Restaurants

New Orleans restaurant matriarch Miss Ella Brennan says that whereas in other places, one eats to live, "In New Orleans, we live to eat." Never was that more apparent than when the first high-profile restaurant -- as it happens, a Brennan family restaurant called Bacco -- reopened in the French Quarter post-Katrina. You can only imagine what that meant for the spirits and souls of the intrepid locals. Each returning restaurant is greeted with cries of pleasure and relief and the opening of every new place -- a startling number, as it happens -- is seen as an act of bold defiance that must be supported. Together, they indicate that normalcy and good times are returning to the city. But beyond that, they signify the return of family. Returning restaurants are often packed. And by nonscientific count, there are more restaurants in the non-flooded, basic tourist areas than there were pre-Katrina.

While it's wonderful when the high-profile folks return, New Orleans cuisine is not just about old-line fancy-pants places. It's also about the corner po' boy shops, and Miss Willie Mae's Scotch House, home to fried chicken so heavenly she was celebrated by a major culinary organization not long before the floodwaters destroyed her restaurant. In one of the shows of grace that emerge from adversity, local restaurateurs and others banded together to help her rebuild, with one vowing he wouldn't rest until that first plate of chicken was served. That's the kind of dedication to food and community that makes New Orleans.

You are going to want to eat a lot here. And then you are going to want to talk about it. After being in New Orleans for just a short amount of time, you will find yourself talking less about the sights and more about the food -- if not constantly about the food: what you ate already, what you are going to be eating later, what you wish you had time to eat. We are going to take a stand and say to heck with New York and San Francisco: New Orleans has the best food in the United States. (Some natives will gladly fight you if you say otherwise.)

We have to admit that neither the cuisine nor the cooking of New Orleans is all that innovative, with some exceptions. Many places are variations on either Creole or Italian (or both), and a certain sameness, if you are paying attention, can creep on to menus. Further, there is a long time citywide tradition wherein on those occasions a new dish does arrive, once it gains enough local credence, it then becomes a "standard" -- in other words, you can count on seeing it all over the place. This accounts for the omnipresence of shrimp rémoulade on fried green tomatoes, white-chocolate bread pudding, and a few other new "classics."

This may sound like we are denigrating the food of New Orleans. Believe us. We don't do that. It will take you awhile to notice any menu repetition, about the same amount of time it will take you to emerge from a coma that is brought on by equal parts butter sauce and pleasure.

This is the city where the great chefs of the world come to eat -- if they don't work here already. Many people love to do nothing more than wax nostalgic about great meals they have had here, describing entrees in practically pornographic detail. It is nearly impossible to have a bad meal in this town; at worst, it will be mediocre, and with proper guidance, you should even be able to avoid that.

Please keep in mind that all times and prices in the listings are subject to change as restaurants may still have issues with staffing or other economic ups and downs that may cause them to change hours on a whim. You should call in advance to ensure the accuracy of anything significant to you.

While it is true that the New Orleans food scene is dominated by places like Commander's Palace, it is also true that New Orleans food is a classic shrimp or hot sausage po' boy, dressed, of course, and a nectar snoball from a local family that has been making those things for generations. Places like that are brave to make a comeback, so if you see one open, take a chance and stop in. Tell them you are glad they are there. Ask 'em where you ought to eat next.

Food on the Fly -- Time has a way of disappearing, never again to be accounted for, in New Orleans. This is really not a problem, but still, you gotta eat, if only to keep your strength up for all that, well, whatever it was that you did or will do. So if you find yourself strapped for time, lacking a reservation, or just too exhausted to leave your hotel room, here are some options that deliver. (You might also take note of listings below for the exceptional Martin Wine Cellar, which offers superb takeout choices, the best in the city. Hopefully, it will be delivering again by the time you read this.) Do assume that with staffing problems as they are, deliveries may not be all that prompt, depending on when you call.

The Verdi Marte, 1201 Royal St. (tel. 504/525-4767), is a favorite with Quarter dwellers (they also deliver to the Faubourg Marigny). It's open from 8am to midnight (we hope they will be back eventually to their original 24-hr. schedule!) with bargain-basement prices for local dishes, plus decent salads and fine barbecue. Mona Lisa, 1212 Royal St. (tel. 504/522-6746), will deliver better-than-fine pizza and Italian dishes to you in the Quarter 7 days a week, though they are closed Tuesdays during the day. Rotolo's Marigny Pizza, 201 Decatur (tel. 504/948-3287), won our hearts when they set up a stand on Frenchmen to feed hungry, late-night club hoppers slices. Well located (next to House of Blues and near the aquarium), they deliver to most of the CBD, Quarter, and Marigny daily, and get this, are open until midnight Sun-Wed and until 2am Thurs-Sat.

For those staying uptown or near City Park, there's terrific pizza (try the Mediterranean, which is roasted garlic cloves and bell peppers, or the Sun Pie, with goat cheese and pesto) from Reginelli's, 741 State St. (tel. 504/899-1414). Better still is McHardy's, 1458 N. Broad St. (tel. 504/949-0000), which serves, seriously, the best fried chicken we've ever had -- and at 50¢ a piece, it's affordable for all budgets. They don't deliver, but you can get in and out of there, box (or bucket) of chicken (which, along with potato salad and chips, is all they serve) in hand, in under 5 minutes, unless it's really crowded.

Neighborhoods

Central Business District -- Note: Lil' Dizzy's has opened up a branch in the Wyndham Whitney Hotel. The space is considerably fancier, a bit at odds with the down home menu, but it's also bigger, and thus less likely to be as crowded as the original.

Metairie -- If you got "stuck" with a hotel room down in Metairie, don't despair. You don't have to go all the way to New Orleans to have some terrific food -- and you might even get better bargains outside of the "big city." Note: Semolina's, aka. Bistro Italia, also has two Metairie locations.