vpFREE2 Forums

OT for misscraps and others interest in going to New Orleans

#1

A regular contributor on a message board of a stock we both own lives
in New Orleans. I posted an OT message for him about your post here
regarding your recent trip there. Below is his reply.

···

--
Thanks for the "head's up".

In this food-obsessed city, good Chefs are given a special celebrity
status. And `Yes', John Besh is one of our celebrity star chefs here
in New Orleans. He owns several restaurants here, including a great
steakhouse inside of the casino and August just down the block.

Here's the menu from August

http://www.restaurantaugust.com/pdf/samp…

I enjoy Besh's cooking, but tend to gravitate to the smaller intimate
or more casual eateries (there are literally HUNDREDS to explore and
discover). If you correspond with MissCraps on a regular basis and she
is coming back to town, I can recommend several places but would be
remiss not to suggest Gautreau's in the Uptown area. Chef Sue Zemanick
was selected as one of the Top-10 Best New Chef's in America April
2008 by Food and Wine Magazine. I have yet to try it because
reservations are hard to get after the recent fanfare but friends rave
about it.

http://www.gautreausrestaurant.com/

Don't get me wrong, Besh is no slouch, he won The "King of Seafood"
award at the 2004 Great American Seafood Cookoff (among many other awards)

http://www.chefjohnbesh.com/press.html

All fame is fleeting. The competition for best Chef in the city is as
fierce as in any city in the WORLD and the "Old Guard" (John Besh,
Paul Prudehome, Emeril Lagasse, Susan Spicer, etc.) are constantly
being challenged by new Chefs - many of whom trained under them! and
are branching out on their own.

The music scene is just as exciting.

It's always fun just to go and taste and hear "what's new". For all of
its many serious problems, I DO LOVE this town.

#2

Thanks for the dining tips. We will be heading for a one week trip to the Big Easy in June staying at the Marriot on Canal St. Any other gastronomic-delight-restaurants within 50 miles would be appreciated. We are aware of the Commanders Palace and other well know places (Besh and Prudehomme and Brennens) but would appreciate tips reviews on the out-of-the-way places.

I remember eating at a place in Metaire that had the absolute best oyster poor boy (16 oysters!!!!) but can't remember the name. It was a local diner type place in a strip mall. Please, is this familiar to anyone?

···

--- On Tue, 12/30/08, vpcostsmoney <vpcostsmoney@gmail.com> wrote:
From: vpcostsmoney <vpcostsmoney@gmail.com>
Subject: [vpFREE] OT for misscraps and others interest in going to New Orleans
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 8:21 PM

            A regular contributor on a message board of a stock we both own lives

in New Orleans. I posted an OT message for him about your post here

regarding your recent trip there. Below is his reply.

--

Thanks for the "head's up".

In this food-obsessed city, good Chefs are given a special celebrity

status. And `Yes', John Besh is one of our celebrity star chefs here

in New Orleans. He owns several restaurants here, including a great

steakhouse inside of the casino and August just down the block.

Here's the menu from August

http://www.restaura ntaugust. com/pdf/samp. ..

I enjoy Besh's cooking, but tend to gravitate to the smaller intimate

or more casual eateries (there are literally HUNDREDS to explore and

discover). If you correspond with MissCraps on a regular basis and she

is coming back to town, I can recommend several places but would be

remiss not to suggest Gautreau's in the Uptown area. Chef Sue Zemanick

was selected as one of the Top-10 Best New Chef's in America April

2008 by Food and Wine Magazine. I have yet to try it because

reservations are hard to get after the recent fanfare but friends rave

about it.

http://www.gautreau srestaurant. com/

Don't get me wrong, Besh is no slouch, he won The "King of Seafood"

award at the 2004 Great American Seafood Cookoff (among many other awards)

http://www.chefjohn besh.com/ press.html

All fame is fleeting. The competition for best Chef in the city is as

fierce as in any city in the WORLD and the "Old Guard" (John Besh,

Paul Prudehome, Emeril Lagasse, Susan Spicer, etc.) are constantly

being challenged by new Chefs - many of whom trained under them! and

are branching out on their own.

The music scene is just as exciting.

It's always fun just to go and taste and hear "what's new". For all of

its many serious problems, I DO LOVE this town.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#3

Possibly Bozo's?

If you're spending a full week, do yourself a favor and go catch Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf on Tuesday night.

