New Orleans, Louisiana ("NOLA") is not one of those places that you can visit once, spend a weekend, a week or even a month, and then claim that you understand the ethos of the city or of its people. To do so would be to prematurely arrest your experience, a surface level tasting like nibbling around the outer crust of arancini and thereby ignoring its hot and savory interior. To do so would be to miss what makes this city so memorable and what has put, and kept, it on every foodie's map for some time -- its depth and variety of experience, culture, people and cuisine. Indeed, to do so would be unfair to you, unfair to the hardworking chefs and waitstaff, musicians and artists and everyday people that call this city home. Unfair, even, to the city itself.
New Orleans is a city steeped in history, much of it beautiful, some of it tragic, all of it worth discovering. And it's in those spaces between prosperity and hardship, pleasure and pain that NOLA shines. It is a warming, elegant, and yes, sometimes gritty, city, from which difficulties have blossomed into art and culture and a food scene that cannot be imitated.
New Orleans is a city that is unabashedly itself, exuding creativity in all its forms: visually, aurally, gastronomically, etc. It deserves to be taken in slowly: like small sips of a boozy Sazerac (NOLA's official cocktail), we implore you to let the hint of sweetness and herbal tones (and, yes, the peppery brashness of the Rye) wash over your taste buds, to let the headiness of the whiskey settle in, relaxing the joints and piquing the interest. Take a breath and make a mental note of how the city, its people and its food make you feel. We urge you, in other words, to experience New Orleans, not just consume it or fire it down the throat like so much bad tequila. And while Mardi Gras may be an exciting and fun time to visit New Orleans, it is not an accurate portrayal of all that this city is or all that it has to offer. This is not a check-the-box-off-the-list-and-move-on kind of place.
All of this is to say that the short NOLA day and change trip described below is intended to be the first of many installments as we get to know (from a largely culinary viewpoint, of course!) the city a bit more intimately. What follows does not purport to be the be-all-and-end-all of NOLA culinary or cultural experiences. The below suggestions are all fantastic restaurants and bars, helmed by creative, consummate professions, to be sure. But there are many other wonderfully delicious places to eat, cocktails to imbibe and art to consume in New Orleans. Thus, this is but round one, of many.
Lunch: Go Big or Go Home.
Having arrived in New Orleans a bit later in the day, we were already famished and, thus, decided to tackle a NOLA staple for lunch - chargrilled oysters, shrimp and crawfish. And it was a BIG lunch. For that, we turned to Boil Seafood House, a no-nonsense and no frills tribute to the art of the seafood boil. Established in 2018 and now with two locations (in the Garden District and Midtown), Boil is the kind of spot you need to show up hungry to, don your seafood bib, maybe stretch a little beforehand and give it your best go. Ultimately, we put up a decent fight but lost the war to a truly herculean feast of shrimp, crawfish, crab, andouille sausage, corn and potatoes in a spicy creole seasoning, and some absolutely massive (think: fist-sized) chargrilled and raw oysters.
Overly-sated and with the spicy seafood sweats, we took a stroll down Louisiana Avenue and onto Tchoupitoulas Street for a post-gluttony beer at New Orleans Lager & Ale (NOLA) Brewing. With a tap room featuring 16 or so on tap beers, a rooftop bar and onsite NY style pizza parlor, NOLA Brewing is definitely worth a stop. Their beer selection runs the gamut, from New England style pale ales, a whole mess of IPAs as well as a good smattering of sours (our favorite that day was their "Your Hands & Feet are Mangoes", a fruited sour with, you guessed it, a bright and shiny blast of mango flavor).
At this point, panicked that we'd be too full for our impending dinner reservation, it was time to burn some calories. Thankfully, NOLA Brewing is a short walk from the middle of the Garden District, which is filled with old, well-preserved mansions, walkable shade dappled streets (courtesy of those famous live oak trees), and a still-in-use street car running along famed St. Charles Avenue. It was a great way to walk off our lunch and post-lunch brews. The Garden District is also home to a NOLA institution - Commander's Palace (yes, the same Commander's Palace that produced both Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. amongst others) - which most definitely deserves your time and attention (although don't expect to simply walk in, reservations being necessary given how well regarded this place is).
In Need of a Cocktail Break.
As it was now whistle whetting time, we took a car service back towards the bustling and Bohemian charm of the French Quarter and hit up the world famous French 75 (located in Arnaud's, a NOLA must). French 75 is a cocktail lover's temple, worthy of praise and spoken about in appropriately hushed tones by fawning enthusiasts (like us!). Set in a dark wood appointed room with white and black tiled floors, golden wall sconces and frilly lampshades that cast a yellow tourmaline hue throughout, the cocktails at French 75 are the kind of drinks you want to sip slowly, whilst jotting down notes to a future less inebriated you, in a desperate, but ultimately futile attempt to recreate the cold, icy magic in the glass in front of you. It's the kind of cocktail bar you dream about for weeks after. It's the kind of cocktail bar that will make a believer out of you. Opt for a classic, like the Sazerac, or something more modern, like the Bobby Oakes (Monkey Shoulder Scotch, Laphroaig, Dubonnet, Galliano, coffee infused Meletti Amaro and tobacco bitters). It almost doesn't matter, as every drink they put out is a masterpiece.
