Discover destination dining at these 5 iconic restaurants. All are renowned for their James Beard award-winning chefs, service and ever-changing menus of the freshest seafood and seasonal ingredients. We dare you not to brag about your meal. These are not tourist-focused, living on their past successes – rather, they are constantly evolving and laser-focused on delivering outstanding and memorable meals to meet the most discriminating palate.
Photos Courtesy Of Yelp/Brigsten’s
Brigsten’s
Located in a charming Victorian Cottage in the Riverbend neighborhood, Brigsten’s is ground zero of Southern Louisiana cooking. James Beard Award winning Chef Frank Brigtsen is at the forefront of the Creole/Acadian cooking renaissance. Chef Brigsten trained under the late Chef Paul Prudhomme and rose to Executive Chef of Prudhomme’s K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen before founding Brigsten’s in 1988 with his wife Marna.
The menu changes frequently and is always based on the freshest available local ingredients….
Photos Courtesy Of Yelp/Brigsten’s
Clancy’s
Clancy’s roots go back to the 1940s when the Clancy family opened a bar and po-boy shop in this location. The Clancys sold the building and name around 1981 and in 1983 and one of the best classic creole restaurants in the city launched in Uptown New Orleans.
The menu changes frequently to integrate seasonal items – and specials are always worth considering….
Photos Courtesy Of gautreausrestaurant.com
Gautreau’s
Gautreau’s is hidden away on a small side street in Uptown– a few blocks from St. Charles Avenue. There is no sign – the result of a last minute welcome to the neighborhood ordinance decreed by angry neighbors, who swore the neighborhood would be forever changed for the worse. Boy were they wrong – in a city filled with fine dining choices, Gautreau’s is easily in my top 5. My great uncle lived down the block for over 30 years – if he were alive today I’m sure he would have a standing Saturday night reservation.
Small and elegant, dining at Gautreau’s should be done slowly – savor every bite and enjoy timeless world-class service….
Photos Courtesy Of Facebook/Herbsaint
Herbsaint
If I had only one meal to eat in New Orleans it would be at Herbsaint. This is James Beard Award winning Chef Donald Link’s marquee restaurant. Located in the Warehouse District on St. Charles Avenue, the vibe is upbeat, the setting is bistro-like and the food is farm-to-table Southern with a Franco-Italian twist. Trust me, it works.
Have a drink and chat with your server about the small plates vs. main course strategy….
Photos Courtesy Of pascalsmanale.com
Pascal’s Manale
At Napoleon Ave, and Dryades Street stands a bastion to timeless New Orleans Creole Italian cuisine –Pascal’s Manale, founded in 1903. In 1953, a frequent customer challenged then owner Pascal Radosta to make an off menu dish that would beat the pants off anything he had ever eaten in New York or New Orleans. Pascal returned from the kitchen with the first order of BBQ Shrimp – the bet was won and a signature dish was born.
Pascal’s Manale has been my family’s go-to restaurant for four generations. My first fine dining memory is …