Two Dozen Best Standard-Setting Restaurants.
The word “standard” has two meanings that are sort of opposites. In this case, a standard restaurant is one whose work is so good that it inspires other restaurants of its kind. It sets a standard that comes to mind most often when a restaurant fails to get up to that level.
Standard implies a track record–sometimes a very long one. It’s the opposite of new. Although freshly-opened eateries get much attention and almost all the media coverage, the long-established restaurants get most of the business. They are consistent, unlike the new places. (Which have the ultimate inconsistency of not having been there at all a year or two ago.)
Standard-setting restaurants also tend to be atmospheric and tend to the higher price categories. For that reason, we’ll have another list of the casual standard-setters as we continues this survey of the New Orleans restaurant scene, and yet another for the North Shore. (What a problem: too many good restaurants.)
I think new and standard restaurants should be ranked separately, and that is what I am about to do.
1. 
Commander’s Palace. Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 1403 Washington Ave. 504-899-8221. I just made up my mind about this a couple of weeks ago, when I dined on Commander’s eight-course Reveillon menu. They serve that every day, along with a more conventional menu. All the little things we’ve gone to Commander’s are still there: the garlic toasts, the overservice, the chicory coffee, the shrimp Henican, the turtle soup, the bread pudding soufflee, the best wine collection in these parts, the underpriced lunches. After watching closely the escalation (and occasional erring) of Commander’s for thirty-five years, I can’t recall a time when it was better than it is now.
2. Restaurant August. CBD: 301 Tchoupitoulas. 504-299-9777. Restaurant August had such a long run at the top of the New Orleans dining tower that even a perception of decline was inevitable. That took place when owner-tastemaker John Besh started opening other restaurants. He is now up to nine venues, with three more coming when he takes over the dining rooms at the Pontchartrain Hotel in 2016. Yet Besh’s policy of giving his chefs a piece of the action has made most of his restaurants lik3e chef-owned properties. Recent meals have been as fresh and original as I remember in the heyday when Besh was there every night. .
3. Galatoire’s. French Quarter: 209 Bourbon. 504-525-2021. Galatoire’s is a standard among standards. It has been such a favorite among white-tablecloth restaurants for so long (110 years) that it would seem tough for them to figure out where to go next. The addition of the steakhouse and bar next door finally fixed the only serious block to planning a dinner at Galatoire’s: the difficulty of getting a table. Meanwhile, the cooking remains a codex of Creole-French cookery, and the society in the dining room is matchless.
4. Emeril’s. Warehouse District & Center City: 800 Tchoupitoulas. 504-528-9393. Emeril Lagasse has one of the greatest disadvantages a restaurateur can have in New Orleans: he’s very successful. Visitors to New Orleans, unaffected by this disease of local diners, get a disproportionate number of the tables. He’s still a big culinary star. And–more important–the kitchen is one of the best, and inspired many other restaurants, particularly in Emeril’s insistence on making everything carefully in house. It wasn’t that way when he started out.
Whole flounder @ Pelican Club
5. Pelican Club. French Quarter: 615 Bienville. 504-523-1504. Almost since the Pelican Club opened (at nearly the same time that Emeril’s and Bayona did), it not only has cooked brilliantly in a wide-ranging repertoire of styles, but priced its dinners so attractively that it almost makes first-timers suspicious. Don’t be. The quality of the raw materials and the deftness of the cooking fulfill all expectations. This effect shows up most alluringly during the summer and Reveillon seasons.
Crab cake @ GWFins
6. GW Fins. French Quarter: 808 Bienville. 504-581-3467. For a restaurant to be accorded the title of Best Seafood Restaurant in New Orleans really says something. But the claim is genuine. Every day, Chef Tenney Flynn brings in some dozen different species of fresh finfish–to say nothing of the shellfish. He carries his quest forward in some astonishing ways–like going scuba-diving to spearfish in the Gulf. He develops individualistic recipes for all this, and it’s served in a handsome but casual dining room with a great wine-by-the-glass list.
