New Orleans chow

I'm headed to the bayou in a few weeks and am totally unfamiliar with the dining scene. Any must-eat-at restaurants?

New Orleans is the world capital of good eating. I haven't been there recently enough to make any specific suggestions beyond getting a muffuletta (it's a sandwich) at Central Grocery, 923 Decatur Street.

However, don't be afraid to just walk into any little old place and ask them what their specialty is. Anybody with the nerve to open a restaurant in New Orleans usually will make something that will knock your socks off.

Okay, another suggestion. In season, any bar, a pound or two of fresh boiled crawfish and a couple Dixie beers.

My favorite place in New Orleans for a good old fashioned PO Boy is a place called Dollie's Deli out on Canal Boulevard just past the cemetary. It is off the beaten tourist path by a long shot.

The order of the day is freshly fried seafood (i'm partial to the Oysters or Shrimp) tucked into a huge New Orleans Po Boy Roll dressed with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.

The portions are huge, delicious and fried to order. Note: Don't expect decor. This is just a little gas station on the road leading out to Lake Ponchatraine.

For fine dining, Bayona is far and above the best restaurant in New Orleans. Avoid Arnaud's. It has a great reputation from long ago that doesn't represent how truly awful it is today.

If you're in New Orleans, you should treat yourself to breakfast at Brennans at least once. I like to Creole Breakfast with its Egg Sardou, grillades with grits and a sweet baked apple for dessert.

I have been to New Orleans many times. The French Quarter is a bit of a tourist cliche, but is a must for partying and first time visitiors. These days, unless I'm looking for something specific, I don't go there much. If I was going to NOLA for the first time I would:

1. Don't miss the great coffee and begnets at Cafe du Monde. Cafe du Mondes are popping up in every mall around New Orleans. Avoid them and go to the original in the French Market across from Jackson Square. Open 24/7.

2. Stroll through the French Market. It's a flea market with a food vendor area. Lots of local produce and seafood available along with spices, etc.

3. Have breakfast or lunch at the New Orleans classic, Mother's Restaurant on Poydras. People line up out the door for the great breakfasts and Po Boys at lunch. Their specialty (for lunch) is the debris PoBoy. Breakfasts are cooked to order and are great. Try some sort of seafood omelette.

4. As someone else already recommended, have a Muffeletta (or part of a muffeletta) at Central Grocery.

5. Splurge for a dinner at Commander's Palace, the flagship restaurant of the Brennan Family. Its kitchen has given us such chefs as Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. It's very pricy, but if you've never been, you owe it to your self to go at least once. Book reservations well in advance...especially for the weekends.

6. Take a trolley ride to the garden district. Once you get out of the CBD and pass the statue of General Lee, you turn onto a beautiful parkway called St. Charles street. That is where many of the Mardi Gras parades travel. You'll pass some incredible old houses, Audabon Park/zoo and Tulane University. When you make the turn on to Carrolton Street and are near the end of the line, watch for a place called Trolley Stop Cafe (there is also the smaller original location on St. Charles soon after you leave the CDB). This is a great place to jump off the trolly and have cheap, good breakfast. Also, right next door is the wonderful Camellia Grill. You can't go wrong at either of these favorite spots of the locals.

Cafe du Monde
1039 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA

Mother's Restaurant
401 Poydras
New Orleans, LA
504-523-9656

Central Grocery
923 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA
504-523-1620

Cammander's Palace
1403 Washington Street
New Orleans, LA
504-899-8221

Trolley Stop Cafe
614 S. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA
504-866-9301

Camilia Grill
626 S Carrollton Ave
New Orleans, LA 70118
504-866-9573

There's lots of good chowhound posts on NO. I see you've posted on that board. I'm sure you're also taking a look around it as well. A previous chowhound post pointed me to a great NO food newsletter, http://foodfest.neworleans.com/

My own vote goes to the Bon Ton Cafe--a downtown lunch and dinner spot so uninterested in tourists that it's not open on weekends. Wonderful oyster stew and Cajun and Creole classics. Terrific service.

Bon Ton Cafe
401 Magazine Street
New Orleans
(504) 524-3386

I went to law school in New Orleans and have made several trips there since. I also follow on a regular basis, the newsletter Ann cited above (I am sure I am the one that posted on it), so I have a very strong understanding of NOLA, but it is not what I would call an active understanding.

I concur with the posts above for the most part, but for the fact that a few places Trolly Stop, Will's place, I do not specifically know, but all the other places Steve suggests are great suggestions (although I am more partial to Commander's for brunch than dinner.)

What I would really suggest you do is kinda figure out your eating plan. How much do you want high end vs more casual (or street food or whatever you want to call it). How much are you getting out and about vs. staying planted near the French Quarter. Then, you can best plan out your meals. So, I'll give some more picks based on different factors:

- Traditional, classic, creole dining - Galatories - Insist on sitting on the first floor by the way.

