Hockey19's Profile
Commander's Palace Questions
If you are celebrating an event, let them know ahead of time. Nothing like the little extras that show up. If you think your attire is inappropriate, it probably is. If you look like you are going to a great meal at the greatest causal elegant restaurant in NOLA , you will be fine,
River Road plantations lunch?
Drago's at the Hilton may have been one of the most disappointing NOLA dining experiences ever. The chargrilled oysters are definitely different but not what they are cracked up to be and the rest of the menu was pretty overpriced and not well prepared. Butter and garlic make anything great (why else eat snails) but globs of it diminish the reason for it, namely a good oyster.
River Road plantations lunch?
B and C is a great spot. We have been twice and it has been a perfect compliment to the day. Had red beans and rice with sausage on last visit and it was pure happiness. Tried boudin and it was not all it was cracked up to be but when in Rome.....Staff is homey nice and when you pay you will look at 8-10 shrimp at the register for less than 6 bucks a pound . Go ahead and try to figure out how to get those bad boys home . I use their seafood spice instead of Old Bay.
non-touristy cooking classes
New Orleans Cooking Experience was wonderful.t. You have to get over the emotion of the price ($150 pp) to appreciate the evening. 8 people, top chef, flowing wine, interesting conversation. Beautiful environment in a home atmosphere and great service. not sure what else you woul want other than hands on cooking.
What is the best Coolinary menu in the FQ right now?
Went to Bayona on Thursday for a wonderful lunch. Service and food was wonderful. The room was filled (nice to see in August). You can get any entree which is a great option since most other menus were restricted. Appetizer salad is more than enough for two and the soup was a wonderful lentil puree. We had the mixed grill and I had a shrimp and pasta dish which I can highly recommended. Peanut butter ice cream was the real deal and Mango sorbet was crisp and fresh. Tiniest nit pick was the 20 cent martinis were served in tiny glasses so you pretty easily needed to order a couple- charge me 50 cents and fill the glass.
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Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Dragos in New Orleans
Just back from NOLA and a visit to Drago's at the Hilton. Truly unmemorable with a tinge of awful. My wife is an oyster fan and after seeing the Food Network's story wanted to go. Grilled oysters were overly buttered and while the smoke comes through we both agreed Acme's grilled are much better. PS_ don't watch them lather on the sauce at the open grill. Looked like pancake mix pouring over the sides. I had a shrimp pasta dish which reminded me of my favorite Pasta Roni mix. Service was rushed/ Main courses served while appetizers still being consumed. A must miss from now on.
What is the best Coolinary menu in the FQ right now?
Will let you know about Bayona when I return next week. We will be there Thursday. Full menu is available for lunch-not limited and 20 cent martinis to boot.
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Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Looking to buy Louisiana Cane Sugar?
Don't know if it's cheap or how you would get it but try Lulu Westfield Paincourtville, LA . We met the owners on a cruise and they gave out their sugar. If the sugar is as nice as they are, you can't go wrong. Ask for Ray.
SUGAR FACTORY
351, Hwy. 999
PO Box 69
Belle Rose, LA 70341
Tel: 225-473-9293
Fax: 225-473-9294
E-mail: MDaigle@luwest.com
Got dinner at Stellla's as a birthday gift- What do I need to know
My two wonderful kids surprised me for my birthday with dinner at Stella's next month. What do I need to know for a first time visit.
Cajun country reccomendations?
Book a night at T'reres in Lafayette, spend the night and just go where they tell you. Not sure of the name of the joint we ended up at but it was perfect. Home cookedt Cajun, line dancing, great local feel. Wait till you start your visit with Maugie's Iced Tea. That ain't just tea.
http://www.tfreres.com/
Can't make it to Commander's for Lunch
We will be 6 coming in to NOLA in January. We always hit Commander's for lunch on Friday's when we visit but our flight may get us in to late to get there in time. Not sure we can get there by 1:30. Missing our 25 cent Martini's is going to be a HUGE problem. Looking for possible alternatives?
