suggest? Hubster spent a few of his childhood years in Virginia and Florida, so he loves southern food - biscuits and gravy, grits, the whole nine yards. And he LOVES spicy. I'm more of a connoisseur of eggs and waffles and pretty much anything French.... and yes, Cafe du Monde is on the schedule at least 1 of the 3 days we'll be there.
TIA!
San Francisco Hound Coming to New Orleans: Please Critique My List for My First Visit!!!
Hubby and I are headed to NOLA for 3 full days at the beginning of June. I'm looking forward to seeing your report back. :)
Looking for the Twin Cities Best Calamari, suggestions?
I'm also not a fan of Pazzaluna generally, but I would agree that their calamari is pretty good. And despite not being a fan on chains, I'd say Capital Grille does some mighty fine calamari as well. Oh, and Cave Vin has decent calamari too.
Suggestions for Large Group in St Paul?
I'm not Jewish, but doesn't being kosher also require that the animal be slaughtered in a particular way? i think there's more to it than just not eating dairy. Then again, I'm not an expert.
Suggestions for Large Group in St Paul?
I think you're going to be very hard-pressed to find a restaurant in the metro that can handle kosher needs. Cecil's probably is, but I wouldn't take 25-35 college students there all at once. I'd say Salut and Ngon are good options, aside from the kosher issue.
Twin Cities visit (MSP)
Yeah, public transportation is not our strong suit. I usually recommend renting a car. The daily rental is probably less than it would cost you to cab it everywhere and it definitely keeps your options open.
Oh, and excellent choices! I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Twin Cities visit (MSP)
I think it depends on what you want. Bar La Grassa has more of an Italian focus - lots of bruschetta and pastas. 112 Eatery is more new American. Personally, I prefer Bar La Grassa, but 112 is also very, very good.
Bar La Grassa--First time
Yes, although to be clear, I didn't eat that all by myself. The beauty of BLG is that you can order as much or as little as you want, but the sharing is the most fun. :) If I were you, I'd add BLG to your list of places to visit when you're here.
Twin Cities visit (MSP)
Ugh - we went to Corner Table once and I wouldn't go back any time soon. Had a pasta special that was just ok, but the cost was probably 2-3x more than Bar La Grassa and the portion size half as much. Not impressed. Really wanted to love it too, given all the good reviews.
Bar La Grassa--First time
The mushroom and tallegio agnolotti has been on the menu for awhile, but I agree - it's a winner. That's one of the pastas I mentioned above.
Bar La Grassa--First time
Replying to myself, but we just got back from BLG. Had the lardon bruschetta and 1/2 order of penne w/shrimp and vin santo to start. Then the carbonara, veal ragu and trout w/speck and ramps for the second course. And then the chocolate caramel custard cake, lemon tart, pineapple cake for dessert. It was all phenomenal, but favorites were probably the penne, the trout (SO good) and the chocolate caramel custard cake. But again, you really can't go wrong there.
Bar La Grassa--First time
Ha! I agree with Brad. At some point everything will be mentioned. I would say you can't go wrong, but I have had 1 pasta dish there that I didn't really care for - the saffron pasta w/anchovies. I think that's an acquired taste. As for favorites, I used to love the lobster/egg bruschetta, but the last couple times were too heavy-handed with the truffle oil. But what I really do love - and there's a lot - the rabbit pasta, the carbonara, the mushroom agnolotti, the 'ndjua raviolo, and they used to have a mushroom halibut that was TO DIE FOR, but I haven't seen that in awhile. The gnocchi is also very good and my hubby loves the sausages. And for the love of all that's holy, get the salted caramel crispelle for desert. I would do shots of that caramel sauce alone and be a happy girl. Have fun!
Dinner with a good friend in highland area
How much do you want to spend and what sort of vibe are you going for? More casual or a little more upscale? And any specific cuisine?
