Name your favorite "restaurants and dives" and why!

El Gato Negro by the French Market. Best fresh fruit margaritas in NOLA.

 

This for sure! Love that place.

Some others that come to mind are Crescent City Steakhouse, Hana for sushi uptown, Ciro's uptown, Antoine's/Galatoire's/Mr. B's in the French Quarter, Dick & Jenny's on Tchoupitoulas, Baru on Magazine, Tommy's in the wearhouse district. And there's a place uptown on Carrollton that has great margaritas and tapas and I can't recall the name right now. It's up around Oak Street.

 

I live a boring life on the northshore so I don't go out much in the city. That said, I've recently been to Lager's and the Bulldog; both are my kindof vibe.

In Slidell...

I recommend Palmettos On The Bayou for good food & drink and a nice atmosphere: http://palmettosonthebayou.net/.

For late night drinks my wife and I like Time Out Lounge: http://timeoutlounge.org/. It has a good crowd mix and the big plus (for us) is that the inside bar is smoke-free. It's a very sophisticated place, they don't let you wear a hat.

In Mandeville a must stop is the Barley Oak: http://www.thebarleyoak.com/. Great selection and food plus right on the lake.

 

I recently went to Charlie's Steakhouse and that places has such gooood steak...yum!

 

I like red fish tacos from juans

 

For N.O. it would still have to be Delmonicos http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/3/Emerils-Delmonico/

In Harahan it's Charlies http://www.charliesseafoodrestaurant.com/menu.html

Kenner is Le Parvenu http://www.leparvenu.com/

Metairie would have to be Vega's http://www.vegatapascafe.com/

The best and yes it's kind of on the Best Bank (Crown Point) Des Familles http://www.desfamilles.com/

 

Not New Orleans, but Latil's Landing (Houmas House) has some of the best food in all of Louisiana.

 

Katie's - Iberville @ Telemachus: We had our rehersal dinner here and the owner Scott Craig is one hell of a guy. It took him a while to get it back up and running (almost 5 years) after Katrina but it's back and better than ever. A true New Orleans neighborhood restaurant and the Boudreaux Pizza is not to be missed.
http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2009/10/popular_mid-city_restaurant_su.html

Mandinas - 3800 Canal St.: Another one that took time to get back after Katrina, but is now better than ever. Best catfish or trout almondine in the city!

Le Crepe Nanou - 1410 Robert St. Uptown: Great place for a romantic dinner, get there early as they do not take reservations and the line gets long quick.
http://www.lacrepenanou.com/index.html

The Beachcorner Bar - end of Canal St.: As of late it became known more as the site of an infamous bar brawl between off duty NOPD officers and sanitation workers which resulted in several cops being fired and an FBI investigation. That said it has some of the best burgers in the city which in my opinion are better,cheaper and served in a cleaner enviroment than Port of Call. Friendly barstaff and cold beer make it all the better!

Middendorfs - I55 @ Manchac: Best thin fried catfish in the world and worth the drive from NOLA or BR. They have also added a pier and a deck over the water for those who would prefer to arrive by boat and dine outside.

 

Are any Bud's Broilers still open? It's been a couple of decades (don't get to N.O. that often) but remember the cool vibe and colder Dixie beer! Also, how about some recommendations for fried oyster po'boys? Acme's were awful!

KevFla
Orlando

 

There are still a few BB's open through out the metro area. The location on City Park, just across from Delgado CC is open and recently went to 24 hrs. I last ate there about 4 months ago and all was good. They are pretty packed for lunch time, but other than that the wait is minimal.

So far as the fried oyster poboys (or any others) try Parkway Bakery
http://www.parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com/

or Domilise's
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=141

You can also try Katies (mentioned above). If you are with several folks they have a speciality poboy called "The Barge" it is an entire loaf of french bread filled with fried oysters, shrimp, and catfish.

 

Some friends and I are getting together to go to Mosca's very soon. Flaming Torch and Lebanon Cafe are on our list.

