Where to Eat Out During the Holidays: New Orleans
New Orleans Restaurants
Bistro Daisy
In a quaint yellow cottage in Uptown, Peristyle alum Anton Schulte cooks superb bistro dishes with a New Orleans twist, as in his excellent crayfish ravioli stuffed with creamy mascarpone.
Plus: Best Restaurant Dishes of 2008: Bistro Daisy’s Crayfish Ravioli
Brigtsen’s
Legendary New Orleans chef Frank Brigtsen (an F&W Best New Chef 1988) turns out utterly satisfying dishes like broiled Gulf fish with a crabmeat-Parmesan crust at this more than 20-year-old Uptown institution housed in a cottage near the St. Charles streetcar line.
Cafe du Monde
Ever since it opened in 1862, this sprawling 24-hour café in the French Market has attracted crowds for its dark-roast coffee with chicory (which softens the bitterness) and its divine beignets, served warm with a generous coating of powdered sugar.
Open Christmas Eve until 6 p.m.
Cochon
At this excellent Cajun spot in the Warehouse District, chef Donald Link breaks down whole pigs at his in-house boucherie to create the foods he grew up with, like fried boudin (a Cajun rice-and-pork sausage).
Plus: Football Fans Donald Link and Susan Spicer on the New Orleans Saints
Gautreau’s
This elegant locals’ favorite in Uptown was once a drugstore (vintage apothecary cases remain, though they now display owner Patrick Singley’s collection of single-malt Scotches and single-barrel bourbons). The European-inspired menu from chef Sue Zemanick (an F&W Best New Chef 2008) offers flavorful dishes like wild mushroom pierogies with asparagus, caramelized onions and crème fraîche.
Plus:
Where To Eat and Drink in New Orleans