NOLA Review 7/16 - 7/23
Quick notes and thoughts from a wonderful (can it be anything else) week in NOLA. We have been here quite a few times so we hit some favorites and some new ones. We stayed on the edge of the Quarter on Esplanade so we hit Frenchman Street upon arrival. Instead of day of arrival favorite Acme Oyster House, we had a huge lunch portion of good fried chicken and gumbo at Cafe Marigny. Very quiet on a Friday afternoon and the Abita's cooled what was going to be a non stop hot week. The day's travel and a late start into the Quarter brought us to Felipe's for a late night guilty pleasure meal. Saturday was spa day for my wife so we went to Cochon Butcher for an early lunch. She had the best BLT ever with bacon from heaven and I add a light lunch of duck pastrami sliders. Wonderful soft cheese but not enough duck. I went to the WW ll museum while my wife was at the spa and discovered one hell of a deal. From 3-6 at the John Besh run American Sector restaurant, BBQ brisket sliders were 75 cents. I ordered two and had an Abita (what else) while waiting. The bartender then said the drink was on the house as the pretty woman at the corner bar stool was an Abita rep and all Abita orders were on her. I love NOLA!! Took home the perfectly smoked sliders and had them as a late afternoon snack back at the balcony of our place. Dinner that night was back to Frenchman at the Praline Connection. Small place with more servers per square inch than I have ever seen. Black fedora's top all the waitstaff's heads and they served pretty good southern cuisine-loved the sides including mac and cheese and cabbage. Next day traveled on the Algier's Point Ferry to see the other side of the river for the first time. Friendly folks everywhere and ate at the Dockside Cafe where they served decent local bar food. Had the Roast Beef Po Boy. After a pleasant walk around the town we found out the ferry had broken down. Shared a $25 cab (so much for a free ferry) back across the river. Dinner that night was at Bacco. Had their Ciao Summer special which might be the best $25 dinner around. A beautiful restaurant with attentive service and a great meal. We y enjoyed a huge salad with large chucks of Parmesan everywhere. BBQ shrimp was outstanding as was the signature Lobster Ravioli. Dessert of Lemon pie (Key lime but with lemons) and sorbet topped it all off. Added two glasses of wine as part of the special for an additional 13 bucks. Next day we headed 2 ½ hours to Lafayette for a day and night out of town. Stayed at a great B and B (T'feres-look up the Frommer review or check out AAA naming it this month the best B and B in the South). Greeted with Tea Juleps and were served a magnificent breakfast. Fun trip to the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island and had had really decent food off the trailer cart. Oddest was the Frito’s chili. Cut open a vending size bag of Frito’s dump in chili and Tabaco and you’ve got a hit. Well flavored shrimp etouffe as well as red beans and sausage rounded out a perfect all fresco meal at the factory. If you go, do not miss the Jungle Gardens across from the factory. It is a beautiful reserve chock full of wildlife and great fauna. Our dinner that night was at a local Cajun dance hall called Randol's. Live Zydeco, low key service, fun food. Steak, alligator, and you get the picture. Not gourmet but a great night. We closed the place down after meeting and talking into the night with a couple from Holland at the table next to us. We agreed to meet for dinner the next night back in Nola and went to a favorite, Muriel’s on Jackson Square. We enjoyed their $30 dinner special with salads, goat cheese and shrimp crepes, and soup for appetizers. Huge perfectly prepared double pork chops, Jambalaya pasta and Drum were consumed followed by Crème Brulee and Bread Pudding. Another guilty pleasure as we headed to Dueling Piano’s at Pat O’Briens with our new friends to show them a bit of tourist NOLA. We all sang, downed Hurricane’s and had a blast that went well into the night. Wednesday was Commander’s Palace for Lunch. Our favorite employee Argyle was not there but everyone and I mean everyone stopped by to wish me a Happy Birthday. The 25 cent martinis were great as always, the garlic bread used to slop up my lamb was divine and my wife’s fish was perfect. There is no better place to spend an afternoon. Lazy day was finished with my wife’s late night craving for a hamburger. We each had the 8 oz. monster that they served at Yo-Mama’s. First time there and will definitely be back. Great dive bar that is devoted to sloppy juicy hamburgers. Last full day began at Cochon’s for lunch. I had the ham hock which was incredibly smoky and delicious but I felt smallish in size and my wife had killer oysters (yes available) and a well prepared eggplant/tomato dish. Final night was at the New Orleans Cooking Experience well up Esplande. This was to be a trip highlight as Frank Brigtsen was to be our personal chef for a private dinner for 10. We were told on arrival that he had hurt himself which was a great disappointment but we were well guided and entertained by Gerard who was the exec chef at Mr. B’s for many years. The evening was fun (but VERY pricey) but not having Frank was offset by having a great meal with 8 perfect strangers around a lovely table in a historic home .. Alas all good things must come to an end so I picked up Muffaleta’s from Central Grocery for our quick 2.5 hr. flight home. That turned into a 9 hour US Air trip from hell but that is a story for another day.
