Restaurant Recommendations

We're staying one night post-cruise following our Conquest cruise, but it will be Sunday Super Bowl night. We'd like to eat early (5ish) at a really nice restaurant, then relax in our room to watch the game. Who can recommend a great New Orleans restaurant open Sunday night at 5? Thanks!

ktderby recommended to me Commander's Palace in the Garden District for a brunch. The reviews and the website indicate this is a world class restaurant. We have reservations for brunch on the 5th, so we will just miss you.

Cindy

Galatoire's.

Jacket required on Sundays and after 5pm on other days

That's the night of the Bacchus Parade, so you may have trouble getting around after 6pm

Thats one of the largest Mardi Gras parades.

We need help also. We will be staying in New Orleans the night before our December 4th cruise. We are at the Marriott near the port and convention center. What we are looking for is a good restaurant that serves both seafood and a decent well-done filet mignon. Anybody able to help us?

Paul is right about the Bacchus parade. It would make getting to Commander's (or just about any other place outside of downtown) a lot of trouble. Baccus starts at 5:00 and doesn't get downtown until about 7:00 or so.

Tommy's is a fairly new reataurant in the warehouse district, close to the Marriott. It is always packed, mostly with locals. Great seafood. I haven't tried it, but I know they have a filet on the menu. Very reasobale prices. Most entrees are around $20, and are enough to feed two.

The address is 746 Tchoupitoulas. Phone number is 504-581-1103. If you are interested, I would make a reservation now. With Bacchus, it will be a busy night.

Thanks for the info on Tommy's! Judy is the one who would have problems with the parade. We are going to be there this Dec 3rd. Anything going on then that we would have to have reservations?

Nothing that I can think of, but Tommy's is always crowded, so I would call now. The last time we were there (on a weekday) they told us to book weekends a month in advance.

Tommy's looks like it is only .3 of a mile from the hotel. Would it be safe to walk there?

We need help also. We will be staying in New Orleans the night before our December 4th cruise. We are at the Marriott near the port and convention center. What we are looking for is a good restaurant that serves both seafood and a decent well-done filet mignon. Anybody able to help us?

Surely you don't mean taking a fine piece up meat and cooking it beyond all recognition. Blasphemy!

Actually Galatoire's does both great seafood and steak, but the food on the ship afterwards would be disappointing. It is on Bourbon for those who are already downtown.

For the December arrival, you might take a gander at the Reveillon menus to see if anything strikes your fancy:

http://fqfi.org/index.php?id=10,60,0,0,1,0

A good friend of ours orders well-done filets, and it pains us to see this happen to a good piece of meat, but to each his own.

It's a safe walk.

Galatoire's is a local legend, and highly recommended, but it's a good bit further from your hotel, and quite a bit more expensive.

Besides the link zydeco posted, this one will tell you about Christmas-time happenings in New Orleans:

http://www.frenchquarterfestivals.com

Thanks for the information.

Just to be clear I like my beef just a little past moo. :D I like my lamb medium rare and my pork medium. I alway look for a place that can cook a steak to well done without drying it out or burning it. It shows that they really know how to cook a steak and so I will get rare if I order rare or if I order anything in between it will be exactly as I ordered it. Here in Oklahoma beef rules!

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the information about the Bacchus parade. Sure wasn't aware that was happening. Is that something worth missing the Super Bowl for?

We're at the Holiday Inn, West Bank, using free points. Is Tommy's close to that? Is the Bacchus parade close to that? Any other great restaurants to try that we can get to early, then back to the room for the Bowl?

Thanks for the information about the Bacchus parade. Sure wasn't aware that was happening. Is that something worth missing the Super Bowl for?

 

We're at the Holiday Inn, West Bank, using free points. Is Tommy's close to that? Is the Bacchus parade close to that? Any other great restaurants to try that we can get to early, then back to the room for the Bowl?

Not walking distance by any stretch, but there is a ferry from West Bank to East.

Depends. Who's playing in the Superbowl??? (Hint: if you know - skip the cruise and go to Las Vegas - NOW!).

Will you have a car? Any chance of switching to a Holiday Inn closer to the action. There is a Holiday Inn (? Select ??) on Convention Blvd. They are supposed to have a shuttle available.

Thanks for the information.