7. La Petite Grocery. Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 4238 Magazine. 504-891-3377. It’s too noisy, but that’s my only complaint. (Sit near the bar to minimize the issue.) Other than that, you have a kitchen performing the French bistro standards, interspersed with Louisiana ingredients and flavors. All of this is is served with sophistication in a dining room with a decidedly romantic feeling. (So my wife says, anyway.)
8. Brigtsen’s. Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor: 723 Dante. 504-861-7610. The very best of the hands-on, chef operated Creole bistros, Brigtsen’s gets that way by putting all its efforts into cooking delicious food. No menu posturing; no quirky ingredients or oddball cooking techniques; no heavy emphasis on decor, ceremony, or wine. It’s all about cooking up the best local flavors possible, a project at which Frank Brigtsen and his tight little kitchen consistently succeed.
9. Mr. B’s Bistro. French Quarter: 201 Royal. 504-523-2078. Mr. B’s is the archetype of the casual, contemporary Creole bistro. Only a few such were in existence when B’s came along and lit a fire–a wood fire–and created an entirely new category. Its kitchen creates innovative and excellent Creole dishes from top-rung fresh ingredients, but serves them in an easy, informal way. Hickory-grilled fish, now common, was pioneered here; so was pasta as a non-Italian main course. Here are still the best versions of barbecue shrimp, chicken-andouille gumbo, crab cakes, bread pudding, and many other contemporary Creole classic dishes. The only problem is getting a table.
10. Arnaud’s. French Quarter: 813 Bienville. 504-523-5433. Arnaud’s is the best of the grande-dame French-Creole dining palaces. (The others are Antoine’s, Galatoire’s, and Broussard’s). It’s large enough to be able to perform enormous feasts for special events, while at the same time putting out a memorable dinner and the best Sunday brunch in town, all in a thoroughly New Orleans environment. Great bar, better baked oysters (five ways!), the best shrimp remoulade, and only one weakness (the wine cellar).
11. Antoine’s. French Quarter: 713 St Louis. 504-581-4422. The past year was the 175th for Antoine’s, and a good year it was indeed. The restaurant held an unprecedented series of special events, ranging in auspiciousness from studies of Antoine’s history and visits from the chefs of other old restaurants to a big bash at the James Beard House in New York. The food and staff continue to improve, although there remains many more opportunities for Antoine’s to improve its eats, most of them in the polish and consistency departments.A lot of diners who would never have dreamed of becoming an Antoine’s regular have done so.
R’Evolution dining room.
12. R’evolution. French Quarter: 777 Bienville (in the Royal Sonesta Hotel). 504-553-2277. The best dinner I’ve had at R’Evolution occurred last spring, at a time when I was about decided that the tremendous hype behind this restaurant was overstated. But now that the menu has been pared back a good deal, the cooking seems to be more focused and polished. In the hands of the best servers here, dinner is memorable. But not all the wait staff is so capable. The premises are very handsome.
The big ballroom at Tomas Bistro.
13. Tomas Bistro. Warehouse District & Center City: 755 Tchoupitoulas. 504-527-0942. Tommy Andrade’s flagship restaurant Tommy’s is the popular one, with a classic menu of New Orleans French and Italian standards. But I have taken to his second place a bit more. Tomas Bistro is a classy-looking dining room with a French-Creole kind of menu. Some of this hearkens to the Golden Age of Fine Dining of the 1980s, but for the most part it’s reasonably up to date. And, more important–very good. Tommy is a wine guy and keeps an excellent cellar.
14. Atchafalaya. Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 901 Louisiana Ave. 504-891-9626. In a number of respects, Atchafalaya may be the ultimate New Orleans restaurant. The food is great, inspired by the traditional ingredients and flavors but without more than a handful of classic Creole restaurant dishes. Credit that to Chef Chris Lynch, exec-chef of Emeril’s for a long time. Atchafalaya’s premises are an old neighborhood joint much in need of thorough restoration and rewiring. But the prices reflect that. Instead of lunch, Atchafalaya offers a first-class brunch almost every day of the week.
