New Orleans Peeps: Need Help With Anniversary Gift
 

My friend (and soror) and her husband are going to be in New Orleans next week, and their anniversary happens to be one of those days. Where can they go? Nice restaurant or something? Hurry, cuz he is gettin' on my nerves.

There are plenty of restaurants that they can go to, depending on what they want to spend and eat. Considering that they may be staying downtown and don't want the hassle of getting to Metairie or the Westbank, I'll give a list of places in the French Quarter area.

Arnaud's
Tujague's
Ralph & Kacoo's
Mike Anderson's
Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse
Emeril's
Acme Oyster and Seafood House

They are just a few. If they can narrow it down to what they actually want to eat, I may be able to provide more.

I'm not a NO native, but I've heard good things about these resturants:

NOLA's (One of Emeril's as well. Very hard to get reservations for though)

RD, isn't there a place just called Brennen's? Maybe I am thinking of the one you named? Is Commander's Palace still open? Isn't that supposed to be a landmark?

The Ralph and Kacoo's we went to the last time we were there was pretty casual. Are they all like that? I assumed that for an anniversary they would want something really nice.

Dookie Chase's was not what I expected in terms of atmosphere, but it is a famous resturant and it is Black owned. I'm about supporting my own! It's not in the French Quarter, though.

Oh..and what about Copeland's? Although it's not that fancy.

That's the thing. Most of the restaurants in New Orleans are not "formal," but has the best food all around. The ambiance is always what is expected, but you get some REAL down-home cooking.

You MUST book in advance for NOLA reservations. Brennen's is also a good choice. Commander's Palace is a good choice also. That's another Brennen family owned restaurant. Ralph and Kacoo's is pretty casual, but the food is good.

OH WAIT!! I know a great place!! PAMPY'S!! It has good ambiance, is Black owned, and the food is great. It's not in the French Quarter, but it's worth it. It's only about two or three miles from the French Market. That would be a good choice for their anniversary.

Parking at Pampy's is a HOTT AZZ MESS!

ALL the parking in NO is a hott azz mess!

Don't forget about Deanie's Seafood. Ideal, that's where I took you all when you came down. You all had PLENTY of leftovers...

All of these are great suggestions. I LOVE Deanie's!!! Their slogan is "If you ain't in Bucktown, baby, you ain't no where!" I thought that it was ironic when they put another location up in the warehouse district. A place that I really like is Drago's. It's in the Fat City section of Metairie but it's worth it for the charbroiled oysters and lobsters. I couldn't get enough of those oysters when I was pregnant. The place is not formal but you do need a reservation because it is popular.

The only place that I would stay away from is Mother's off of Poydras. It's become a huge tourist trap.

WELL
 

MY FAVORITE IS.. P.F.CHANG

We have been to NO three times in the last year and a half for vacation and for a family reunion.

If they haven't booked a room yet, the Raddision near the French Quarter is very lovely. They also offer a lot of discounts like AAA, etc. We've been there twice in the last year--very nice, classy, and they really provide great service. PLUS, it's close to the French Quarter and will provide a shuttle down there.

There is a WONDERFUL restaurant called Copeland Cheesecake Bistro. This place is not like the Copeland's Restaurant chain. It is over in the Garden District. Good fun at reasonable prices, and the cheesecake is to die for! The gumbo is excellent there!

Brennan's is not what it used to be. Hubby and I went there one night and it is not what it used to be.

Cheesecake Bistro is one of my favorite restaurants. I LOVE IT!!

Ideal, the list is ENDLESS of all the good places to eat in New Orleans. I can not just recommend ONE place. Well, actually, I would recommend Pampy's for the anniversary dinner only because of the reasons I previously listed, but I can't narrow down just one when it comes down to good "just because" N.O. eateries.

I need to plan a trip down to NO. Y'all got some good eating places down there. :D :D :D

Copeland's Cheesecake and Copeland's are under the same umbrella?

Girl, just give me a place that serves Cheesecake...bump the food! :p

:o

Uhhh FeeFee...no you don't then you'll be KYITA for the weight you will take back with you. :rolleyes: :D :rolleyes: (I never should have moved here)...

Feefree--ITA Looking at the list of restaurants got me drooling on a Monday. :o

I plan on visiting NO at the end of the year, so if anyone has any tips on where to stay, eat and play please PM me. :)

Ideal---has the husband made a decision on where to go?

Does this mean that I will have to LOSE weight b/4 heading down there?? LOL.

If that will make you feel better. :)

I'm going to call him tonight and check and give him the suggestions in this thread. I'd already told him about some of the places that we went to (I couldn't think of all the names, lol, but I knew 2D would help me). I really liked Deanie's.

2D, what is the name of the place we went to to get the beignets?

ETA: Thanks y'all for all the ideas! :)

Cafe DuMonde

eta: He can check out the riverboats. They may want to take a cruise. My former co-worker has the horse/carriage. I'll pm you his Cell phone. That would be nice and romantic.

Thanks!