- If you want to take a nice drive and eat fried catfish - Middendorfs or Spahrs (Middendorfs is an easier drive)

- Another traditional place in the French Quarter that I especially love but gets scant attention these days -- Tujagues - Order in advance the chicken bonne feme, crispy skin chicken with fried potatoes and lotsa gaalic.

- "Hot" place for modern soul food, Uptown - Jaques-Imo (be warned s'pose to be very crowded)

- Best place to drink away a rainy afternoon and pretend like you are one of Jim Garrison's investigators - Napolean House in the Quarter.

Anyways, I have a zillion other ideas. Ask me some specific questions based on what you want, and I'll give you more.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:- Another traditional place in the French Quarter that I especially love but gets scant attention these days -- Tujagues - Order in advance the chicken bonne feme, crispy skin chicken with fried potatoes and lotsa gaalic.

I would add my recommendation of the slow cooked creole brisket for any visit to Tujagues.

stevez wrote:

Vital Information wrote:- Another traditional place in the French Quarter that I especially love but gets scant attention these days -- Tujagues - Order in advance the chicken bonne feme, crispy skin chicken with fried potatoes and lotsa gaalic.

I would add my recommendation of the slow cooked creole brisket for any visit to Tujagues.

Which, I should add, if things are the way I remember (and I cannot imagine a resturant that has not changed in 150 years to have changed much), comes with all meals. Tujagues is a set meal kinda place. Everyone gets the same soup, appetizer, brisket, then a choice of a few mains (although if you get the bonne femme it's for everyone), the dessert. So, I guess you have to be ready and willing for this kinda dining. It's not nosh kinda place...

Rob

I have what could accurately be called an obsession with New Orleans. I fell in love with the city 15 years ago, and started going down there so often that I ended up purchasing a second home there four years ago.

Since then, I have averaged 15-20 trips per year, and am very much on top of the dining & music scenes. I guess at this point I am basically a part-time local.

I have plenty of pointers, but I don't really have the time to list them right now - I'll follow up later tonight. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you might have, though....

VitalInfo is right - you should come up with a dining plan that includes everything from Po-Boy shops to the high end Creole places. Definitely make reservations at places that accept them & plan ahead at those that don't, as there can be very substantial waits at some of them if you go at the wrong time.

Gotta run, but will follow up later....

Found a list of pointers that I typed up for someone else making their first trip down - I'll post it here as a starting point......

*************************************************************

Some general pointers on New Orleans:

1. The French Quarter is best enjoyed during daylight hours.

Unless you like being vomited on, stay out of the Quarter at night.
That's where the idiots are. Bourbon Street gets old in about 30 seconds.

2. Only use United Cabs - they are the most reliable.
Their dispatch # is (504) 544-0629.

3. Ride the streetcars Uptown. St. Charles Ave. has some really beautiful Mansions in the Garden District and further Uptown towards Tulane & Loyola Universities.

While riding the streetcar, be sure to stop at the Columns Hotel in
the 3800 block of St. Charles Ave. for a drink. The bar there is
consistently rated the best in Uptown. Plus, you can take your drink outside outside on the beautiful patio under the Columns.
http://www.thecolumns.com/

4. The best record store is the Lousianana Music Factory.
It is located at 210 Decatur St. in the quarter. On Saturday afternoons
they have free live music & free beer in the store.
http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/

5. The best Radio station in the world is New Orleans' own WWOZ 90.7 FM.
Check out http://www.wwoz.org for a live feed over the internet.

6. Offbeat is the free music listing magazine. That is where you can find
out who is playing in what club. The listings are also online at
http://www.offbeat.com.

********
* FOOD * : These are ALL places that I eat at regularly.
********

Lunch places:

1. Uglesich's - 1238 Barrone (at Erato)

My all time favorite restaurant in New Orleans, bar none.
Only open M-F for lunch, and go early.
If you're not there by 11:00 a.m. the line will be long.
It's ugly & run down, but the food is supreme. It's not cheap,
but you get better food than a lot of the high end places at a
fraction of their prices. Cash Only.

Mr. Anthony is the owner & he will take your order when you walk in.

Mandatory Appetizers:

Shrimp & Grits (fried grits cake topped w/ Shrimp Remulade)
Oysters & Blue Cheese (raw oysters stuffed with blue cheese, breaded, and fried)
Ecstasy (marinated shrimp in a blue cheese dipping sauce)

+ I always let Mr. Anthony pick one more (and not tell me what it is - so I am surprised at the table - last time it was a shrimp bisque that blew me away).