Bakeries and restaurants in/near St. Paul
I would go to Patisserie 46 (also in S. Mpls) or Bars Bakery 10 times over before Rustica. I just haven't been wowed by Rustica so far. Good, certainly, but not better than others. I know I'm completely in the minority on that but that's ok. :)
I also think it would serve you well to look some of these places up on a map because I think we all have different ideas of what qualifies as Mac-Groveland vs. Highland, etc. I would never say Mojo Monkey Donuts is in Highland Park. To me, that's the West 7th neighborhood - too far east to be HP.
I would also throw Cheeky Monkey Deli into the mix. Not sure where they get their sweets or if they make them in house, but they're pretty good.
Minneaplis suggestions for family of 5
We have friends in Madison. Love going to your Farmer's Market at the capitol every year! But I digress....
For Easter do you want a buffet or just a nice meal? I have had the best holiday meals at Cosmos which wouldn't be too far from your hotel. The only caveat is that it's typically not cheap. Prix fixe for $45/pp, but it's really good food. I've had some horrendous holiday meals out (cold turkey at Kincaid's in St. Paul for Thanksgiving one year... blech!), so I know some places are not at their best on a holiday. Cosmos has always been spectacular.
As for a fun place to take the kids - we took our niece to Victory 44 for her 15th birthday and she LOVED it. She's a little bit of a foodie though and pretty adventurous. That said, they have a darn good burger that her 10 year old sister also loved, so there's good stuff there for everyone.
Have fun here and I'll hold you to that Madison recs offer! ;)
Moving to Minneapolis
I really like Cecil's rye bread and Cecil's in general, but I grew up in North Dakota which, while known for lots of things, its Jewish population is not one of them. That said, I have eaten at Katz's and while Cecil's is no Katz's I do think it's pretty good for what it is... a Jewish deli in St. Paul, MN. :)
All Things Croissant
+1 for Bars. Love their croissants!
I tknow there's a lot of love for Trung Nam on this board too, but I really thing Bars' are miles better.
Restaurant Week! [February 26 - March 2, 2012]
I had such horrible experiences at THREE different restaurants the last time I did Restaurant Week, that I've refused to ever do it again. Glad you had a good experience though!
Downtown weekend
I believe there's a Crowne Plaza in downtown St. Paul and one in downtown Mpls. Which will you be at? And the crucial question everyone will want answered - will you have a car?
THIS Saturday Night - Group Res - Foodie Restaurant
Took the MIL to Butcher Block for Mother's Day last year and it just really wasn't that great. :( Wish we had hit it on a night it was operating as well as it apparently does for everyone else.
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
+1 on this. That view is gorgeous... and I do like Sea Change's food, although their hostessing left A LOT to be desired the last time I was there. Hope the OP has a great trip!
Best Reuben you've had in the Twin Cities?
I'm sorry. This made me laugh. I don't think I've ever seen a toast recommendation before. LOL
Best Breakfast Ever - Your Favorites
I really love Bon Vie's pancakes too. Actually, I don't think I've ever had a breakfast there that I didn't like. Oh, and I forgot to add Tilia to my aforementioned list. :)
Uh oh - No Reservations - Part Deux!
Oh and I did go to The Modern Bar Room. Very good and great as a solo diner. Definitely a hopping place!
Uh oh - No Reservations - Part Deux!
This trip was a complete success. Thank you CHers! Riverpark was great... a big hit with my work colleagues. Just wanted to mention it here even though it wasn't recommended here. Other highlights were dinner at Maialino, Seasonal, Ma Peche and brunch this morning at Balthazar. While they were all wonderful, the real star was the 7-course tasting we had at Seasonal. They really hit it out of the park. If you have a chance - definitely check it out. Delicious food, the chef was a sweetheart... we had an amazing time. Thanks so much for all your help! Will definitely try to plan ahead for the next trip, even though we didn't do too badly this time. :)
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Balthazar
80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
Seasonal
132 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Riverpark
450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016