 

yes, they are. In fact, my brother loves the place so much he made a website about it, though I'm not sure how often he's been updating it. www.budsbroiler.com
My favorites are the #3 and the #7.

 

yep, definitely Parkway Bakery!

I'm not a big po-boy eater, but parasol's is good:

http://www.parasolsbarandrestaurant.com/

 

Wow; a true fan. Well done site.

IIRC I've only eaten there once and it was likely late 90s at the City Park location.

 

can't beat Drago's love dem oyesters, as far as a dive, hmmm Port O Call


Wade

 

I ate there today, but went to the one in Metairie on Causeway.

mmmm, love me the charbroiled oysters from Drago's! And Port O Call, yummmm!

 

Flaming Torch

My wife and I have dined at Flaming Torch twice this summer; it's fantastic. French Continental and done the right way. Les moules (mussels) are offered a couple of different ways... all wonderful. Everything we've had has been stellar. It's cozy, intimate and quiet. We brought a few friends from Switzerland last week and they loved it (and they KNOW excellent cuisine). Nice wine list as well.

As for Mosca's... well I hate to be a basher, but after eating (I wouldn't call it dining) there on more occasions than I care to admit over the last 20 years, I still say it sucks. Let me count the ways (I don't have time to count the 20+ ways why it sucks b/c my list is too long), but between the complete lack of ambiance (ZERO), 90º wine, overcooked and over-garlicky food (real, authentic food from Italy does NOT use that much garlic! I know, my wife is from Italy) and just the overall unfriendly vibe (and I'm from the immediate local area) I give it 1 out of 5. It gets "1" only for the oysters (which were better at Salvatore in Fat City, coincidently). You may love it and that is cool! I just say, for me - sucks.

Le Parvenu
It's closed; sorry! But Chef Dennis Hutley was the only Chef de Cuisine in the New Orleans area (save one, the late and great Chef Gérard Crozier) who CONSISTENTLy cooked stellar food time and time again. Perfection. He closed (thanks to the people that brought you the BP Oil B.S.)... He is still around trying to turn Chateau Country Club's kitchen around. He was at the Versailles on St Chas. Ave many many years ago.

Da Piero
Real Italian food.. 100% authentic from the mother land of Italia and superb Italian wines. They are from Rimini. Don't miss it.

Clementines Belgian Bistro
Sorry, it just closed as well. If you never had the opportunity then you missed the BEST steamed mussels done the way they do it in Bruxelles avec les frites. La Crêpe Nanou? Not even close.

Café Dégas
Very nice little bistro with great food. A little too claustrophobic with tables and chairs jammed on top of each other, but it has an al fresco (sort of) atmosphere with that big ass Oak growing through the floor and up through the ceiling.

 

I've got to add to this thread that I had the seafood gumbo at Arnaud's recently and it was AWESOME! I wanted to pick up the bowl and lick it.

 

don't think this was mentioned yet, but last night I ate at La Boca and it was delicious!
http://www.labocasteaks.com/
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Mmmm, that does look delicious, isn't that next to rock n sake? Btw, the rock n sake doesn't suck either.

 

Lately I like:

Gautreau's -- always good, nice atmosphere

Coquette -- close to the house and good

Eleven79 -- that have a killer pasta with lobster

The Delachaise -- social spot for wine and small plates

Ye old college inn -- I like the "new" version. Specials are usually good. Good and cheap!

Green Goddess -- Fun way to try lots of things

Domenica -- I am in the minority as not a big fan of Besh/August but this one of his is I like

And for dive, if you want to try something new, Cafe Abyssinia. Magazine St., Ethiopian food, don't let all the cabs scare you off.

 

yeah, it's by Rock n sake. I've heard that's good too but never tried it yet.

 

I am with you on Mosca's.

What a drag about Le Parvenu. It was one of the only good spots in Kenner :-(

 

I still cry about Le Parvenu's closing.
Which I cannot understand since we ate there so many times, I thought we'd keep the place in business "in perpetuity."