Back from New Orleans, with a fresh interview in tow. Well, the audio of an interview. Now I have to write the article, a task at odds with my general love of procrastination. More on the interview, and the restaurant where it took place, in a week or so.
While I was down in the Big Easy my friends and I tried a few restaurants for the first time. If you happen to be heading down to New Orleans, here’s a quick summary of the places we went to, which thankfully tended to be on the cheaper side.
All four of the restaurants happened to be inside the boundaries of the French Quarter, but I swear that wasn’t because of their proximity to the Quarter’s many bars.
RED FISH GRILL
115 Bourbon Street
Basic but brilliant fare. My friends and I make Red Fish Grill our first dining stop on our annual trip to the city. It’s low-key, cheap and makes great sandwiches, salads and cocktails. Most of the food is without fault excellent, but based off this year’s visit I think the $12 barbecue shrimp po’ boy might be the best thing on the menu.
PIERRE MASPERO’S
440 Chartres Street
Despite the hen parties and other inebriated diners, Pierre Maspero’s is a quiet place. Friendly service, though my dish of red beans, rice and grilled andouille sausage was rather bland and hardly memorable. Nothing too terrible about the food here, but hard to recommend given the many other options nearby.
THE ALPINE
620 Chartres Street
This restaurant apparently makes great seafood dishes. I say apparently because it was another red beans and rice night for me, while my friends tried crawfish, shrimp and tuna. They all spoke very highly of their food, and I can say the same for mine. The portions at The Alpine are also huge, served on plates twice the size of my head. Cheap, tasty food.
GALATOIRE’S
209 Bourbon Street
I had to break out the non-rubber credit card for Galatoire’s, a decades-old establishment at the start of boozy Bourbon Street on the edge of the Quarter. Everything on the menu is pricey yet worth it. Nothing novel about the food, but it excels at rich versions of basic dishes. I had chicken with caramelized onions and bacon. Doesn’t sound too thrilling, but it was the best dish I had all weekend. The one downside is the service. We were seated upstairs, where disorganization rules. Queue for a downstairs table.