I live in New Orleans and am looking for a nice restaurant to bring my girlfriend to. It's for her birthday so I want it to be perfect--beautiful and great-tasting. It can also be in Metairie or even the Northshore. I just need to find a place. We both love Italian, Cajun, Creole, and basically everything else LA has to offer. We love the French Quarter and recently went to Cafe Giovanni. It was FANTASTIC! However, I really want to surprise her with something new. Please help me! Thanks!
2007-01-07 15:34:34 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Dining Out ➔ United States ➔ Other - US Dining Out
Gautreau's, New Orleans Restaurant
1728 Soniat St.
New Orleans, LA 70115
504-899-7397
hibernia.com
Cuisine(s): contemporary, french
Rating: - see reviews below
Price: $$$
Awards: fodors choice, gayot top 10 food ratings
Ambiance: singles scene, family/kid friendly, romantic, business, elegant
Features: valet parking, private rooms, good for groups, fine wines
gautreau's, new orleans, la - gautreau's reviews and details - 10best"
"chic and intimate are the best words to describe this residential bistro. located in a former uptown pharmacy, gautreauis offers a relaxing and elegant dining experience. the menu boasts modern french creole dishes like roasted chicken, grilled beets with goat cheese and walnuts, or veal..."
Herbsaints was recently listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the country in Gourmet magazine.
Herbsaint - contemporary, french - $$$ - 504-524-4114
701 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA
"upscale food and downscale prices are among herbsaints assets. chef donald link turns out food that sparkles with robust flavors and top-grade ingredients. small plates and side dishes such as charcuterie, crudites, a knock-em-dead shrimp
Lilette
3637 Magazine St.
Uptown
504-895-1636
liletterestaurant.com
On any given night at Lilette, rail-thin twentysomethings sip Champagne at the crowded bar, while well-fed establishment types, from newspaper editors to top lawyers, dine on creamy leather banquettes — and everyone under the pressed-tin ceiling seems deliriously happy. And why not? Chef-owner John Harris's fabulous American-French-Italian fare includes the best steak and fries in town, black drum fish wrapped in crispy thin potato slices, and a wonderfully refreshing chilled corn soup accented with a dollop of crab and avocado salad.
Galatoire's
209 Bourbon St.
French Quarter
504-525-2021
galatoires.com
Friday lunch at this local institution marks the unofficial, three-martini start of the weekend for the city's business elite, who dispatch their minions in midmorning to wait on line. Even if you don't travel with your own private secretary, it's still worth the trouble of lining up. Southern drawls bounce off the black-and-white checked floors and elegant mirrored walls as you soak up old-money New Orleans at its most raucous. The extensive menu features French-Creole classics: thick, peppery gumbo, tangy shrimp rémoulade, steak with béarnaise sauce, and dense pecan pie. That the restaurant won the 2005 James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant and is celebrating its 100th year only fuels the frenzy that has people fighting for a table at this no-res spot.
Feelings Cafe
2600 Chartres St.
Faubourg Marigny
504-945-2222
feelingscafe.com
On a rumpled corner in Faubourg Marigny, assorted locals — everyone from gay scenemakers to the tweed-jacket set — happily share a restaurant that they all consider their own hidden gem. It's made up of the main house and slave quarters of an old plantation. Sit at a candlelit table for two overlooking the brick courtyard, and indulge in new American fare prepared with New Orleans flair — catfish fillet topped with pecan onion butter, or chicken breast marinated in brandy and Dijon mustard. One of the most romantic spots in town, Feelings fairly drips with sultry Southern charm.
