New Orleanian Recommendations

We had the good fortune of knowing some local New Orleanians who gave us some excellent recommendations. After wondering around Bourbon Street and sampling the latest pop drink, the Hand Grenade, we were ready to sit down and sample the legendary New Orleans’ cuisine. Our friends had recommended two local favorites: Nola Restaurant and Irene’s Cuisine. We were fortunate to experience both.

Nola is a local shortcut for “New Orleans, Louisiana” and Nola Restaurant is several blocks off Bourbon Street and is owned by emeril. The wait was very long but we were fortunate to grab a couple of seats at the bar. The food and service were excellent and we enjoyed the banter at the bar. The Crab Cakes with smoky eggplant puree stand out in my mind as we consider ourselves crab cake connoisseurs.

Irene’s Cuisine is a local secret and even has some juicy gossip. They claim they do no advertising and are totally word of mouth and don’t even have a web site. We were told to expect a wait, so we arrived early and put our name on the list and went for a walk. We were seated early upon our return and were greeted with a wonderful Bruschetta. I had the Crevette and we finished with the home made Gelato and Berries per our server’s recommendation. Everything lived up to it’s glowing reputation.

We wandered over to Jackson Square, had our cards read and then took a horse and buggy tour of the local neighborhoods with a colorful, local, self proclaimed Creole. Our guide was full of stories both historical and recent tales of recovery and seem to know everyone on the street. It was a peaceful break from the New Orleans party atmosphere.

Bon Voyage, Jay