Double-cut pork chop.
15. Muriel’s. French Quarter: 801 Chartres. 504-568-1885. In location and decor, it looks like a place designed for tourists. But any out-of-towner lucky enough to wind up here will soon understand what the locals like in their restaurants. The seafood is exceptional, exceeded only by the duck and the pork chop. Many dishes come from a blazing wood grill. Great gumbo and the like. And the table d’hote menu is an exceptional bargain.
Duck confit.
16. Carrollton Market. Riverbend: 8132 Hampson St. 504-252-9928. The small space where many previous restaurants have been then ceased to be also has a track record of hosting better restaurants with each new opening. Carrollton Market (it’s a restaurant, not a grocery store) is, therefore, the best yet. It has a decided French touch with more than a little influence from the Cajun, Creole and Southern cuisine. Watching the chefs cook (and you can, if you get a seat at the food bar) makes for an interesting evening. Perhaps because they are being supervised, the cooks have an exciting style.
17. Doris Metropolitan. French Quarter: 620 Chartres St. 504-267-3500. Now well into its fourth year, this intensive steak house was hot when it opened, faded briefly, became hip and jammed again, and repeated the process again and again. (At this moment, it’s in vogue) People who eat here almost always leave wowed by the dry-aged beef, the unique starters and sides, and an unexpectedly fine wine list.
18. Impastato’s. Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd: 3400 16th St. 504-455-1545. The most reliable Italian restaurant in the New Orleans area continues to turn out its familiar but carefully-crafted pastas and veal dishes, but with better seafood than we expect to find. And prices much lower than a comparable dinner elsewhere would cost. It’s sometimes difficult to penetrate, what with all the regulars filling the tables. Be sure to reserve.
Oysters four ways.
19. MeMe’s. St. Bernard Parish: 712 W. Judge Perez Dr. 504-644-4992. The best restaurant in the history of St. Bernard Parish enters its fourth year with amazing consistency, most of that the work of Chef Lincoln Owens. The foundation of the eating program is an array of great oyster appetizers and steaks, but for such a small restaurant the range is wide.
20. Meauxbar. French Quarter: 942 N Rampart. 504-569-9979. Take note: this is not the same restaurant that opened under this name a decade ago, but a relocation of the Ste. Marie, an imaginative New American bistro from the CBD. Chef Kristen Essig took the opportunity to shift up after the move, what with the French Quarter resident population just around the corner. A fun but serious place with a lot of possible dining strategies.
21. Mr. John’s Steakhouse. Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 2111 St Charles Ave. 504-679-7697. The best steak house in town continues to pack them in every day for its USDA Prime (all of it) steaks and a collection of starters and sides much more interesting than what we find in the typical steak joint. Getting a table remains a challenge. During the past year the owners created a branch at Lafayette Square that isn’t quite as good as the original.
22. Clancy’s. Uptown 3: Napoleon To Audubon: 6100 Annunciation. 504-895-1111. One of the original generation of gourmet bistros, Clancy’s has a well-defined program of putting out the familiar local dishes in an easygoing way with fine ingredients. It has often been called the Galatoire’s of Uptown (there never has been a connection, though), an illustrative simile.
23. Square Root. Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 1800 Magazine St. 504-309-7800. The pinnacle of this restaurant is the many-course dinner served in the combination food counter and demonstration kitchen, where chef-owner Phillip Lopez leaps past the cutting edge, almost to the point of outlandishness. It’s not for everybody, but those who like culinary adventure, there is no better place to have it.
24. O’Brien’s Grille. Gretna: 2020 Belle Chasse Hwy. 504-391-7229. Currently the best restaurant on the West Bank, O’Brien’s is a steak place above all other things. But its menu is well enough varied to make it inviting for everyone. The owner worked for a long time at the famous, extinct LeRuth’s, and a few items from that many have appeared here.