Entrees I like include the Barbecued Oysters and Shrimp Uggie.

Seriously. This place is insane. Go early in your trip and you WILL go back again.
http://www.uglesichs.com

2. Napoleon House - St. Louis & Chartres in the quarter.

This place dates to 1797 & was built to be Napoleon's home in exile.
Absolutely & by far my favorite place in the quarter. They only play
classical music inside & the waiters wear tuxedos. The sandwiches are
really good, but overall it's just a cool place to hang out.
Definitely stop in here.
http://www.napoleonhouse.com

Po-Boy shops:

There is much debate in New Orleans over who has the best of what kind of po-boy. Here are my faves in the "big three" categories: (BTW "Dressed" means with lettuce, tomato, and mayo).

Roast Beef:

Parasol's Bar - Corner of Third & Constance in the Irish Channel neighborhood. Open 7 days a week - order the Roast Beef po-boy & french fries w/ beef gravy. Heaven.
http://www.parasols.com/

Shrimp:

Domilise's - Annunciation & Bellecastle Uptown
THIS is THE quintissential New Orleans Po-boy shop. Miz Dot's family has run it continuously for the past 50 years. Shrimp is best here.

Oyster:

Casamento's - Magazine & Napoleon - Uptown
Oyster heaven - their sandwich (called a "loaf") is served on Pan Bread instead of the traditional french, but it kicks ass. This is really the best place for raw oysters too. Been there since 1924. Good place to stop if you're checking out the antique shops along Magazine. Easy walk from the streetcar stop at St. Charles & Napoleon. They have weird hours, something like 11:00-1:00 for lunch & 5 - 9:30 for dinner.
http://www.casamentosrestaurant.com/

A couple of reviews from their web site:

*************************************************************
New Orleans Magazine
June 2001

Let's Dish
Top 10 New Orleans favorites by Maria K. Wisdom

When asked by the editors of the magazine to come up with 10 of my favorite dishes that are distinctly New Orleans, I thought to myself, that's a breeze. A handful immediately came to mind. But after further reflection, they all seemed so obvious that I knew I wouldn't be telling you anything you didn't already know. But these dishes are totally New Orleans; they are the ones that define this city's unique cuisine. So this list may not enlighten you, but it serves as a good reminder of why we are so lucky to live in this town.

1. Oyster loaf at Casamento's, 4330 Magazine St., 895-9761. Oysters are done the old-fashioned way here: They're dipped in corn flour and fried in cast-iron skillets. There isn't a fryolator in sight. They come perfectly cooked, crispy but with a fresh, juicy wallop. I would lovingly describe them as delicate: the brittle batter is so light it evaporates on the tongue. The bread plays a critical role in the loaf's excellence. Called pan bread, it's not the usual poorboy loaf but is more like sliced bread or Texas toast. The crumb is tender enough to sop up large amounts of butter. And the surface is never brittle but is substantial enough to hold onto the oysters. The restaurant, decorated with tile everywhere you look, is like stepping back into the '40s and adds to the pleasure of the experience.

Buttery pan bread and fried oysters are a dynamic dining duo at Casamento's.

************************

GoodFood
Jane & Michael Stern
The Adventurous Eater's Guide to Restaruants Serving America's Best Regional Specialties

Deep South Region

Casamento's 4330 Magazine, New Orleans, LA 504-895-9761
Tues-Sun 11:45 am-1:30 pm & 5:30 pm-9pm
Closed June-Mid-Sept

$44-$10

Casamento's is a neighborhood oyster bar, far from the French Quarter and the seedier aspects of New Orleans street life. It is a decidedly nice place--upright, clean, pleasant. Very old-fashioned: walls done in white and pale green Spanish tiles, a timeworn oyster bar, and slickly tonsured oyster shuckers (the Casamento's) whose demeanor and appearance are an instant flash of 1940s nostalgia.

To watch them work is hypnotic. They stand behind the bar, using a miniature pitchfork to pull oysters out of a cooler box to their left, then opening the shells fast--not too fast, though--just fast enough to keep up with the oyster eaters at the bar and orders from the tables. They assemble dozens with supreme artistry--each broad icy white plate is a knockout, crowned with a dozen shimmering silver-gray Louisiana oysters. Breathtaking oysters they are, small gusts of edible ocean air. Mix your own sauce from a selection of vinegar peppers, hot sauces, horseradish, etc.

Beyond oysters, the menu is a short one: Italian spaghetti served with either meatballs or daube (Creole roast), fried shrimp, tenderloined trout, fried soft-shell crabs in season.

Casamento's makes the best oyster load in New Orleans. Fresh-shucked oysters are fried, then stuffed into a loaf of pan-bread--actually a whole loaf of unsliced white bread, cut lengthwise and toasted, with a smooth buttery flavor that complements the salty golden oysters: a formidable sandwich, enough for two.