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Praline Connection
542 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Brigtsen's Restaurant
723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118
Cochon Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas, New Orleans, LA 70130
Bacco Restaurant
310 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Esplanade Avenue Walking distance restaurants
Littleman- we are staying in a timeshare- Hotel de la Monnaie at 405 Esplande. My sister has a unit during Jazz fest and she said it was a nice place. My wife craves a hamburger on every vacation. Will definitely look at your recommendations.
Esplanade Avenue Walking distance restaurants
We are staying on Espalnade right on the edge of the Quarter for a week this summer. We will be at Dante's one night and Green Goddess another. We also seem to always end up at Muriel's each visit. Looking for some quality alternatives off the Quarter within walking distance.
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Green Goddess
307 Exchange Place, New Orleans, LA 70130
B&C Seafood, Vacherie
We ate at B and C last August after a plantation visit. It was a wonderful stop with good home style food. I am still sprinkling my dishes with the B and C seafood spice my wife bought for me. We will be back for lunch this summer.
River Road drive from Baton Rouge to NOLA
B and C Seafood in Vacherie is local, authentic and serves a great meal. Easy stop by Oak Alley and Laura Plantations. Oak Alley is the Tara tour and Laura is a Creole plantation. It was real interesting to see the differences in just a few miles.
boston chef wants to know top 5 fine dining restaurants to visit in NO
If money is no object- spend it at the "usual suspects." If you put a value on dollars and need to balance it with value-here are some thoughts
Commander's Palace for lunch is the best deal in NOLA
We were blown away by Dante's Kitchen. Just great from start to finish.
Green Goddess was a well prepared meal but ambiance is an issue. We ate on the alley which is fine but you have to decide if the alley works for you.
Muriel's on Jackson Square-great locale, great atmosphere, great service, great meal,nuff said
Part of the joy is not only meals but special foods/guilty pleasures at special places- such as broiled oysters at Acme or the long trip across the Ponchitrain to Abita
First Trip to New Orleans - Thoughts and Opinions on my list?
Take advantage of lunch at Commander's. Room and service are the same as dinner. Prices are less. Food is the same-exquisite. 25 cent martini's arewell- the best deal in town. Take advantage of being able to walk the Garden District after lunch. Totally NOLA.
Green Goddess Tips
We greatly enjoyed Green Goddess this summer. Small is a bit unfair. Incredibly tiny would be better. We ate outside- a bit hot bt it was NOLA in the summer. Inside seemed unbearable. Food was excellent and it was a great alternative to some of the larger trendy establishments. Drink special cured all.
Dinner rec's
Try Dante's Kitchen. Just back from a truly great meal. It's not in the Quarter area but if you have a car it's 15 minutes away. It's not a creole restaurant but it is really good.
http://danteskitchen.com/
Week in Review 7-31 to 8/7- Fairly long
Roast Pork with broccoli rabe!!! I could easily be a good ol' boy but somehow we would need to bring some Northern flavors down.. and after a week it's not go Flyers but Geaux Flyers. But we are still Penn State!!!
Week in Review 7-31 to 8/7- Fairly long
I cannot stand olives in my food which can cause a big problem with a muffaleta. The bread,; however, was awesome. NOLA remains a great city and we are already figuring out when to do our next visit. A brewery visit sounds like a great place to start.
Week in Review 7-31 to 8/7- Fairly long
Back from an amazing NOLA week. Managed to mix a totally tourist week with some real local flavor. A lot of fun and a real hot sun. First of all -NOLA in August is hot. It doesn't mean you cannot do things -it just means water is your best friend during the day. We arrived on a Friday afternoon. Late night dinner was at Acme Oyster House. It is our personal guilty pleasure. We don't worry about reviews or complaints. It was the first restaurant we ever eat at in NOLA over 15 years ago and it just makes our trip. Abita pitcher, combo platter, fried oysters. No broiled oysters this time but some things are just the way they should be.
