OT: New Orleans

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

Need some suggestions guys. Wanting to take wife and 15 year old daughter to New Orleans for a long weekend; Thurs through Sunday. I haven't been in almost 20 years. Daughter has never been. Would like for her to see the sites, etc. Eat at some nice restaurants. Stay in a nice local. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

And for you degenerates who can't help yourselves, go ahead and make some funny suggestions; I know you can't wait. I'm sure I'll laugh at some. thanks

[Goindhoo]

Lot of places. Some of my favorites to eat: Mexican- superior grill or negro gato. Seafood/Cajun - superior seafood or Luizzas by tracks.
Brunch- atchalahaya.
WWII museum awesome

[CadaverDawg]

Gotta do Cafe Du Monde for beignets at breakfast. Other than that, I could suggest some restaurants, but it may be easier for you to search this forum and SPS forum for old New Orleans trip threads. I know there are several at SPS. Use the search bar in the top right of the forum to search. If you find them, post the links in this thread because I'd like to see them for if I go down there later this year.

[civildawg]

For sure do WWII museum and zoo.

For eating I suggest mothers for breakfast. Dominica for lunch one day. Herbsaint or la boca for dinner.

Pat O's piano bar if you go out a night

[BeardoMSU]

In the Quarter:
Port o Call for a great burger. They also do giant "deli-cup" cocktails. They'll get you drunk. (http://portofcallnola.com/)
Fiorella's Cafe for awesome fried chicken and red-beans and rice
Coop's Place (right across from Fiorella's) for fried seafood (http://www.coopsplace.net/)
Eat New Orleans for high quality creole at moderate prices (http://eatnola.com/)
Ali Baba's for an awesome gyro at the end of the night to soak up all the booze. located right off Bourbon.
The bar inside the lobby at Royal Sonesta has some of the best cocktails you can get, and they always have great live jazz.
Johnny's Po-Boys for the best poboy inside the quarter, and they deliver, which is pretty sweet (http://johnnyspoboys.com/)

Outside the quarter:
Commanders Palace. You'll need to make a rez, and probably won't want to take the child, but one of the country's most famous restaurants, and rightfully so, with amazing amazing food, and a very good value considering how much you get. Get the turtle soup fa sho. They also do great cocktails, and they have a really nice brunch. If you go for lunch, they have .25 cent martinis (max 3, lol). One of my favorite restaurants in the south (http://www.commanderspalace.com/).
Parasol's for my favorite po-boy in town (https://www.zomato.com/new-orleans/parasols-bar-restaurant-new-orleans)
Willie Mae's Scotch House for what some call the best fried chicken in the country (http://www.yelp.com/biz/willie-maes-scotch-house-new-orleans)
Pho-Orchid for very good Vietnamese (http://pho-orchid.com/)
Cleopatra's for some pretty damn good Middle Eastern food. It's on the westbank. (http://www.cleocuisine.com/)

[BeardoMSU]

Pat O's piano bar if you go out a night

This^^

[FlabLoser]

The zoo is world class.

Eats....incredible stuff all over the place. Throw a dart and don't eat at a chain and it's probably good. Couchon is my favorite..kinda pricey though. More moderately priced - Deanie's on the outside edge of the Quarter.

[Todd4State]

Really you can't go wrong with any of the restaurants in New Orleans. Unless it's a McDonald's.

Personally, I like Deanie's for massive fried seafood platters- and unfortunately for you crawfish season is over. As Flab said there is one in the Quarter and the original is in Metairie. I like GW Finns which is on Iberville in the Quarter- it's like Bonefish Grill on steroids. I also like Drago's- the original one is in Metairie but there is one near the Riverwalk Mall. It's Red Lobster on steroids. ACME Oyster House has really good oysters and is another favorite of mine. Mother's is really good and it's on Poydras St. near the Quarter and close to Harrah's. There might be a line, but don't let it scare you off- it moves quick.

My favorite hotel to stay in was the Hotel Monteleone which is in the French Quarter on Royal St. one street over from Bourbon. It's historic because Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Hemingway all stayed and wrote there. It's also haunted. Allegedly.

I love the aquarium because I can relax there. The WW II museum is awesome- plan on spending at least three hours there though if not more. There are some guided tours that are NOLA themed- there's a cemetery tour, a Garden District tour, a swamp tour, etc. There is a booth near Caf? Du Monde on St. Peter's St. that can hook you up with the tours. The Steamboat Natchez does a river cruise and it was pretty good- it takes about two hours. It has an optional catfish dinner with it. There are a lot of stores and places to walk up Magazine St. St. Charles Ave has a lot of old houses, but it's fun to walk up and down there too. The St. Charles street car is closed in uptown right now for most of their route because of construction. It's still a good way to get from the Quarter to Uptown.

