Immediate neighborhood of Venusian Gardens
(Fauberg Marigny)
Feelings
Cafe
2600 Chartres
(504) 945-2222
Sun - Thurs: 6pm - 10pm
Fri - Sat: 6pm - 11pm
Lunch: Fri: 11am - 2pm
Brunch: Sun: 11am - 2pm
One of the most romantic restaurants in New Orleans, guests to Feelings
Cafe enjoy their courtyard's intimacy with a brick patio sheltered
by palms, banana trees, and high walls ... music from the Patio
Lounge along one side serenades you as you sip cocktails and dine
at the outdoor tables. Dishes
in the Clemenceau style bring an old, nearly forgotten local taste
to the table, including shrimp, seafood and steak dishes.
Schiro's
2483 Royal Street
(504) 948-1666
Mon
- Thurs: 10am - 10pm
Fri - Sat: 10am - 11pm
The Café and Bar is a popular neighborhood
gathering place for our local collection of artists, musicians,
and let's just say "personalities", and offers authentic
New Orleans comfort food, knock your socks off cocktails, and great
people watching.
Flora's Cafe
2600 Royal Street
(504) 947-8358
Mon
- Sun: 8am - 12pm
A great local coffee house, amateur poets sling their latest verses
every Monday. Even the cafe's menu reflects a certain aesthetic:
imported coffee, chai tea, fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices,
smoothies and meat-free burritos. The cigarette machine dispenses
only "additive-free" American Spirits.
Praline Connection
542 Frenchmen St.
(504)
943-3934
Down-home cooking in the southern-Creole style is the forte of this
rather quirky restaurant a couple of blocks from the French Quarter.
The fried or stewed chicken, smothered pork chops, barbecue ribs,
and collard greens are definitively done. And the soulful file gumbo,
bread pudding, and sweet-potato pie are among the best in town.
To all this add moderate prices, a congenial staff, and a neat-as-a-pin
dining room. The adjacent sweetshop holds such delights as sweet-potato
cookies and Creole pralines.
Marisol
437 Esplanade Ave.
(504)
943-1912
closed monday
A lovely shaded garden and frequently superb food are among the
assets of this bright, attractive restaurant near the Mississippi
River. A bold floral design animates the soft gold of the dining
room's walls. Owner-chef Peter Vazquez is a self-taught cook with
a fertile imagination. Mussels are steeped to succulence in basil,
scallions, and wine. A peppery Thai-style soup of crab and coconut
is a marvelous marriage of elegance and fire. Roasted red snapper's
freshness is underlined by a light application of tomato and pureed
eggplant. Desserts are often strikingly original, as in a crème
brûlee flanked by lemon madeleine cookies. Wines pair nicely
with the food.
Mona's Cafe & Deli
504 Frenchmen St.
(504)
949-4115
Inside this rather bare and simple spot you'll find some of the
best, basic eastern Mediterranean cooking. Cut open a ball of crunchy
fried kibbee and the reward is superbly seasoned beef and lamb.
Tabouleh, with lots of parsley and mint flecks, is more than just
seasoned bulghur wheat. The gyro sandwiches are meaty and flavorful,
too. The laid-back service is friendly and efficient.
Wasabi
900 Frenchmen
(504)
813-8881
The closest sushi and japanese food to the Venusian Gardens, this
restaurant provides excellent cuisine and service.
more coming!
French Quarter
Antoine's
Restaurant
713 St Louis Street
(504) 581-4422
Mon - Sat, closed Sunday
Lunch: 11:30 AM through 2:00 PM
Dinner: 5:30 PM through 9:30 PM
Opening in 1868, Antoine's is one of the oldest and most famous
restaurants in the country. Known for classic French and Creole
cuisine, the quality and service here is all top rate.