Walked the Garden District on Saturday and ended up at O'Henry's for lunch before going to the zoo. Fine pub fare, we split a two for $20 BBQ shrimp and fried pork chop meal. You could do a lot worse. Zoo was great as always although the albino alligators were not to thrilled about being on display.
Muriel's on Jackson Square for dinner on Saturday night. Restaurant is perfectly located, food is exquisite, staff is great but for the 2nd time, felt they could not rush us out faster. This is such a great place. Coolinary special was for me a delicious double pork chop- Huge and flavorful. My wife's puppy drum ( a fish we have since been indoctrinated with) was great. Unfortunately, everything just came out so quick.
Sunday was swamp tour day. Don't knock it- an air boat is fun. We went to Lafitte and ended up with a great lunch at Boutte's. You cannot get more local than this place. The drive from NOLA is only 30 minutes or so and there you pass an amazing number of huge spectacular homes. Freshly prepared fried chicken, and gumbo with a full chicken drum on top were our choices and the place went from just us to totally packed in 30 minutes. Bought a fantastic home made praline to munch on later (could have had a Rice Krispie treat) and headed towards a great bayou swamp tour. Night was hot (did I mention that NOLA is hot in August) and we ate outdoors at Green Goddess. Small does not adequately apply to this place. 4 tables inside, a couple of tables in the alley and that;s it. We were not starved so the limited but eclectic menu was perfect. Funky drinks- an Island Sea breeze and a Brazilian Samba http://www.greengoddessnola.com/pdf/booze.pdf were strong and delicious. Bison meatloaf and bacon definitely works and the mushroom crepe was smokey rich. Bring bug spray, I got chewed up but it did not ruin a thing.
Monday was Plantation day-an hour plus from NOLA. In between two tours, we dined at B and C Seafood. Another local gem. True southern charm, great gumbo, and hush puppy's to die for. Don't forget to be a tourist and sign the board. B and C sells seafood as well as restaurant fare. Huge head on shrimp at the counter were $4.79 a pound. They would be $15 or so by us in Philly. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/greatriverroad/D41844.html.
Dinner found us at Dante's Kitchen. Hands down, flat out, don't think twice -go here to eat. It is at the end of St. Charles and worth the trip. The restaurant sits as a house in a quiet neighborhood. The wood floored dining area is comforting. Service is attentive and pleasant (although our wonderful waitress was overworked). $5 wine glasses led to a most memorable meal. Diver scallops were perfect for me and short ribs were a hit for my wife. A mistake in service led to an apologetic take home make up of great grits- perfect for the next day's wake up.
Tuesday was my day. I love minor league baseball and the parks. We went to the New Orleans Zephyr's- 11:30 start- seats in the first row behind home plate. Did not eat at the game but had great Sweet tea. Vendor squeezes fresh lemons for flavor and refills ice to cool you down. Following the game, a 45 minute drive which included the Lake Pontchartrain bridge (24 miles long- do not miss this engineering marvel) brought us to Abita Springs. The Abita name is New Orleans beer. The brew pub served the largest salad you could imagine to my wife while my jambalaya was acceptable. However, fresh local beer is always good and Abita does it well. It was worth the ride and don't miss the UCM museum. (look it up). As an aside, I bought a 6 pack of Dixie beer that evening which I always equated with NOLA. I was surprised to learn by the label that it had been virtually wiped out by Katrina. It is being brewed by a Wisconsin company. Here's hoping it returns to local hands. For the evening following a Ghost tour-we wandered into Landry's Seafood on Decauter as the late hour had many places closed. Dinner tonight was -eh. They served a great huge hamburger with fried onions but my gumbo left quite a bit to be desired.-especially when I had to send it back to be heated to at least something resembling hot. Service was poor but it filled a need for a late night meal.