[Bullsy]

Dayum, it's gonna be HOT in New Orleans this time of year. Woof.

We like Royal House for Dinner
http://www.royalhouserestaurant.com

And, court of two sisters for jazz brunch
Courtoftwosisters.com

[blacklistedbully]

Without question, when you go to New Orleans, you MUST go get a Muffuletta at Central Grocery, 923 Decatur St in the Quarter.

No trip to The Big Easy would be complete without a trip to Central Grocery. I kid you not, it would be a crime to not go there and get a, "Muff and a Dixie".
http://www.centralgrocerynola.com/

[FlabLoser]

Redfish Grill is killer. On Bourbon around the corner from ACME, whose shrimp poboy I like a lot.

[Billy Ray Valentine]

Really you can't go wrong with any of the restaurants in New Orleans. Unless it's a McDonald's.

Personally, I like Deanie's for massive fried seafood platters- and unfortunately for you crawfish season is over. As Flab said there is one in the Quarter and the original is in Metairie. I like GW Finns which is on Iberville in the Quarter- it's like Bonefish Grill on steroids. I also like Drago's- the original one is in Metairie but there is one near the Riverwalk Mall. It's Red Lobster on steroids. ACME Oyster House has really good oysters and is another favorite of mine. Mother's is really good and it's on Poydras St. near the Quarter and close to Harrah's. There might be a line, but don't let it scare you off- it moves quick.

My favorite hotel to stay in was the Hotel Monteleone which is in the French Quarter on Royal St. one street over from Bourbon. It's historic because Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Hemingway all stayed and wrote there. It's also haunted. Allegedly.

I love the aquarium because I can relax there. The WW II museum is awesome- plan on spending at least three hours there though if not more. There are some guided tours that are NOLA themed- there's a cemetery tour, a Garden District tour, a swamp tour, etc. There is a booth near Caf? Du Monde on St. Peter's St. that can hook you up with the tours. The Steamboat Natchez does a river cruise and it was pretty good- it takes about two hours. It has an optional catfish dinner with it. There are a lot of stores and places to walk up Magazine St. St. Charles Ave has a lot of old houses, but it's fun to walk up and down there too. The St. Charles street car is closed in uptown right now for most of their route because of construction. It's still a good way to get from the Quarter to Uptown.
I like McDonald's

[Bob Sacamano]

Port of Call - Burgers
Parkway Bakery & Tavern - Poboys (you'll thank me later)
Cochon - Cajun/seafood
Acme - Raw oysters

[I seen it dawg]

Jacques imos is great. Brennans for brunch and you won't eat again until late dinner. Cafe maspero behind courthouse for chicken and waffles

[5 Star]

Lumpy Chucklelips.....off topic, but I was about to respond about NOLA then I realized I haven't been since before the hurricane myself....which doesn't seem like a long time, but that was a damn DECADE. You know you're getting old when you start referring to things that happened over a decade before.

I think my last trip to NOLA was a Saints/Rams MNF game around 2000 or 2001. That's when I jumped off the Saints bandwagon for good.

[Howboutdemdogs]

ACME Oyster House! The feel and taste of the quarter.

[Todd4State]

I like McDonald's

Just put some Tony Cachere's on it.

[Todd4State]

ACME Oyster House! The feel and taste of the quarter.

If nothing else it's fun to watch them shuck oysters at the oyster bar.

[LeakyD]

An LSU fan told me not to get the tea at Krystal's.

[GreenheadDawg]

I
Port of Call - Burgers
Parkway Bakery & Tavern - Poboys (you'll thank me later)
Cochon - Cajun/seafood
Acme - Raw oysters

Parkway is the tits.. We make the hour drive from Baton Rouge atleast once a month to go get a po-boy

[dawgoneyall]

just google in Jackson Square and go from there.

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Between this and looking at some older threads, I'm now going to have to whittle it down to a manageable itinerary. Lots of great suggestions. Trying to book in the next two-three weeks but finding a lot of places booked up.

Anyone have any experience with Hotel St. Marie? In the French Qtr. a couple blocks from Bourbon. Has overall good reviews. Moderately priced at $160 a night. They have a 2nd floor balcony room available.