Mushroom Ravioli
Mushrooms inside pasta pockets are wonderful. And the more interesting and pronounced the flavor of the mushrooms, the better they will be. In addition to the ingredients below, you need cooked, moist pasta sheets and a ravioli mold (two simple plastic gizmos that form and cut the ravioli pockets. The mold can be found in any kitchenwares store, and even in some supermarkets.
4 oz. exotic mushrooms
4 oz. fresh spinach, well washed and coarse stems removed
1 dried shallot, medium size
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 oz. butter
1 Tbs. Cognac
3 slices sun-dried tomato
3 leaves fresh sage, chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg yolk
Pinch nutmeg
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce:
2 oz. butter
1 Tbs. dry chopped shallots
1 tsp. chopped garlic
3 oz. porcini mushrooms
2 oz. Cognac
1 qt. whipping cream
1/2 cup demi-glace
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves
Salt
1 egg yolk
1 Tbs. milk
1. Wash the mushrooms and porcini well, and slice thin. Blanch spinach in boiling water for about 15 seconds. Immerse immediately in cold water to cool, then drain and chop.
2. In a skillet, saute shallots in butter over medium heat until blond. Add garlic and porcini and saute until mushrooms are heated through.
3. Carefully pour on Cognac and flame. When flames die out, add sun-
dried tomatoes, spinach, sage, crushed red pepper, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside and let cool.
4. When the stuffing is lukewarm, add egg yolk, nutmeg and Parmesan
cheese. Mix well. Chop very fine, and stuff inside pasta sheets (see
instructions for Cheese Ravioli).
5. Begin the sauce. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the butter
until it bubbles. Saute the shallots and garlic until they turn blond. Add
mushrooms and saute until limp. Add Cognac and let alcohol evaporate.
6. Add whipping cream and demi-glace; bring to a boil. Add rosemary and
a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce over low heat to half the original amount.
7. Cook ravioli in boiling water just before serving, and nap with warm
sauce. Garnish with fresh rosemary
Makes four appetizers.
Gnocchi With Crabmeat And Mushrooms @ Tujague’s
When the ancient (1856) restaurant Tujague’s updated itself in 2013, one of the dishes on the new menu was something so superb that customers who had it as an appetizer often asked to have a bigger plate of it as an entree. The gnocchi are made in house with a very deft hand. The texture is perfect. So is the sauce that connects it with the other elements on the place. The crabmeat is a no-brainer, but the wild mushrooms are another matter. The dish hearkens back to the day when Tujague’s neighborhood was mostly Italian.
Tujague’s. French Quarter: 823 Decatur. 504-525-8676.
This is among the 500 best dishes in New Orleans area restaurants. Click here for a list of the other 499.
December 30, 2015
Days Until. . .
New Year’s Eve–1
Twelfth Night–8
The Sixth Day of Christmas
We are warned of the gifting by good friends of six geese a-laying, a six-pack of Dixie, a hammered aluminum nutcracker, little silver bells, or (according to our own lyrics for the song) six char-broiled oysters. We like the oysters as the appetizer tonight, and are interested in those geese for a big feast tomorrow. But the eggs? Geese don’t lay eggs this time of year, no matter what the song says.
Food Calendar
This is Mushrooms, Cream, And Pasta Day. That’s an interesting free-form observance. But it sounds right. Something light in texture (if not in calories and fat) and simple between the feasting of Christmas and the feasting of New Year’s Eve. This can be as simple as cooking some onions and parsley in a little olive oil, adding the sliced mushrooms and cooking until they get soft, adding reduced cream from that second saucepan on the back of the stove, a little salt and pepper. Add the cooked fettuccine noodles (or the pappardelle, or even torn rags of sheet pasta) and toss them with the sauce until the pasta is coated. Shaved Grana Padano cheese. Nice. Or, if you want to get ambitious, make a duxelles (a fancy word for finely chopped mushrooms and onions, in a three-to-one ratio) and stuff it into ravioli, preferably with homemade pasta. Same cream sauce. My wife made that a couple of days ago, having never done it before, and it was not only delicious but soothing and comfortable.
