Food is to New Orleans what wine is to France: the city is celebrated worldwide for its delicious albeit unwholesome cuisine.
A plethora of restaurants exist at which to enjoy Creole and Cajun cooking. Picking the city’s best poses a challenge especially after eating one’s way to a larger dress size.
But here are several standouts. Important caveat: few options exist for vegetarians.
Always ask your server for non-meat options as that bowl of rice and beans invariably contains ham.
SEE ALSO: These Vintage Photos Of Mardi Gras In New Orleans Show It's Always Been A Wild Party
Café Fleur-de-Lis
Named after the symbol of New Orleans, Café Fleur-de-Lis is the place to get breakfast in the French Quarter. Guests wait in long lines to order from a delicious menu of local favorites including seafood omelets oozing with crawfish and shrimp, ham-filled muffaletta sandwiches and gut-busting “everything” hash browns. The last overflows with bacon, sausage, ham, cheese and country gravy and is immensely satisfying. Remember to wear elastic-waist pants.
Cochon
The name—the French word for pig— says it all. From fried boudin to Lousiana pulled pork, Cajun eatery Cochon has pork lovers covered. The boudin balls are served with stone ground mustard and pickled peppers that are the most lovingly made finger food in the history of mankind. The Louisiana cochon is a $22 plate of pulled pork that may not make intuitive sense—cheaper versions are almost as good— but chef Stephen Stryjewski’s attentiveness turns the dish into a white table cloth entrée good enough to name a restaurant after. But the real star of the dish is the cracklins. If Cochon wanted to, it could have an instant, multi-million dollar side business selling these lightly fried crispy pork rinds by the bag. Diners can take home slabs of bacon and pounds of andouille sausage at the restaurant’s butcher shop next door even if the cracklins aren’t for sale.
Emeril’s Delmonico
Emeril Lagasse is neither Creole nor Cajun but the famous chef cooks some of the most authentic examples of both. While his Emeril’s New Orleans gets most of the tourist dollars, Emeril’s Delmonico is his true homage to Creole cooking. Start with the marinated golden beets with homemade yogurt, pinenuts and date molasses. It’s a unique but flavorful combination and I wish I had ordered two servings of it. The BBQ Shrimp with Grits (below) is always popular, although the crispy pork cheek is the menu standout, in my opinion. Kudos to Lagasse and chef de cuisine Spencer Minch. Served over rich, semi-spicy Creole dirty rice (top), it’s tender and succulent and probably the most delicious pork dish my companion has ever had. Steaks are dry-aged in house so make sure to order one and pair it with a Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon from the restaurant’s extensive wine list.
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