[thedawg]

Have u ever tried priceline? I have used it ten or so times with three of those being in new Orleans... U don't get to actually pick ur hotel but u can pick ur neighborhood and how many stars... I always pick the quarter and at least four stars.. Last December I got the Marriott on Canal for $82 bucks a night.. I have never not gotten a really nice hotel I was comfortable with.. I mean four stars is fours stars.. I get that it's not for everyone

[civildawg]

I agree about Priceline

[Drew2425]

The Praline Connection on Frenchman Street
Stanley's in Jackson Square check out the Breaux Bridge Bendict with Boudin
Cochon Butcher is Great sweet atmosphere as well
The aquarium is better than the zoo in my opinion.

[Where'sWaldo]

An LSU fan told me not to get the tea at Krystal's.

I've never tried the tea. I always get the sackfull.

[BeardoMSU]

The Praline Connection on Frenchman Street


A couple things I found very interesting about them: 1) they put tripe in their gumbo, and 2) they have peas and carrots in their etouffee. Still very good, but quite odd...

[RougeDawg]

Depends on what you want to earn can't really go wrong with any seafood place downtown. I despise ACME and most locals feel it's overpriced. Mr. B's bistro is a nice blend of selection although $30-50 per person. This is the norm for most places of similar quality and atmosphere. When people visit we like to grab char grilled oysters at Drago's early afternoon and then dinner that evening somewhere. Cochon is a nice place of similar price. I really enjoy La Boca which is a fine steak place with Argentine cuisine. Peche seafood is a rather new place with damn good seafood. Most of these places are in the CBD but all within walking distance of FQ.

It will be damn hot this coming weekend so be prepared. Inside attractions are Aquarium, insectarium, and WWII. You can probably get a combo aquarium/insectarium pass for a day. Also the aquarium just opened a couple new exhibits which I haven't seen yet. WWII tskes a full day and is packed out on weekends. If you come early and want to go there, I suggest going a weekday for the least crowd.

Nightlife has many options. Of course there is the FQ. Frenchmen Street is fairly family friendly if you want to see some oddities. Magazine and Frerret Streets both have areas of lower key restaurants and bars. If staying downtown and want to go to these areas you can catch the Bus for $1.25 each. The magazine route has always been "riffraff" free when I've ridden it.

Can't go wrong really anywhere you choose. Just be sure to walk in well lit areas, stay with crowds, and avoid dark streets. They have recently upped police presence downtown with permanent State Troopers so everything should be quiet. Oh almost forgot, this weekend is the annual Tales of the Cocktail all over the FQ. Pretty much a week long cocktail party. http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/festivals/culinaryfestivals/totc.html

Enjoy!

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Have u ever tried priceline? I have used it ten or so times with three of those being in new Orleans... U don't get to actually pick ur hotel but u can pick ur neighborhood and how many stars... I always pick the quarter and at least four stars.. Last December I got the Marriott on Canal for $82 bucks a night.. I have never not gotten a really nice hotel I was comfortable with.. I mean four stars is fours stars.. I get that it's not for everyone

Can this be done several weeks in advance of a trip or does it need to be closer to the actual visit date to get the best deal?

[fishwater99]

Here's my list and a few links...

Fine Dining
Peche Seafood Grill - 800 Magazine St, New Orleans, 504.522.1744
Annunciation - 1016 Annunciation St, New Orleans, 504.568.0245
La Petite Grocery ? 4238 Magazine St, New Orleans, 504-891-3377
Cochon ? 930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, 504-588-2123
Herbsaint - 701 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, (504) 524-4114
Lilette - 3637 Magazine St., New Orleans, 504.895.1636
Domenica -123 Baronne St, New Orleans, 504-648-6020
Patois ? 6078 Laurel St., New Orleans, 504-895-9441
Restaurant August - 301 Tchoupitoulas Street New Orleans, 504-299-9777
Bayona - 430 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, (504) 525-4455
GW Fins - 808 Bienville Street, New Orleans, (504) 581-3467
Commander's Palace - 1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, (504) 899-8221
Luke - 333 St. Charles Ave. ? New Orleans, LA 70130 ? 504.378.2840
Mr. B?s Bistro - 201 Royal Street New Orleans, (504) 523-2078
Tableau - 616 St. Peters St., New Orleans, 504.934.3463