You might want to consider Mandina's on Canal Street about 20 blocks up from the river. Really great food, always crowded but it moves quickly enough and is worth the wait. Also, about a block away is Christian's which is a gourmet delight. For an anniversary Galatoire's, second block of Bourbon Street is great. This is the genuine New Orleans classic restaurant. Don't forget Arnaud's and Antoines. They can be pricy but if you are careful in ordering you can have a world class meal at a reasonable price.
A sometimes overlooked but really good choice would be Pascal's Manale Rest. on Napoleon Ave. They originated New Orleans BBQ shrimp (no, its nothing like what you think of regarding BBQ, but it is delish.)

He is gonna be so overwhelmed, LOL

That was going to be my suggestion. The Steamboat Natchez does a dinner cruise that is chock full of ambience and good food. We did the lunch cruise for Father's Day and it was really really nice. It is a little expensive but there are discounts all around the city. Drago's is another good bet. So is Delmonico's and Cannon's both on Saint Charles, and Zachary's(black owned and bout it). Zachary's has food so good, you WILL slap ya mama.

Uhhhhhhh, sorrry to inform you, but it is no longer black owned. :o

The Sunday Brunch is da bomb! :D

Also, on Sunday the Marriott has a great Sunday Brunch. You overlook the "ssip River. It's really nice, costly, but nice! :D

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AKA2D '91
[B]Uhhhhhhh, sorrry to inform you, but it is no longer black owned. :o

DANG!! The waitress lied! We started going there prior to the sale and have been back after the sale. I read about it in the Gambit. We went back last month and the waitress told us that it was still black-owned, that Black folks bought the spot. Do you know who bought it? The Gambit article just went through the history of Zachary's and Eddie's(Used to have the BEST po boys) and the family. That is foul BUT the chicken is swingin. :D

True. True. We go to Galatoire's for New Year's eve. You can also check out the lunch menus at all the finer restaurants. The portions are slightly smaller but still generous and a lower price.

I forgot to throw out K-Paul's (Chef Paul Prudhomme) around the corner from NOLA's (as mentioned before) in the FQ. I also really like Brigtsten's (sp?) in the Garden District. He is a protege of Chef Paul's. The Grill Room in the Windsor Court is to die for but pricy.

2D - yes, Copeland's and Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro are under the same umbrella. Hubby used to be in R & D for Diversified (a Copeland company). They make the products for Popeye's, Church's and a few other restaurants. You would be SURPRISED by what Al owns! ;)

ETA - Redfish Grill (Brennan family) on the first block of Bourbon is good too. I promise not to list more.

I'll have to go back and check my sources. This is the deal. I learned a few weeks ago that it was sold. I know a few people using the spot as a gathering. Since they had already made plans before the "sale" they decided to keep it at Zachary's even though they were trying to patronize black businesses for their gathering weekend.

I dunno. I'll see.

I'm sure they would say anything to keep their business up and running. :confused:

That stinks! Well, have you been to Sassafras? It is in the East(off Bullard) and I KNOW it's black owned. I think she is an AKA because the interior has a salmon pink and apple green format to it. White linen...Pretty good food too.

Noooooo. I'm going to have to ask folks about that one.

If I am thinking of the same restaurant and person, she is a Zeta Phi Beta. She used to be part owner of Ora Mae's Kitchen in The Plaza. Right?

I find it HARD to believe a Zeta (Delta or SGRho) would decorate ANYTHING in pink and green, LOL! I would be shocked as all get out if I were wrong.

I heard the food at Sassafras is really good. I may stop there tonight when I leave class and get a to-go plate. I'll have to check out the interior decor.

I was trying to remember the name of the restaurant. Those new potatoes were yummy. :D

I just called him and gave him all these suggestions. I call, and who should answer his cell phone but his wife. I was all thrown off like, "Oh, um, hey girl, what y'all doing?" LOL Anyway, I gave him the phone numbers and addresses to everything. They are staying on Canal Street, so he liked the idea of Natchez Steamboat.

Thanks, again, y'all!!! :)

Let him know that the carriage ride can take him through all of the French Quarter... I forgot to mention that. :o The weather is lovely right now, they will have a great time. NO HUMIDITY...Thank God! :D

I'ma hafta call him back and tell him. I gave him the number (he chucked at ol' dude's name, lol). They had me looking up what the French Quarter was and everything. I feel like I researched more on NO for them than I did when I went mydayumself, lol.

Special thanks to Soror AKA2D '91 for the buggy hook-up!!! :) They took it and said it was really nice!

More special thanks to RD and Dekeguy. They chose to go to Arnaud's and liked that as well.

Soror liked the beignets so much, she went back to Cafe du Monde by herself after HD had gone back home, LOL.

Thanks, y'all, for helping me help my friends have a nice 2nd wedding anniversary. I knew I could count on y'all. :)

No problem!!! We have so much good food down here that it is no problem telling folks the good spots to go. I have a friend who lives in Texas and whenever they drive through she HAS to go to Cafe do Monde. She will have an absolute fit if she does not go and have an order of beignets and a cafe au lait. I am glad your people had fun down here.

You are very welcome! I am delighted to hear that they had a wonderful anniversary! :D