Don't let the nonchalance of Casamento's lull you into thinking it is anything but a great and rare restaurant, one of the city's jewels..
************************************************************

Dinner places:

1. Brigtsen's (on Dante St. Uptown)

This is my favorite high end place - I consider it to be the finest
high end restaurant in town. The chef, Frank Brigtsen, is a lifelong New Orleanian who apprenticed under the great Paul Prudhomme. I last ate here on my birthday in September & it was awesome. It's always awesome.

They do have an option of an early special, with a fixed menu, for a
fraction of the price of a big dinner. It's designed so that locals
can get a taste of a meal that many of them could not ordinarily afford.

Reservations mandatory. (504) 861-7610.
http://www.brigtsens.com

2. Clancy's (on Annunciation St. Uptown)

A close second in the high end category is Clancy's - this is a real local's
place. I have friends who eat here all the time (by this I mean at least
twice a week). The filet mignon w/ red wine demi-glace & melted
stilton cheese is the specialty of the house - really exceptional.

Reservations mandatory. (504) 895-1111

3. Ralph's On The Park (in City Park - 900 City Park Ave.)

Ralph Brennan's latest project is a newcomer, but it is really a cool spot.
It's in a super old building in City Park that just underwent a
beautiful multimillion dollar renovation - it overlooks the park, which is
loaded with Live Oak trees. Executive Chef Gerard Marais is highly regarded.

Reservations accepted. (504) 488-1000
http://www.ralphsonthepark.com/

4. Dick & Jenny's (on Tchoupitoulas St. Uptown)

A real locals' favorite, a full step down in price from the first three I
mentioned. Fun place & the food is always excellent. I eat here all the
time when I am not up for spending the big $$ or time at one of the
real high end spots. No reservations so there is usually a wait unless
you get there right when they open at 5:30.

5. Jaques-imo's (on Oak st. Uptown)

Another locals' favorite, & the owner is a REAL character. Lines can be
long & they don't take reservations unless you have at least 6 people. Food is as good as Dick & Jenny's, but it tends to be more crowded so I prefer the former. Pretty comparable though.

My 2 cents worth ...

Crescent City Brewery, on Decatur, it a much better brewpub than you'd expect for such a touristy area.

Commander's Palace is the site of the most disappointing meal I've ever had for such a highly touted place. It was my 50th birthday, and I was led to a table, with "my chair" adorned with helium-filled birthday balloons. Might have been okay if I was 9 years old, but I haven't been 9 since the 1950's. I had a fish dish - I don't remember exactly what it was - but it was the boniest piece of fish I've ever had - which would have been annoying enough if it hadn't been cooked with (apparently) several pounds of salt.

The meal the next night, at Bayona, was excellent.

Bayona
430 Dauphine Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

YourPalWill wrote:For fine dining, Bayona is far and above the best restaurant in New Orleans.

Sorry, but that is simply not true.

Bayona is certainly one of the top spots in town for fine dining, but the only thing it is "far and above" in is hype.

In fact, the worst high end meal I have ever had in New Orleans was at Bayona. It must have been an off night, but half the appetizers and all of the entrees arrived at our table lukewarm, at best, and the salads were absolutely drowned in dressing. It still sticks in my craw that we spent the amount of money we did on that meal and could literally have done better at Popeye's.

To be fair, I have had several GREAT experiences at Bayona since then - all at lunch.

I guess what I am getting at is that in a town that is as competitive dining-wise as New Orleans is (and I can't think of another, at least in the States), there is no single restaurant that is "far and above" better than the others in ANY category, day in & day out.

In the same vein, IMHO celebrity chefs in general should be avoided like the plague. Susan Spicer, Bayona's Chef / Owner, is obviously a very talented chef, but she may have been spread too thin with all of her commitments. Currently she is running Bayona and Herbsaint (I believe her contract with Cobalt is over with). I'm sure if she was in the kitchen the day we got that awful meal, it would never have happened.

Emeril is another story. He is definitely spread too thin with all his TV commitments, in addition to Emeril's, NOLA, and Delmonico in New Orleans alone (I think he also has restaurants in Orlando & Vegas). People come to town expecting "The BAM Man" to hook them up, and I hear all too many stories of disappointment at each of these places. That's what you get when you buy into the hype.

For my money, if you want a really great high end experience in New Orleans, go with a (preferably locally born & raised) chef that is very focused on fresh, local ingredients, has ONE restaurant to deal with & is running it in a very hands-on way. This is EXACTLY why Brigtsen's gets my nod for high end dining.

Vital Information wrote:If you want to take a nice drive and eat fried catfish - Middendorfs or Spahrs (Middendorfs is an easier drive).

