So I've been here in Jacktown for six months. Obviously a lot of Greek influence on the restaurant scene here, historically. So what's your choice for best gyro?

The main bar strip is along Dauphin Street. On the Washington Avenue end, suggest the Bicycle Shop. At Claiborne, duck your head into Hayley's and see if you can deal with it. It's ... uhh .. colorful, but would be very memorable. Around the corner from Hayley's on Conti is B-Bob's which is one of the city's handful of gay bars.

Blue and White is going to be your best, close to only, option.

Friends of mine had a crawfish boil rehearsal dinner at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum on Chartres late last spring. I think the courtyard would be about right for the size of your party, and don't see why you couldn't cater in something else if you didn't want mudbugs. (Though crawfish would help keep the tab down.)

http://www.pharmacymuseum.org/

1. A half-hour or more.
2. No idea, but it won't be cheap, and you'll need to make arrangements to be fetched back afterwards, as it will be impossible to hail a cab out there.
3. It's worth it if:
a) you've exhausted more conventional in-town choices, or are devoted to Italian-American cooking. (I.E., you need to "collect" Mosca's, cross it off your list.)
b) you've got a group. Four is a bare minimum, and six or more is better. You need to order some of everything and pass it around.

Is there something in particular about Mosca's that interests you? Maybe someone could suggest an alternate that will be more accessible.

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Mosca's Restaurant
Hwy-90 W, Westwego, LA 70094

Never been and you've got only four meals. (This is like a fun parlor game for New Orleanians.) I'm saying you've got to go for classics, not the reinterpretations.

Day 1 lunch: Galatoires
Day 1 dinner: Brigtsens (a stand in for every other small 'house' restaurant in New Orleans, plus some Cajun influence.)
Day 2 lunch: Mandina's (to experience the neighborhood "bar and rest," and Creole Italian; could also substitute one of the two Liuzzas.)
Day 2 dinner: Commander's

I made a special pilgrimage to the Coffee Pot for calas once. I found them to be just OK. Kind of like a beignet with rice inside, as I recall.

I regret never having made it to the Calas Grill out in Kenner before they closed.

Consider Catahoula's in Grand Coteau, 15 minutes north of Lafayette.

And yes, Olde Tyme is the king of po boys in Lafayette.

Not to worry. Summer is the low tourist season in New Orleans, so things will be emptier. There was a line midmorning Monday after Mother's Day, but don't let a short line deter you. Tables turn quickly, as indicated above.

I clearly remember sugar shakers when I was a child in the late 70s and early 80s. There may have been sugar applied too, but it wasn't as thick as it is now.

I've never done a swamp tour, but I think they most commonly run out of Bayou Segnette on the West Bank. Most of the plantation homes are upriver. It would be hard to do both those AND tool through the Ninth Ward.

Renting a car is probably not mandatory for a swamp tour, as I think the companies will shuttle you from downtown.

local shipping magnates the Cooper family (Cuhper, not COOper, you arriviste) rescued the Ruth's Chris here when it was on the verge of closing. It functions almost more like a city club than a restaurant.

+2 on Dante's. Just because Brigtsen's is across the street shouldn't take away.

If the music is really the point though, you're looking for Palm Court.

Bias at work here because I grew up with the third generation of Haydels.

But... Haydels.

And you could just order it online right now. No need to wait.

http://www.haydelbakery.com/

I'm seconding on Johnny's, Gumbo Shop, Cafe Maspero, Central Grocery and Acme. Just split into three or four tables at the places you actually sit down..

If you get on the Canal streetcar, you could also consider Liuzza's on Bienville, Cafe Venezia (pizza) the taqueria next to Cafe Venezia (blanking on the name here...)

The St. Charles streetcar suggestions are pretty good. Also consider Trolley Stop. Camellia Grill and Jacque Imos are WAAAY uptown by streetcar. Fine if you can kill the whole evening, but not if you have to get back for an evening event. Could also pose an obstacle for the Canal suggestions, though not as serious.

You might consider the Bon Ton, on Magazine by Poydras.

You could get to KJean (on Carrollton by the American Can Co building) on the streetcar. But I'd have to echo how late it is. The bugs I had at a backyard boil a month ago were already hard to peel.