Dinner: Watching a Master at Work.
Having spent a sufficient amount of time wandering, oohing and ahhing at the Southern grandeur that is the Garden District and gleefully sipping iced magic in the French Quarter, it was time for our main gastronomic event. Located in Uptown, in a mixed-use area of offices and residences along the Mississippi (just over five miles from French 75), Luvi might be a bit outside of the main NOLA "attractions" area (it is next to a FedEx print center, after all), but don't let that dissuade you from making a reservation. To travel to NOLA and not lock in a Luvi reservation would be a colossal mistake. Helmed by Chef Hao Gong (two time James Beard semi-finalist), Luvi puts out some of the most beautifully plated and exquisitely crafted dishes we've had in a while. The menu focuses on a mix of Japanese and Chinese cuisine, with a small, but stunning raw bar selection (including the Dragon Boat (seared tuna, with flying fish roe and smoked soy sauce) or the Stoplight (yellowtail, jalapeno and cilantro). Chef Gong is equally adept at crafting delicious spicy Dan Dan Noodles (pictured below, right) as he is vegan dumplings. It's a small, busy spot, so make your reservations early as this place is nothing short of excellent. Indeed, it was, without question, one of our favorite meals of 2022.
A Little Music.
To finish off our night, we headed through the French Quarter over to Marigny and Bywater. There, the famed Frenchman Street, flush with live music, thrusts you into the artistic heart of this storied metropolis. There are near countless music venues here, including the quintessential jazz scene that is The Spotted Cat Music Club or the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. Expect the street to be packed with revelers enjoying the evening and its many offerings which include, amongst other pleasantries, the Frenchman Art Bazar, an open air market hosting a diverse collection of hand crafted goods, from jewelry to photographs and paintings, figurines to jazzy sport coats. It's a vibrant and vivacious scene one could easily get lost in and a great way to wrap up an evening in the sensual beauty that is New Orleans.
Brunch: A Proper Send Off.
With a mid-afternoon flight out, we had just enough time for brunch and, thus, beelined it straight to Jewel of the South. Located in the northwesterly, and quieter, edge of the French Quarter, Jewel of the South has been garnering well-deserved praise for both its cocktail game and its menu since opening in the Spring of 2019. It's drink menu is a clear and well-constructed homage to a bygone era of bartending (not surprising given that it's helmed by co-owner Chris Hannah of Arnaud's French 75 fame (winner of a James Beard Outstanding Bar Program award)). That's not to say that it's a staid environment, stuck in the nearly forgotten past and without innovation. Far from it. Here you can find creative takes on classics like the Pot Likker Dirty Martini (which blends in collard greens along with the obligatory olive brine) or the Coffee Cobbler (with sherry, cold brew coffee and oat milk creme). Similarly, the food menu is an amalgamation of equal parts history lesson and creative expression.
Our brunch included simple dishes like the baked beans on toast (an excellent means of soaking up the prior evening's jazzy night cap(s)), the sweet and creamy yoghurt, macerated blackberries and honey comb, and their French Toast with rum syrup and sweet chantilly. We also scooped up some caviar (of which they carry a few varietals) accompanied by a true classic - potato scallops, crème fraiche and chives.
It deserves mentioning that Jewel of the South isn't just an excellent brunch location (although it's so good that they could readily rest on those laurels should they so desire). Their dinner menu, which changes frequently, is just as enticing and might include dishes like their take on a classic Tuna Tartare (with sweetbreads and buffalo mayonnaise), Foie Gras Parfait (with early grey prune and apple puree) or the Roast Wagyu Shortrib (with Paris Mash and bone marrow vinaigrette).
Finally, on our way out, we hit up Backatown: A Coffee Parlour located on the edge of Treme. This section of town (brought back into the modern lexicon by the HBO show of the same name) is steeped in cultural significance, providing an historical respite for the postbellum free people of color and ultimately becoming the center of one of New Orleans' most famous gifts to the world - jazz. Backatown, on Basin Street (former playground of Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton), is a comforting and leisurely gathering place, offering up a smattering of expertly brewed, steamed, chilled and frothy caffeinated beverages to go along with their noshes, including some sweet treats (e.g. a sweet potato scone or a blueberry chia pudding). We opted for a Golden (Turmeric) Latte and an excellent Con Panna and one of those aforementioned scones as a parting gift.
In the end, we left New Orleans full, yet hungry for more of this historic and gorgeous city teeming with creative energy. One could spend a lifetime traversing its streets, dipping in and out of its watering holes and nibbling your way across its diverse blend of cuisines and cultures. Our short trip only further piqued our interest. In other words, we'll be back New Orleans, we'll be back.
These are just some of the best restaurants, bars and hotels in New Orleans, but there is so much more to see. Start planning your visit today!
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