Neighborhood Food
Liuzza?s by the Track - 1518 N. Lopez St., New Orleans, 504.218.7888
Liuzza?s - 3636 Bienville Ave., New Orleans, 504.482.9120
Parkway Tavern & Bakery - 538 Hagan Ave., New Orleans, 504.482.3047
Elizabeth?s - 601 Gallier St.,New Orleans, 504.944.9272
Drago?s - Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras Street, New Orleans,, 504.584.3911
Mandina?s - 3800 Canal St., New Orleans, 504.482.9179
Casamento?s - 4330 Magazine St., New Orleans,504.895.9761
Joey K?s - 3001 Magazine Street, New Orleans, 504.891.0997
Jacques-Imo?s Caf? - 8234 Oak St.,New Orleans, 504.861.0886
Mimi's in the Marigny ? 2601 Royal St., New Orleans, 504-872-9868
Port of Call - 838 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, 504 523-0120
Mosca's - 4137 U.S. 90 W., Avondale, LA 504.436.8950
Two Sisters - 223 N. Derbigny St., New Orleans, 504.524.0056
Bacchanal Wine - 600 Poland Avenue, New Orleans, 504-948-9111 http://www.bacchanalwine.com/

http://www.nola.com/bar-guide/index.ssf/2014/07/new_orleans_top_10_bars_for_20.html

http://www.nola.com/dining-guide/

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/food/Content?oid=2243580

[drunkernhelldawg]

ACME Oyster House! The feel and taste of the quarter.

Felix is right across the street from Acme. Just as good without the line and with slightly better prices. I personally like it better.

[Tbonewannabe]

In the Quarter:
Port o Call for a great burger. They also do giant "deli-cup" cocktails. They'll get you drunk. (http://portofcallnola.com/)
Fiorella's Cafe for awesome fried chicken and red-beans and rice
Coop's Place (right across from Fiorella's) for fried seafood (http://www.coopsplace.net/)
Eat New Orleans for high quality creole at moderate prices (http://eatnola.com/)
Ali Baba's for an awesome gyro at the end of the night to soak up all the booze. located right off Bourbon.
The bar inside the lobby at Royal Sonesta has some of the best cocktails you can get, and they always have great live jazz.
Johnny's Po-Boys for the best poboy inside the quarter, and they deliver, which is pretty sweet (http://johnnyspoboys.com/)

Outside the quarter:
Commanders Palace. You'll need to make a rez, and probably won't want to take the child, but one of the country's most famous restaurants, and rightfully so, with amazing amazing food, and a very good value considering how much you get. Get the turtle soup fa sho. They also do great cocktails, and they have a really nice brunch. If you go for lunch, they have .25 cent martinis (max 3, lol). One of my favorite restaurants in the south (http://www.commanderspalace.com/).
Parasol's for my favorite po-boy in town (https://www.zomato.com/new-orleans/parasols-bar-restaurant-new-orleans)
Willie Mae's Scotch House for what some call the best fried chicken in the country (http://www.yelp.com/biz/willie-maes-scotch-house-new-orleans)
Pho-Orchid for very good Vietnamese (http://pho-orchid.com/)
Cleopatra's for some pretty damn good Middle Eastern food. It's on the westbank. (http://www.cleocuisine.com/)

I liked a restaurant called Upperline better than Commander's Palace. An old woman owns the place and walks around to the tables talking to everyone. Best tasting menu I ever had. I did go for brunch at Commanders Palace and dinner at Upperline so that might have something to do with it. Upperline is very eclectic inside but the food is fantastic. It is actually on Upperline Avenue around the Garden district I think.

[Tbonewannabe]

Dayum, it's gonna be HOT in New Orleans this time of year. Woof.

We like Royal House for Dinner
http://www.royalhouserestaurant.com

And, court of two sisters for jazz brunch[/B]
Courtoftwosisters.com

My wife has to eat there every time she goes. The one time we were both there when we could go, she was too hung over from drinking her first Hurricanes. Apparently it is awesome.

[Tbonewannabe]

Here's my list and a few links...

Fine Dining
Peche Seafood Grill - 800 Magazine St, New Orleans, 504.522.1744
Annunciation - 1016 Annunciation St, New Orleans, 504.568.0245
La Petite Grocery ? 4238 Magazine St, New Orleans, 504-891-3377
Cochon ? 930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, 504-588-2123
Herbsaint - 701 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, (504) 524-4114
Lilette - 3637 Magazine St., New Orleans, 504.895.1636
Domenica -123 Baronne St, New Orleans, 504-648-6020
Patois ? 6078 Laurel St., New Orleans, 504-895-9441
Restaurant August - 301 Tchoupitoulas Street New Orleans, 504-299-9777
Bayona - 430 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, (504) 525-4455
GW Fins - 808 Bienville Street, New Orleans, (504) 581-3467
Commander's Palace - 1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, (504) 899-8221
Luke - 333 St. Charles Ave. ? New Orleans, LA 70130 ? 504.378.2840
Mr. B?s Bistro - 201 Royal Street New Orleans, (504) 523-2078
Tableau - 616 St. Peters St., New Orleans, 504.934.3463