Wednesday morning took us to the New Orleans School of Cooking.which is a fun tourist look at NOLA food preparation. Nothing totally new was learned but for $24 a person we got fresh gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding with rum sauce, and pralines. Unlimited Abita beers complimented the fare. We shared stories with our table mates, two of whom were Katrina victims from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Their true life stories were inspirational and added to the experience. I surprised DW with massage at Spa Atlantis in the afternoon. Jazz at the Royal Sonesta (my first Sazarac) was followed by dinner at Napolena House. We got their at 9:45 where we were New York rudely told (i'm originally from NY so I know NY rude) we had 15 minutes to order before the kitchen closed. We did and had a great little meal. Our ordered bruschetta is not bruschetta. Think about the Stouffer's french bread pizza you would have if it was prepared perfectly. A dripping wet roast beef was excellent. Too bad the guy at the table next to us never got to eat a thing. He was warned that the kitchen was closing at 10. The waiter never came back and when he asked to order he was told -no food for you. The waiter had to bring over the manager to tell him. the bad news. It was classic.
How did we get to Thursday already? Going home tomorrow but not before the coup de grace. Lunch at Commander's Palace. Took the trolley because there is no way we are driving back after 25 cent martini's. it is our second trip (first was amazing). We are escorted to the Garden Room, a gorgeous 2nd floor glass enclosed vista. Our waiter from last time -Argyle was working as floor manager. He could not have been more pleasant as he spoke about remembering us from last year. Tai stopped by greeting us again like family. Warm garlic bread was as addicting as advertised by our bus person. Waiter suggested crab cake appetizer was spectacular as well as the oyster chowder. Lunch entree's were short ribs and shrimp. Food and service cannot be this good. Staff is ridiculous friendly and unpretentious for such a great place. Pecan pie and ice cream closed the meal only to be followed by a complimentary shot served in in a spiral metal chalice. It was an amazing fruity melon infused drink. God knows what was in it but no way a meal this good any where else ends like that.
Late evening need for food takes us to Felipe's. Think Baja Express or Chipotle on steroids. It ain't gourmet but it is damn good.
Leaving today. Picked up our first Muffaletta from Central Grocery to enjoy on the way home. Olive spread for her, dry for me. 2 hour delay at Louis Armstrong-ugh. Nibbled mine early before finishing on the plane. We now live in Philly and we know hoagies. The Muffaletta works in the sandwich world but without trimmings (lettuce, tomatoes, hot peppers, pickles, etc). it fell a bit short for me. Bread was amazing. DW loved the olive spread and was more enthused. Glad we got to experience the sandwich but i was not blown away by it Give me a Primo's or Lee's Cheltenham any day over the Muffaletta.
Town was pretty busy- everyone we spoke to seemed positive about what was going on. The week was a perfect blend of all of the soul of NOLA. Can't wait to return.
Eclectic Week
Coolinary restaurants beginning to appear. 18 are up on the Coolinary site. Hoping Muriel's special is still available although it looked like a very limited event.
Eclectic Week
Yes to Abita. Love the beer- will have to figure out the food.
Have not seen any Coolinary specials yet no matter where I check. We enjoyed them last year. Hoping they return
Eclectic Week
-Sazarac Bar is absolutely on the list for an afternoon visit.. Cure is a new name. Will have to look for it. Acme is Acme. One of our fiirst NOLA visits 15 years ago. Old friends are great- warts and all.
Eclectic Week
Ok- here goes- after soliciting opinions and doing my reading- here are the winning restaurants for 1 fun week..
Saturday - Muriel's- repeat visit- loved it the first time. Why not enjoy another Saturday night at a restaurant that gets rave reviews.
Sunday - Green Goddess- looks like a fun night- BYOB will help the wallet but they may have drinks by August.
Monday Late dinner at Acme Oyster. after touring the plantations. Guilty pleasure as it is wife's personal favorite.
Tuesday- Abita Restaurant. Getting out of Dodge for a fun day of baseball and beer
Wednesday- Dante's Kitchen- can't wait-killer reviews hope it lives up to the hype.
Thursday- Commander's for lunch. 25 cent martinis make for a late night dinner so Bar UnCommon for late dinner(have to have a drink from Chris)
Friday- Departure-UGH
Please feel free to comment on the "fun"factor or suggestions for options
COOLinary Specials
No luck either. We took advantage last year and we are headed back in August. but I have not seen any listings.
