Dining in New Orleans: An Essay

New Orleans is world famous as a dining destination. The reasons are many. Sheer number is an impressive factor. There are over twelve hundred restaurants in the New Orleans metro area and climbing. While the national franchises are represented they do not dominate the palette of culinary choices. New Orleans is a cultural melting pot and that cultural diversity is showcased on the local menu. The menu also varies from no prices at all, resulting in as much as a four hundred dollar per person tab, to a very reasonable but delicious five dollar plate lunch. The preponderance of the New Orleans’ gastronomic offerings is in the ten to fifteen dollar entrée category. Reviewing a variety of restaurants focusing on the ten to fifteen dollar per entrée price point provides the best overall portrait of dining in New Orleans.

Creole cuisine is the heart of the New Orleans experience. It is a remarkable blend of French, African, Native American, and Spanish cultural cooking. The Gumbo Shop located at St. Peter and Chartres Street is a fine example of Creole food and hospitality. Enjoy the atmosphere of one of the French Quarter’s most romantic courtyards. The centerpiece of any visit to The Gumbo Shop is one of three savory Gumbos; a seafood recipe, the traditional Acadian combination of chicken and andouille sausage, and the more unusual gumbo z’herbes made from various greens. The name Gumbo is the French interpretation of the African word for okra. Complimentary entrées would include Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, or Alligator Sauce Piquant. Finishing a Creole meal should involve a buttery bread pudding of some sort.

New Orleans has a rich Italian heritage. There is only one place in the world with a larger population of Sicilians, Sicily. One of the outstanding establishments in this genre is Vincent’s on St. Charles near the end of Carrollton. The best start to a meal at Vincent’s is the Corn, Crab Bisque served in a bread bowl. Many of the chef intensive dishes like Osso Buco, Veal Parmesan, and Bracialoni are masterfully crafted and presented. Bracialoni is a confounding dish made by stuffing a top round with bacon, artichoke hearts, garlic and parmesan, baking it just right and covering the beef with a perfect red sauce. Requesting some Tira Mi Su and an Espresso or Cappuccino to usher in the finale, and an evening in this, somewhat cramped, Italian dining room is a delicious memory.

New Orleans’ proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain provides local chefs with a wealth of the finest shrimp, oysters, and crab on earth. Inland waterways team with catfish and crawfish which add to this delectable collection of savory possibilities. There are several excellent seafood platters around the city. Deanie’s Seafood Market and Restaurant in Bucktown features one of these enormous platters, overflowing with shrimp, oysters, catfish and french fries. Deanie’s is also a great spot to try Barbequed Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffee. The restaurant was showcased on The Food Network and specifically documented the process for making huge vats of this Acadian country favorite, etouffee.

The final major category in the cuisine of New Orleans is Southern style cooking. Playing host to most of the comfort foods, fried chicken rules the roost. The Food Network named Willie Mae’s Scotch House the best fried chicken in America. Willie Mae’s is a Mid City eatery run by the granddaughter of the founder. Diners can fill up on the award winning chicken, pork chops, or smothered veal. The scrumptious side dishes include red beans, butter beans, potato salad and greens. The small dining room promotes neighborly interaction and a line out the door.

There are two sandwiches peppered through the menus of The Big Easy that must not be ignored in closing. The Muffaleta is a large, round, cold cut sandwich featuring a unique olive salad throughout. And the Po-Boy, a french bread encased staple that originally was served to hobos at the back doors of local cafes. Charitable chefs would put a small portion of meat or leftovers on a piece of the bread and give to those in need. Thus the name Po-Boy has stuck with the sandwich. The Ye Old College Inn on Carrollton reins “Best of Show” in the New Orleans Po-Boy festival for their Fried Green Tomato and Shrimp Remoulade masterpiece. Great debate could ensue over the best Roast Beef Po-Boy or any other menu item at the vast buffet that is New Orleans at its finest. Bon Appétit!