Crescent
City Brew House
527 Decatur Street
(504) 522-0571
Mon - Sun: 10am - 11pm
The Crescent City Brewhouse is the only French Quarter microbrewery
serving world-class beer brewed in small quantities according to
the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. No stabilizers or chemicals are
used. The atmosphere at the Crescent City Brewhouse is warm, relaxed
and festive with LIVE JAZZ performed nightly by local musicians
... and monthly exhibits of local art to compliment your total Brewhouse
experience! The restaurant serves its own unique combination of
traditional Louisiana ingredients and recipes with a modern flair.
Bella Luna
914 North Peters
French Market, near Decatur and Dumaine Sts.
(504)
529-1583
open
7 days: No lunch
If luxurious surroundings
and a knockout view of the Mississippi River are high on your list
of priorities, this elegant restaurant in the French Market complex
should fill the bill. Handsome French-style windows line one wall
in the plush main dining room, providing views of the riverbank
and the ships and excursion boats gliding by. The kitchen takes
an eclectic contemporary approach, although the strongest accent
is Italian. Good bets are the pastas, especially penne with roasted
eggplant, Gorgonzola, peppers, and fried herbs in Fontina sauce;
grilled salmon topped with buttery shrimp, and fork-tender osso
buco served with fresh-tasting vegetables. Reservations essential.
Croissant d'Or
617 Ursulines St.
(504)
524-4663
open 7 days: 7am - 5pm
Closed
the week after July 4th
Locals compete with visitors for a table in this colorful, pristine
pastry shop, which serves excellent and authentic French croissants,
pies, tarts, and custards, as well as an imaginative selection of
soups, salads, and sandwiches. Wash them down with real French breakfast
coffee, cappuccino, or espresso. In good weather, the cheerful courtyard,
with its quietly gurgling fountain, is the place to sit. A filling
lunch can be had for less than $10.
Bayona
430 Dauphine St.
(504) 525-4455
Closed
Sunday
"New World"
is the label chef Susan Spicer applies to her cooking style, which
results in such creations as turnovers filled with spicy crawfish
tails; a bisque of corn, leeks, and chicken; or fresh salmon fillet
in white-wine sauce with sauerkraut. These and other imaginative
dishes are served in an early 19th-century Creole cottage. Reservations
essential.
Central Business District (CBD)
Rock-n-Sake
823 Fulton St.
(504) 581-7253
open 7 days: sun - thurs 10pm, Fri & Sat 11pm
An excellent Japanese and Sushi Restaurant, this restaurant also
displays many of Ehlenberger's sculptures, setting a festive ambiance
to enjoy the fine cuisine. A fine selection of sake is available
as well.
August
301 Tchoupitoulas St.
(504)
299-9777
Closed Sunday. No lunch Saturday.
If the Gilded Age is long gone, someone forgot to tell the folks
at August, whose main dining room shimmers with masses of chandelier
prisms, thick brocade fabrics and glossy woods. The formalities
are toned down considerably in the service, however, and chef John
Besh's dazzling, modern technique informs every plate. Roasted pheasant
and prime beef could hardly be improved on, tiny soft-shelled crabs
crackle with sea flavors, and lumps of backfin crabmeat and pillows
of springy gnocchi glisten in truffle oil. The sommelier is ready
to confer with you on the hefty, but surprisingly affordable, wine
list.
Lemon Grass Cafe
217 Camp St.
International House
(504)
523-1200
No lunch weekend
What draws the regulars here are the aromatic and spicy flavors
of Vietnamese cuisine, specifically that of Saigon, with occasional
French influences and lots of eye appeal. The dining room is another
visual feast, a soothing, contemporary blend of rice-paper screens,
pale walls, and simple yet striking patterns. Try crisp spring rolls
filled with minced chicken, jicama root, wood-ear mushrooms, carrot,
and onion; juicy soft-shell crab, roasted in a light salt-and-pepper
crust; beautifully seared fish, and thin slices of duck breast escorted
by sticky rice. Desserts are surprisingly imaginative for an Asian
restaurant, with choices in styles from Asian to European.
more coming!