Robert Romanyshyn wrote:

···

Thanks for the dining tips. We will be heading for a one week trip to the Big Easy in June staying at the Marriot on Canal St. Any other gastronomic-delight-restaurants within 50 miles would be appreciated. We are aware of the Commanders Palace and other well know places (Besh and Prudehomme and Brennens) but would appreciate tips reviews on the out-of-the-way places.

I remember eating at a place in Metaire that had the absolute best oyster poor boy (16 oysters!!!!) but can't remember the name. It was a local diner type place in a strip mall. Please, is this familiar to anyone?

--- On Tue, 12/30/08, vpcostsmoney <vpcostsmoney@gmail.com> wrote:
From: vpcostsmoney <vpcostsmoney@gmail.com>
Subject: [vpFREE] OT for misscraps and others interest in going to New Orleans
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 8:21 PM

#4

<I remember eating at a place in Metaire that had the absolute best
oyster poor boy (16 oysters!!!!) but can't remember the name. It was a
local diner type place in a strip mall. Please, is this familiar to
anyone?>

While there are probably HUNDREDS of places like the one you mention
here, you are probably thinking about Harbor Seafood on Williams
(kinda near the airport). If not,you SHOULD be. I've never counted
the oysters in the po'boy (how GAUCHE, lol) but I know that a dozen
raw oysters used to be $3.99, and they were the best in the city. The
place is connected to their retail fish store, if you want to try
cooking some at home...:slight_smile: I took a friend there a few years ago
(pre-K, sadly) and we literally bought one of everything on the menu.
Cheap AND good - as one can find only in Louisiana.

If you want to take another trip in Metairie, go to Drago's for the
charbroiled oysters appetizer. Be sure to ask the hostess for a hand
painted oyster shell on the way in (or out if she's busy), and sit at
the bar. Then go
across the street diagonally to Crazy Johnny's and get the bbq shrimp,
filet and 'crazy potatoes'. I can't count how many times I
left Metairie stuffed to the gills.

Now I have to log off and cry. Vegas is food hell compared to
Louisiana, but then again, where isn't?

#5

Or, just go to their location in the hotel across the street from Harrah's.

Highly recommended.

···

On 12/30/08, dixiepokerace <bigrich@publicist.com> wrote:

If you want to take another trip in Metairie, go to Drago's for the
charbroiled oysters appetizer.

#6

I'm sorry that I can't identify your great oyster diner. But
there are so many superb eateries in NO, that it's difficult
to find a really poor one. New Orleaneans are very fussy about
their food. The bad places would not stay in busines very
long.

Two restaurants that I would highly recommend are Brennans and
Tujaques. I have dined at both, several times, over the span of
many years. Neither place has ever disappointed me. IMO, both
are among the finest dining establishments in NO. They are both
also pricey, so bear that in mind if you're budget minded.
(Disclaimer: I have NOT been in NO since the awful hurricane.
Hopefully, when these grand old restaurants reopened, they were
as good as they had been in past years.)

If you are a fan of great jazz music,I would not miss going to
Preservation Hall. I have been there three times. Each time I have
been enthalled with the quality of the music.

Enjoy NO. IMO it is still a world class city.

~Babe~

···

===============================================
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "dixiepokerace" <bigrich@...> wrote:

I remember eating at a place in Metaire that had the absolute best
oyster poor boy (16 oysters!!!!) but can't remember the name. It was
a local diner type place in a strip mall. Please, is this familiar to
anyone?>

#7

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "jackessiebabe" <jackessiebabe@...>
wrote:

I'm sorry that I can't identify your great oyster diner. But
there are so many superb eateries in NO, that it's difficult
to find a really poor one. New Orleaneans are very fussy about
their food. The bad places would not stay in busines very
long.

I've made it a point to hit most of Harrahs partner restaurants in
NOLA. My personal favorite is Cafe Giovanni at the corner of Canal &
Decatur...within steps of the casino.

I was introduced to this eatery from another VPFree member and I've
been addicted since my first visit. Giovanni offers a six course
tasting experience which produces a response which can best be
described as a culinary orgasm. The typical six courses are oysters
Giovanni (lightly fried and plated with a mixture of six sauces),
spicy crap caprese salad, freshly prepared veal ravioli in heavenly
Bolognese, catch of the day followed by Giovanni's filet and home
made tiramisu.

The dining atmosphere is casual so when it's 95 degrees with 90%
humidity you can arrive in shorts and not receive the
pretentious `tude that some white table cloth joints in town suffer
from.

Cafe Giovanni happily accepts Harrahs dining vouchers and they also
offer a variety of packaged sauces and apparel if you end up with
extra on your voucher that you don't wish to waste.