Do not skip CDM just because it is touristy (though I do wish the tourists hadn't made the habit of stealing the sugar shakers, so you could control the amount of sugar on what we always called French Market doughnuts at my house.) In this case, the tourists go there because it is the real deal. And cheap, to boot.

On some other morning, I would suggest Croissant D'Or, on Ursulines in the quarter. (though they were closed the Monday after Mother's Day, the last time I tried to go, for a late observance of the holiday.)

That's interesting. I'm told the Ruth's Chris here in Mobile has a slightly off-standard menu as well.

+2 on Croissant D'Or. If I lived on the quiet end of the quarter, this would be my living room.

And Cafe du Monde is a good value too.

I'm going to have to concur here. If you want to do it, do it in one neighborhood. It would also be possible to do this uptown on certain stretches of Magazine, as well as in the Quarter and the Warehouse District. Maybe you could do some combination of Dante's-Brigtsens-Mat 'n Naddies-Jacque Imos in Riverbend, topped by a chocolate freeze at the Camellia Grill for dessert and dancing 'till your feet are sore at the Maple Leaf. (Though you'd have to manage the need for reservations at Brigtsens with the no-reservations policy at Mat 'n Naddies and Jacque Imos.)

But Quarter-Warehouse District-Riverbend-Quarter would be a killer

Opinion runs hot and cold on Tujagues. It's like a museum, persisting in serving the same table d'hote menu dating to when its primary clientele was market workers across the street at the French Market. (They took their main meal of the day early, since they started work before sunrise.) A lot of visitors think old is going to mean fancy and feel like they've been taken, because fancy is not the strong suit. Think of it as a 19th century blue plate special. Some of whether you like it is going to depend on personal taste. (For example, does boiled brisket with horseradish tomato sauce sound interesting to you?)

Last time I had to do this, I dragged my group to the Gumbo Shop. But Redfish Grill also good option. (And yes, I know I'm too late.)

You could also go down to the Bywater to Elizabeth's for breakfast. Even my wife who doesn't like bacon raves about the praline bacon.

Good luck on meeting your vegetarian needs, but I have to admit I think it's funny that you're trying to go veg at a place with the name Boucherie.

Consider the Bon Ton, which is on Magazine Street downtown. It is a very old-style place that cooks sort of a pre-Paul Prudhomme Cajun food. You could walk from your hotel, especially in the daytime, though the area is a little deserted for my taste at night.

I'd avoid Deanie's, unless you're talking about the home-cooking style place in the Warehouse District, which has a good reputation. The fried seafood joints that run under that name are overrated, although the giant frozen schooners of Abita are fun.

I can't object to Drago's, but also consider Casamento's, which is uptown on Magazine (not walking distance) as another temple to the oyster.

Cafe Maspero, though a little lacking on atmosphere, is reliable and cheap.

Also consider Johnny's Po Boys on St. Louis, though you might want to check the hours, if this is a typical late-night Jazz Fest week show.

Chicken and sausage at Bozo's (with that sheen of grease on the top and that buttery bread...)

If you're deviating a little farther north, allow me to suggest some places near/along U.S. 190

Palace Cafe in Opelousas, on the courthouse square.
Kelly's Country Meat Block and Diner in Opelousas on S. Union. Have a plate lunch, then step next door and buy all your Cajun meat needs (I wish I had a pork roast in my freezer for easter...)
Joe's Dreyfus Store in Livonia, between Opelousas and Baton Rouge

I second on the Palace Cafe. Crawfish etouffee, followed by baklava.

In Opelousas, consider Kelly's Country Diner on South Union, next to the Country Meat Block. Under the same ownership. I consider the Country Meat Block "my" butcher, even though I live 250 miles away.

Also consider Henderson's Barbecue and Gator Cove on Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette. Barbecue is relatively decent by Louisiana standards, which is the best you can hope for, as others have indicated. Gator Cove is a seasonal boiled seafood operation.

Also in Lafayette, Olde Tyme Grocery near ULL for po-boys, and Chris' Po Boys, in multiple locations

In Livonia, try Joe's Dreyfus Store, for a high-class Cajun plate lunch or dinner.