Neighborhood Food
Liuzza?s by the Track - 1518 N. Lopez St., New Orleans, 504.218.7888
Liuzza?s - 3636 Bienville Ave., New Orleans, 504.482.9120
Parkway Tavern & Bakery - 538 Hagan Ave., New Orleans, 504.482.3047
Elizabeth?s - 601 Gallier St.,New Orleans, 504.944.9272
Drago?s - Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras Street, New Orleans,, 504.584.3911
Mandina?s - 3800 Canal St., New Orleans, 504.482.9179
Casamento?s - 4330 Magazine St., New Orleans,504.895.9761
Joey K?s - 3001 Magazine Street, New Orleans, 504.891.0997
Jacques-Imo?s Caf? - 8234 Oak St.,New Orleans, 504.861.0886
Mimi's in the Marigny ? 2601 Royal St., New Orleans, 504-872-9868
Port of Call - 838 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, 504 523-0120
Mosca's - 4137 U.S. 90 W., Avondale, LA 504.436.8950
Two Sisters - 223 N. Derbigny St., New Orleans, 504.524.0056
Bacchanal Wine - 600 Poland Avenue, New Orleans, 504-948-9111 http://www.bacchanalwine.com/

http://www.nola.com/bar-guide/index.ssf/2014/07/new_orleans_top_10_bars_for_20.html

http://www.nola.com/dining-guide/

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/food/Content?oid=2243580

Mr. B's has the best shrimp and grits you will eat.

[FISHDAWG]

For sure do WWII museum and zoo.

For eating I suggest mothers for breakfast. Dominica for lunch one day. Herbsaint or la boca for dinner.

Pat O's piano bar if you go out a night

Herbsaint is fantastic - peppercorn seared tuna on St Charles place just down from the quarter ...... brunch = Court of Two Sisters for brunch ...... probably shouldn't take a 15 yr old down Bourbon St.- they will ask questions you will have a hard time trying to explain

[BeardoMSU]

I liked a restaurant called Upperline better than Commander's Palace. An old woman owns the place and walks around to the tables talking to everyone. Best tasting menu I ever had. I did go for brunch at Commanders Palace and dinner at Upperline so that might have something to do with it. Upperline is very eclectic inside but the food is fantastic. It is actually on Upperline Avenue around the Garden district I think.

I like Upperline too; great food.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Go into St. Louis Cathedral to cool off and to enjoy the beauty. Get lucky and visit while the choir is practicing. Or go for Mass, if you're so inclined.

One fun thing to do is get on the streetcar downtown and ride down St. Charles to Napolean or so. Then ride back. Avoid commuting hours for this.

Also, ride the ferry across the river and back. Pedestrian only these days.

Your fifteen year old may enjoy that huge mall along the river. The zoo is unmatched, but the aquarium is cooler this time of year.

Lots of nice shops and galleries on Magazine street. Also, Oak Street near the Maple Leaf Bar has some cool shops.

Crescent City Steaks on Broad Ave. hasn't been mentioned. You need to walk down Frenchmen Street, too.

Get out and walk around the quarter early in the morning to beat the heat. That right there is taking your family into another world.

[I seen it dawg]

Chef at Upperline has left and moved back to Shreveport. He is fantastic. Doesn't mean the food will suffer but he has been the guy there the last couple of years.

[Gordon Gekko]

Felix is right across the street from Acme. Just as good without the line and with slightly better prices. I personally like it better.

Exactly, Felix is better than ACME and you can generally walk in while the tourists are lined up for ACME.

[Dawgcentral]

Rates don't get better than this time of year, but it's too damn hot for me. I've spent enough time soaking wet in N.O. In June, July, and August.

But we really enjoy the Riverfront area. The view from the Hilton Riverside is fantastic. Take a Riverboat Cruise. Have a few drinks and spin eloquence like Mark Twain. Make friends and order room service cheesecake at the end of the day.

[RougeDawg]

Felix is right across the street from Acme. Just as good without the line and with slightly better prices. I personally like it better.

Pretty sure Felix's got shut down due to too many instances of serving under aged kids. There's something new there now but haven't been.

[Todd4State]

Pretty sure Felix's got shut down due to too many instances of serving under aged kids. There's something new there now but haven't been.

Did this happen recently? I was just there like three months ago.