Gourmet Gazetteer
Tea Creek is in central Arkansas, eighty-six miles west of Little Rock. It’s part of the upper watershed of the Ouachita River, running about six miles through a steep-walled valley in the Ouachita Mountains. It’s dry most of the time–much of its flow is underground– but when it starts to rain it can fill up quickly. It gets its name from the tea-like color it picks up from fallen leaves. You can get a glass of real tea and a meal to go with it six miles away at the Fishnest Family Restaurant in Glenwood.
The Old Kitchen Sage Sez:
Step One in cooking a cabbage is to cut out the cone-shaped stem from the center. Step Two: Cut it into eight wedges: two cuts top to bottom, one around the equator. Steaming works better than boiling. The gentler you do it, the fewer problems–and you know what problems I mean.
Edible Dictionary
Herbsaint, n.–The brand name for an anise-flavored liqueur, similar to Pernod, Ricard, and modern absinthe. It was originally created to serve as a substitute for absinthe, a very popular spirit in New Orleans until it was banned in the 1910s. The combination of that ban and Prohibition a few years later wiped out what was left of absinthe (aside from the names of two bars bearing the name). After Prohibition ended, a pair of New Orleans men. One of them was J.M. Legendre, a World War I veteran who had acquired a taste for absinthe in France. He created an absinthe without using wormwood–the herb that caused the ban–but the federal authorities wouldn’t let Legendre call his concoction absinthe. So he made up the name Herbsaint. It found two roles: in coating the glass in which a Sazerac cocktail would be served, and in adding an extra anise kick to the sauce for oysters Rockefeller. The Sazerac Company makes Herbaint now, but Legendre’s signature is still on the label.
Deft Dining Rule #212:
Any restaurant with four or more different kinds of fresh mushrooms is a place worth dining in.
Annals Of Soft Drinks
It’s the birthday (1851) of Asa Candler, who bought a formula called Coca-Cola from Atlanta druggist John Pemberton for all of $2300. He began marketing it aggressively, and the result was that, although Coke wasn’t the first fizzy brown sweet drink (Dr Pepper, among other brands, is older), it became the icon of the industry.
Food And Medicine
Today in 2003, the sale of meat from animals who appeared to be sick was banned in the United States. It was mostly a protection from mad cow disease. . . Ephedra was also banned that day, after 155 deaths were attributed to the weight-loss dietary supplement. There are better ways to lose weight–notably limiting oneself only to really good food.
Music To Eat Cookies By
The musical Kiss Me, Kate opened on Broadway on this date in 1948. It was written by Bella Spewack, whose other claim to fame was co-inventing Girl Scout Cookies. The musical is better known for its songs by Cole Porter, the best of which was From This Moment On.
Food Namesakes
Joseph Bologna, a screenwriter and occasional actor, was born today in 1934. Among his works are Blame It On Rio, My Favorite Year, and Rags To Riches . . . David Baker, a British professional bicyclist, was born today in 1965. . . Lucy Punch, an actress who usually appears in comedies, got her first line out today in 1977.
Words To Eat By
“Boiled cabbage a l’Anglaise is something compared with which steamed coarse newsprint bought from bankrupt Finnish salvage dealers and heated over smoky oil stoves is an exquisite delicacy.”–William Neil Connor, a British columnist who wrote under the name “Cassandra.”
Words To Drink By
“What is your host’s purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose they’d have simply sent Champagne and women over to your place by taxi.”–P. J. O’Rourke.
Fruitcakes Through History.
Ancient history, in this case, in which we learn that the Christmas-season specialty was already well entrenched in Roman Times. (This artwork will have more impact if you click on it to make it display in a larger size.)
Click here for the cartoon.