 

Just to be clear I like my beef just a little past moo. :D I like my lamb medium rare and my pork medium. I alway look for a place that can cook a steak to well done without drying it out or burning it. It shows that they really know how to cook a steak and so I will get rare if I order rare or if I order anything in between it will be exactly as I ordered it. Here in Oklahoma beef rules!

 

Any other suggestions?

Knock it's horns off, skin it and send it out I can understand. I've never ordered a steak well done, so am not sure where to recommend. Why the seafood part of the {original} question?

If I want steak in New Orleans, I will normally head for Chateaubriand's these days. Other days gone by or in the future, who knows? Your mileage may vary. No animals have been hurt as a result of this posting - so far!

Thanks for the information about the Bacchus parade. Sure wasn't aware that was happening. Is that something worth missing the Super Bowl for?

 

We're at the Holiday Inn, West Bank, using free points. Is Tommy's close to that? Is the Bacchus parade close to that? Any other great restaurants to try that we can get to early, then back to the room for the Bowl?

A few miles as the crow flies, but you'll have to cross the river. It depends on how adventursome you are. How are you planning on getting to your hotel in the first place?

You would have to verify with your hotel, but it seems to have a shuttle that will take you to the Algiers ferry which will drop you off on Canal Street. The hotel shuttle won't take you across the river.

Here is some info on Algiers which is where you would catch the ferry:

http://www.algierspoint.org/neighborhood.htm

There are also parades during the day that you would need to be aware of.

Well I love fresh seafood and in OKC we are not really close to the ocean. A good surf & turf would would very nicely for an evening meal in New Orleans.

I don't know about surf & turf, but Tommy's does great seafood. The soft-shell crab is spectacular.

My son used to work as a waiter at Ruth's Chris Steak House. They had customers who would order their filets raw: not even heated, and on a cold plate. The other extreme were those who wanted them so well done that the only way to accomplish this was to cut them in half.

I see on the internet that Tommy's Cuisine is an Italian restaurant. Do they have the usual standards like Fettucini Alfredo and Tortellini?

I don't remember, to tell you the truth. Tommy's (and most of the other "Italian" restaurants in NO) are really "Creole-Italian," and they don't serve a whole lot of traditional Italian dishes. Besides the soft-shell crab I have had duck, a dish called Chicken Rosmariano, and a veal dish: can't remember the name. All were excellent. Someone at the table next to us had the filet. It was huge, and served with a Bernaise sauce.

I think they had the Alfredo as an appetizer, but not sure about the tortellini.

OK...so how about Italian restaurants? Does anyone know about these?

Eleven 79

Cafe Giovanni

Carmelo

Bravo Italian Kitchen

Il Piatto Cucina Italia

Tony Moran's Restaurant

Elevenseventynine: Never been there, but I've heard good things about it. It's at 1179 Annunciation Street, not in walking distance.

Cafe Giovanni is on Decatur Street. Very good. Big menu and huge servings. Kind of like Tommy's: Creole-Italian reather that traditional Italian.

http://www.cafegiovanni.com

Carmelo's is on Decatur. Pretty good, but Tommy's and Giovanni are better.

http://www.ristorantecarmelo.com

Bravo is a chain. The closest one is in the 1700 block of St. Charles, so not within walking distance.

Il Piatto is uptown on Maple Street, a fairly long cab ride. Never been there, but I've heard that it's good.

Tony Moran's is on Bourbon. Traditional Italian. Haven't been there for years, but it's been around forever so that tells you something.

Thanks again for the great information. I went ahead a got a reservation at Tommy's but when I asked about Fettucini Alfredo and Tortellini they told me that sometimes they have Fettucini Alfredo as a weekly special but never the Tortellini?

Someone posted a review on Tony Moran's and said it was overpriced and crappy food. But as you said they have been there a long time and that stands for alot!

We now have reservations at Vincents on St. Charles and at Tommy's Cuisine. Vincent's does have the Fettucini Alfredo and deep fried calamari but not the Tortellini. Now if we can find a restaurant that does the Fettucini Alfredo the Tortellini and deep fried calamari then we have a 100% hit! Any other suggestions?

:confused:

Two out of three isn't bad. Vincent's is a long ride, but it's very good. It started in the suburbs several years ago and just opened the branch on St. Charles. We haven't tried the new one, but the old one serves great versions of Creole-Italian. I don't remember seeing tortellini on the menu anywhere in New Orleans.