2007-01-07 15:53:42 · answer #1 · answered by the cynical chef 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't know if you are looking for upscale fine dining or something casual. But my husband and my favorite romantic, unique and incredibly delicious restaurant is this romantic and intimate place that we discovered through locals on Frenchman Street in the Faubourg Marigny District (just 2 blocks outside french quarter) it is called Adolfo's (611 Frenchmen St., 504-948-3800). Call for a reservation the day before and be on time. It is a small candlelight italian restaurant with so much character located above the Apple Barrel Bar (which is even smaller). It is truly a locals place and not touristy or cheesy at all. It is divine. Make sure to try the mussells marinara and the crab/corn cannelloni. It is EXTREMELY reasonably priced as well. But trust me, it is some of the finest food in this city. There are plenty of unique and local type bars to visit for an after dinner drink as well. And after that, if you are looking for a late night dessert, La Peniche restaurant is the perfect place to go. Every kind of pie you could imagine and they are open LATE. If you do decide to dine at Adolfo's let me know what you think.... It is a great way to truly experience New Orleans as the locals do and not through the eyes of a drunken tourist on Bourbon Street.
2007-01-09 01:47:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Irene's is definitely different. It's been a long time since I've been there but it was certainly memorable. Here's the Frommer's review:
Irene's Cuisine
Cuisine FRENCH, ITALIAN
Hours Sun-Thurs 5:30-10:30pm; Fri-Sat 5:30-11pm
Address 539 St. Phillip St
Location The French Quarter
Reservations Reservations accepted only for Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Valentine's Day
Phone 504/529-8811
Prices Main courses $14-$18
Frommer's Review
Irene's is somewhat off the regular tourist dining path, and locals would probably prefer to keep it that way, even though they often have to wait upwards of 90 minutes for a table. (A friend of ours was their third customer post-Katrina, and the sight of the place nearly empty was shocking to him!) To many, the French Provincial/Italian food is worth the wait, and you may agree.
Once you enter, you will find a dark, noisy, cluttered tavern, with friendly waiters who seem delighted you came. We were thrilled by soft-shell-crab pasta, an entirely successful Italian/New Orleans hybrid consisting of a whole fried crustacean atop a bed of pasta with a cream sauce of garlic, crawfish, tomatoes, and wads of basil leaves. The panned oysters and grilled shrimp appetizer can be magnificent, and don't forget pollo rosemarino -- five pieces of chicken marinated, partly cooked, marinated again, and then cooked a final time.
2007-01-08 13:35:47 · answer #3 · answered by MDHarp 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.emerils.com/restaurants/neworleans_emerils/
I've been to three of Emeril's properties and the food has always been some of the best I've ever eaten... and the service has been perfection in each restaurant. 100% attention to every minute detail without hovering to the point of annoying. Just classic with each detail covered beautifully for every diner.
It's not hoity-toity glamourous... but casual elegance at its finest... making you feel as though being catered to in this fashion is "just what we do here." He has three properties to choose from there... Delmonico and NOLA are in New Orleans as well... NOLA is more casual, Cajun, Creole... I'd probably stick with Emeril's for what you're looking for during this visit... but all three have reopened for business now.
Tell them when you call that it's for her birthday and you want it to be special and they will provide the perfect birthday experience :)
I know, because I went to Emeril's in Orlando for my birthday and it was just perfect, perfect, perfect in every way, thanks to the incredible food and especially the perfectly trained waitstaff.
Enjoy!
2007-01-08 00:06:33 · answer #4 · answered by thegirlwholovedbrains 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Galatoire's
209 Bourbon St.
French Quarter
504-525-2021
galatoires.com
Galatoires is simply the best.Very romantic,wonderfull atmosphere,great service, and the food is impecable.My husband is from New Orleans, and we go there every time we come into town.We had our rehersal dinner there, so we celebrate our anniverserys there also.Go and check it out before you decide.They will be happy to show you around.
2007-01-08 03:50:54 · answer #5 · answered by vrc7806 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Brennans
Commanders Palace
2007-01-08 06:28:33 · answer #6 · answered by Nydia M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Commander's Palace
Gallorties
2007-01-08 09:31:42 · answer #7 · answered by lou 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Brennan's in the Quarter's.
2007-01-07 15:37:48 · answer #8 · answered by tjdepere2003 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