My preference for Catfish is Bozo's in Metairie (Suburb about 1/2 way between downtown & the airport). They fry all their seafood in cornmeal (the Oysters are also excellent). Tom Fitzmorris (local food critic) claims that they only use small, wild caught cats, which are more flavorful than the farm raised cats which are more commonly served in the area.

While we're on the topic of Metairie, a couple of other great spots are Drago's, famous for their Char Grilled Oysters (Oysters on the 1/2 shell, laid out shell side down on a huge grill w/ melted butter, garlic & spices ladled over the top) - I could easily finish off two or three dozen of these bad boys at a sitting - and Crazy Johnnie's (right across the street from Drago's - we often put our name in at Drago's & retreat to Johnnie's). Crazy Johnnie's has an excellent version of BBQ shrimp with some of the biggest shrimp I have ever seen, not to mention their bargain basement prices on filet mignon po-boys & steaks.

Bozo's
3117 21st St.
Metairie, LA 70002
504-831-8666

Drago's 3232 North Arnoult
Metairie, LA 70002
504-888-9254

Crazy Johnnie's Steak House
3520 18th St
Metairie, LA 70002
504-887-6641

Gosh, I've had nothing but absolutely wonderful meals at both Brigsten's and Bayona- around 10 in each place. I find both places at the top of my list in New Orleans.

On my last visit, I stopped in Cobalt and Herbsaint. I found both to be great restaurants for locals. But, as a visitor, i wouldn't waste more time on either given the wonderful restaurants in town.

As for Emeril's (I much prefer NOLA), I've found the kitchen to be disappointing whether the prince of bam is there or not. It, in my opinion, is one of the more disappointing places in New Orleans. It's a shame because its a really nice room and they have a good wine list. But, the service and cooking are strictly amateur there. They really make nothing that I couldn't whip up at home if I tried.

There's an LA Times article reprinted in today's Tribune (at least the online version) on New Orleans PoBoy shops here:

PoBoy Article

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I'd double the recommendation of a visit to Casamento's, where I had one of my alltime favorite eating alone experiences. I posted on it on Chowhound last year:

http://www.chowhound.com/south/boards/n ... /7145.html

I opted for oysters at Casamento's over the Mayor of Chicago Chowhound's pick -- next time I'll hit frankie and johnnies, when I have a couple more meals to play around with. Casamento's was fabulous. I sat down across from the oyster shucker in the front room and ordered a half a dozen oysters and a half oyster loaf. The shucker looked me up and down and muttered "they big". Huh? "They big. The oysters. You still want half dozen". Sure, why not? "they really too big. You won't be able to fit em innna mouf. Don't go sending em back". It's OK, I'll eat em. "Even this one" brandishing an oyster the size of a softball. I'll give it a whirl. They were good. The big one's didn't taste as good as the little ones. I watched the shucker harangue the waitress every time an order for oysters on the half shell came in. "Did you tell em?" "Tell em what?" "They BIG!!!"

The gwiv nominated, isabelle maja approved Jacque-Imo's produced fabulous fried chicken washed down with a couple of abita ambers, though austin leslie wasn't in the kitchen.

When I was in Mississippi for the Southern Foodways Conference, I had the privilege of eating lunch with Austin Leslie. Sometimes it is simply wonderful to be uninformed. I knew he was a Chef. I knew he was from New Orleans. From our conversation, he knew quite a bit about fried foods. I just couldn't quite get the name of his restaurant. So I handed him my notebook to write the name of his restaurant:



Just last night I was imparting frying wisdom from Austin, he raises the temperature of the food to be fried AFTER it has begun frying. After his chicken is fried, he sprinkles on fresh parsley, garlic and sliced dill pickles. He also described some signature dish, I don't quite understand what it was, but they had to keep the item rotating in the grease to obtain the shape it is known for. He held up some very well worn hands to observe they have been in the grease quite often themselves.

Same evening, he was one of four chefs, including Scott Peacock, who made fried chicken. The only negative, which was none of the chef's faults, the organic chicken provided was in the 6 pound roaster range rather than frying chicken size which is 4 pounds and under. So to enjoy everything, you needed to pair up to get an adequate portion and still have room for more. I ate dinner with Holly Moore, where we split these giant pieces of chicken and took turns running for the next one to try.

Sometimes life is very good.

Cathy,

Very cool autograph, I just happen to have one of those myself.



I've been eating some damn good fried chicken lately, but nothing compares to, at least the memory of, Chez Helene. ~sigh~



Enjoy,
Gary

HI Gary,

Cool autograph, as well!

You know, I really wasn't seeking his autograph. I just couldn't quite understand the name of the restaurant. I was somewhat startled when he went into full autograph signing mode, especially in my notebook.

I guess I lucked out in sitting next to him. I will try to get around to writing up about this conference this weekend before I forget more details.

Apparently Austin Leslie has a new gig. This from the Gambit's "Food News" section today:

Stir Fry
Austin Leslie, the deep-frying impresario in the white captain's cap who spent nearly a decade in the kitchen at Jacques-Imo's (8324 Oak St., 861-0886), is now the head chef at Pampy's Creole Kitchen (2005 N. Broad St., 949-7970), according to General Manager Deinira Angelain. Fried chicken was already a staple at Pampy's; now more than ever it's a destination -- Leslie's celebrated version is garnished with garlic, parsley and pickle slices.

Pampy's Web Site

I'm heading down to New Orleans this weekend. I'll try & get over to Pampy's & report back.

Yea, I was just reading my latest issue of the Tulanian, which believe or not, was the foodie issue. They highlighted a bunch of alums in the food biz, including the owner of Jaques-Imo who got an MBA at Tulane the same time I was around. The article mentioned that Austin Leslie was no longer his partner. I was wondering what happened. Any more details?

Rob

One place that I love, but have been hesitant to recommend is Mosca's WAY out of town on US 90. I've heard mixed things about it of late, and I have last been there in 94, but it is still a place I hold in my heart. Anways, Tom Fitzmorris reviews it today in his daily newsletter, and it is mostly positive. See below.

RESTAURANT REPORT

Mosca's
Ratings: 86, 4$
Waggaman: 4137 U.S. 90
436-9942
Dinner only, Tues.-Sat.
No credit cards accepted.

Lots of people drive by the old frame structure on US 90 in
Waggaman wondering what kind of dive THAT must be. Mosca's
has the look of a roadhouse where the customers eat poor boys
and red beans and bacon and eggs and grits while smoking lots
of cigarettes. The "Since 1946" legend on the sign outside
suggests that it sure looks it, rather than venerability.

But what about that bunch inside? Eating the piles of food and
drinking red wine from rocks glasses? They must know
something. Enough of them exist to keep Mosca's full five nights
a week, despite the daunting prospect of driving out on that old
highway, with enough cash to negotiate through the no-checks,
no-cards policy.

A third group--also very large--is composed of people who have
been to Mosca's, but not lately. They are identified by their
standard question, "Is Mosca's is still any good?"

Yes. Mosca's has not changed much. The menu, save for the
prices, is identical to the one you saw the first time you tried the
place, whenever that may have been.

Back then, Mosca's was the only sign of civilization for miles on
Highway 90. Now the houses and stores are creeping up. There's
even a traffic signal a few yards away. But the primordial marsh
still hosts a chorus of croaking and chirping animals to listen to
as you make your way to the battered front door. Just inside is
the bar, where, like as not, you'll park yourself for awhile in wait
for a table. (And hear more croaking and chirping.) No flagrant
hospitality will be in evidence, neither here nor at the table.

If your purpose is other than to eat a lot of good food and drink
Italian wine, Mosca's will not be the place for you. Creature
comforts and niceties of service are at the low end of scale.

Mosca's food is exactly as good as I remember it from all my
previous dinners. But each new visit brings less satisfaction.
Many other restaurants have moved into the gustatory arena that
Mosca's used to have to itself. We can now find lusty Italian food
with unapologetically-applied garlic from many other sources.

Mosca's serves family style; all the entrees are too big for one
person. Order as you would in a Chinese restaurant. Then big
platters of various dishes will land as they become ready in the
center of the table. Plates (and forks and knives) are dropped in
a pile by the waitress, and you pass them around and begin
helping yourself.

Everybody seems to eat the same dishes: crabmeat salad, Italian
oysters, Italian shrimp, chicken alla grande (or, perhaps,
cacciatore) and spaghetti bordelaise. That's easily enough for a
full dinner for four.

There's nothing much to the crab salad--white crabmeat tossed
with plain old lettuce in Italian dressing--but none of it will be left
over. The Italian oysters (everybody else calls them "oysters
Mosca") is one of the two or three best oyster dishes in town,
baked in a matrix of bread crumbs, garlic, herbs, olive oil, and
(I'm guessing) a little Italian sausage.

The Italian shrimp are a completely different dish, both from the
Italian oysters and the barbecue shrimp with which they're often
compared. They're still in the shells, roasted to crispy and almost
black here and there with olive oil, whole cloves of garlic,
rosemary, and further herbs.

The simple roast chicken is cut up into pieces after being roasted
with rosemary and garlic: classic. The grande version is made
with fried potatoes and chicken hunks with more garlic and olive
oil. Somehow, you never get tired of all this garlic.

The filet mignon is huge and terrific. If they have any homemade
Italian sausage left, get it, paired up with Mosca's distinctive
roasted potato.

There's not much for dessert besides funny cheesecake and the
even funnier pineapple fluff, but there's likely no room, anyway.

An essential strategem at Mosca's is to let them do things their
way. You won't get it any other way anyway. Just lean back,
loosen your belt, and dig in.

I've not made it out to Mosca's yet, as it is quite a hike from my usual Uptown haunts, but I have heard several good reports recently & it is working its way to the top of the list.

The consensus seems to be that it is a better place for large groups than for small ones.

The Sicilian-Creole restaurant is my favorite NO variation on a theme. Sal & Judy's is another on the North Shore. I've been to yet another in Slidell, but can't recall the name. But I remeber the dish: fettucine with a red pepper cream sauce covered with way too many pristine fried oysters and atichoke hearts. Man.

Vital Information wrote:Yea, I was just reading my latest issue of the Tulanian, which believe or not, was the foodie issue. They highlighted a bunch of alums in the food biz, including the owner of Jaques-Imo who got an MBA at Tulane the same time I was around. The article mentioned that Austin Leslie was no longer his partner. I was wondering what happened. Any more details?

This article in the Times-Picayune explains the parting. There is a quote that he wanted to "get away from frying", which makes me wonder if his chicken will even be on the menu at Pampy's.

As I type this, my mouth is still burning from the wonderful creole mustard / horseradish / cayenne pepper sauce that makes Uglesich's Firecracker Shrimp one of my all-time favorite dishes. Went with all appetizers this morning, as is my norm there. The others were Shrimp & Grits, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp & Sweet Potato Souffle, Fried Oysters & Blue Cheese, the appropriately named Ecstasy (marinated shrimp w/ blue cheese dipping sauce), and a new one called Oysters Supreme, which is a much different preparation than the cormeal dusted Oysters & Blue Cheese. Oysters Supreme is more like little chunks of fried chicken, with a much heavier crust than you get from cornmeal. Most excellent.

Also picked up a signed copy of their great new cookbook, which is available on their web site at http://www.uglesichs.com

Saturday night we made the trek out to Mosca's, and it is a trek that I will definitely make again. Our group of three was a bit smaller than I would have preferred - the portion sizes are so huge that a group of 6-8 would have been more optimal. As it was, we had a lot of food left over. Chicken a la Grande stole the show - cut up pieces of chicken roasted in olive oil, heavy on the garlic and rosemary. Italian Oysters are their signature dish (prepared elsewhere as Oysters Mosca) - baked oysters w/ breadcrumbs. Yum. We also had the Italian Shrimp - a similar preparation to the Chicken dish, as well as Italian Sausage - four huge links served with boiled potatoes. Had to go with the straight out of the 50's Pineapple Fluff for dessert. Even that came in huge servings, easily enough for two.

Mosca's gets a big thumb's up.

Well I just got back from the big easy and am taking some time away from the treadmill to share what I ate after all the great tips. I went first on a Muffaletta bender and sampled them from Reginellis (clcose to where I was staying), Central Grocery, and Mediterranean Cafe. Central Grocery and Mediterranean Cafe were neck and neck, but I give the nod to Mediterranean Cafe based on size and I liked the flavor of the olive spread more (sidenote, are there any places that serve these in Chicago?).

From there it was Po'Boy time, but I must admit I didn't get far because I started with the Roast Beef from Parasol and that sidelined me for the afternoon with gutbusting fullness. It was delicous, tender beef and just the right amount of gravy on a feather-lite bun.

I of course had beignets, oysters, gumbo, etc. at random places but what really stood out was Dick and Jenny's. We ordered appetizers of fried oysters, crawfish dynamite over jalapeno cornbread (sort of a stew) and fried green tomatoes. All done to perfection. For entrees we had the filet with a worcestershire reduction and a cajun pork tenderloin stuffed with goat cheese and pine nuts. All in all this was one of the best meals I've had this year, period. No prestense, great food. I'll definitely be going back on return visits. Thanks again for the recs. I hope to check more off the list in December.

Abraus wrote:I of course had beignets, oysters, gumbo, etc. at random places but what really stood out was Dick and Jenny's. We ordered appetizers of fried oysters, crawfish dynamite over jalapeno cornbread (sort of a stew) and fried green tomatoes. All done to perfection. For entrees we had the filet with a worcestershire reduction and a cajun pork tenderloin stuffed with goat cheese and pine nuts. All in all this was one of the best meals I've had this year, period. No prestense, great food. I'll definitely be going back on return visits. Thanks again for the recs. I hope to check more off the list in December.

Dick & Jenny's is a fairly new place by New Orleans standards. It's only been around three or four years, I think. The Chef was formerly employed at Upperline Restaurant & his wife runs the front of the house.

One cool thing about D&J's that I forgot to mention earlier is that the walls in the dining room are covered with hand decorated dinner plates with peoples' names on them - "The John Boudreaux Family" & such. I think the folks on the plates are early customers and/or investors in the business. It would be pretty cool to be able to take guests to a place that good & have your name hanging on the wall, IMHO.

Dick changes the menu frequently, so you'll likely have several different options on your return visit. The best dish I ever had there was something called "Peppered Beef Gumbo" - a traditional dark roux gumbo w/ pureed beef and such a complex pepper profile that it was absolutely dazzling. Two of us in the group ordered it, and it was so good that we were both eating it a fraction of a spoonful at a time in order to savor every single drop... and it hasn't been on the menu once in the half dozen visits I have made since then.

Great place, and just a block down Tchoup from Tipitina's.

Dick & Jenny's
4501 Tchoupitoulas St.
504-894-9880

Bar Louie makes a decent muffaletta here in Chicago. Not as good but very muffaletta-like is the "original" at Schlotzsky's. The one from Bar Louie I can recommend. The Schlotzky's version is so-so. Neither is anything close to Central Grocery-good, however.

Met ABraus down here for the week and we engaged in some great chow.
Went on a Po'Boy rampage for a few days, the more notable of which were an oyster from Casamento's and a shrimp from Guy's and a roast beef from Parasol's. Casamento's is billed as an "oyster loaf," and it closely resembled a BLT--with thick grilled white bread and lettuce and tomato, and, of course, fried oysters, with mayo to boot. This was a great sandwich with good consistency, and we both liked the bread, though it seemed not to be traditional po'boy bread. Guy's was the winner of the seafood po'boys with their fried shrimp, which had a great spicy sauce as dressing and a nice chewy loaf. You can't beat Parasol's roast beef--just amazing thick gravy and chewy bread. Their fried oysters, in my opinion, were the best in the city, though their fried pickles were done in hamburger sliced pickles and were limp and pretty tasteless.
Hit Uglesich's (it's set to close any day now). Arrived at 10:00 and were second in line, though a huge line formed about 15 minutes after we arrived. Amazing bleu cheese stuffed fried oysters--they were rolled in a more cornmeal based breading than other places in town. Had an incredible shrimp and grits--shrimp remoulade, spicy, over a grit cake that was fried and mealy (in a great way) on the inside. Green tomatoes as well, which were pretty good, though ABraus pointed out that this has as much to do with the actual tomato as the preparation. Entrees were a barbecued shrimp--wonderful--and "Shrimp Uggie," which was basically shrimp in an oil and garlic sauce with an undetectable spice (so the menu said) to it. These latter had a pretty fair (as in less than good) shrimp to potato ratio, though i can see why this place is a hit over all. very good stuff, and i'd go back again.
Hit up Coop's for some sausage and rabbit jambalaya--this was easily the best "comfort" dish i ate down here--smoky and rich and quite good.
Hit up Felix's for oysters, across from Acme oyster shop, which had an egregious line out of it. We hit up this place mostly out of deference to my father, who ate his first oyster here whilst on a business trip with his father. Oysters were great. I can't imagine why people wait in line for Acme, though I noticed this in NO a lot--people waiting somewhere for the hype. Same oysters, people, though i suppose different atmosphere. the shuckers were very amiable and entertaining at Felix's, especially--though this is quite uncouth--a scantily (think two napkins and a doily as apparel) clad teen came in with her family and started downing oysters in a manner that the shuckers seemed unfit to believe--"Oh gawd! Somebody get me a camera!".
I wouldn't recommend the restaurant portion--just sidle up to the bar, make some conversation, and slurp 'em down and get out. Their crawfish is great too--spicy, and it seemed that the shuckers just ate from plates in front of them on the bar in between oysters--so you can probably just ask for a taste of one. They're amiable guys, like I said.
Highlight of trip was last night's trip to Dick and Jenny's. Started off with "cheesecake" of tasso ham and crawfish. This was more of a quiche, as you might expect, but the smokiness of the ham and the flavor of the sea were great, especially when paired with the pepper coulis they had to dip it into.
Adam had some sort of double filet, one stuffed with crabmeat, and the other with lobster and a buerre blanc. I had goatcheese-stuffed pork tenderloin with an herby balsamic reduction, and of course, yams. this was incredible.
This place is a gem--very reasonable prices--most under 20 for entrees (pork was 16, adam's was 21 I think). Go here. We got there at 5 and were seated at 5:30--when the restaurant opened, so, that's a good option to just wait outside until it opens.
Thanks for the recs. NO is a great town. Time for a new crawfish boil.