New Orleans Hit List

As alluded to (threatened?) in a previous post, I've decided to keep the NOLA ball rolling and put together a list of places I love to go and things I love to do in New Orleans.  This is by no means a complete list, nor is it meant to be an "insider's view" of the city - so please feel free to leave some of your favorites as comments!

Crabby Jacks

In the fall of 2002 (long before the NYT wrote it up thankyouverymuch), a friend of mine insisted we go to Jacques Imo's for dinner.  As I was new to New Orleans I had NO CLUE what she was talking about and expected a fancy French restaurant.  If you've ever been to Jacque's, you are probably laughing at me right now.  I quickly learned that Jacque's is cajun food and super-delicious.  It took me a little longer to learn that Jack Leonardi has a lunch place, Crabby Jacks, which is equally as good.  Crabby's is an out-of-the-way shack which is open only for lunch and serves mainly salads and po boys.  I could eat there every day of the week.  One of my favorite things to do when I visit is to pick up a salad [note: this is not because I'm diet-crazy - I usually get fried green tomatoes and/or fried oysters on my salads] at Crabby's and take it to the fly (a section of the levee behind the Audubon Zoo) to eat.  It's great to sit in the sun, watch the river roll by, and eat something delicious.
Crabby Jack's
428 Jefferson Highway
New Orleans, LA 70121-2515

Mignon Faget

If you are female and from New Orleans or went to school there you are either smiling or rolling your eyes at the mention of MF.  Mignon Faget is a regional jewelry store... think Louisiana-inspired Tiffany's.  I always receive compliments on the pieces I wear and love that hardly anyone else in the DC area has them (if they do, it's certainly a conversation starter).  Their sterling silver jewelry is cute and relatively inexpensive, so many of their pieces make great gifts.
See here for locations.

Port of Call

First of all, my mind was just blown when I discovered that POC has a website.  Who knew?  I once took a friend here for his first time and he was extremely upset to find out they serve baked potatos, not french fries, with their burgers.  By the end of the meal he was eating his words.  It's extremely divey, has an excellent jukebox selection, and the signature drinks and cheap and strong.  I can't wait to have a few monsoons and a burger.  Yum.

Get.In.My.Belly.

Port of Call
838 Esplanade Ave
New Orleans, LA 70116

Drago's

2 words: charbroiled oysters.  2 more: food heaven.  They're a must-try.  I prefer the Metairie location because the Hilton Riverside location gets extremely loud and crowded... but if you're staying downtown and don't have a car, you've got to take what you can get.

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See here for locations.

Clancy's

Clancy's is tucked away in a residential neighborhood by Audubon Park and has the feel of a neighborhood restaurant... a NICE neighborhood restaurant.  This is not somewhere you want to go on a budget - it's not cheap, and you won't want to hold back once you see the menu.  Everything I've eaten there has exceeded my expectations and made me wish I had the capacity of a competitive eater so I could try the entire menu.

Note to out-of-towners: Clancy's does not have a website and you need to call the restaurant directly to make reservations.  It's definitely worth the added effort.

Clancy's Restaurant
6100 Annunciation Street
New Orleans, LA 70118-5709

The Club (Miss Mae's)

I think no NOLA experience is complete without visiting a dive bar.  The Club is one of my personal favorites, not only because Miss Mae is quite a character (if you've ever seen her, a petite grandma-aged lady whose pale blonde hair is almost as tall as she is, yelling at someone who broke "the rules" you know what I mean), but also because drinks are $1.  $1!

This photo seems to be missing a few dozen drunk 20-somethings, but you get the point

The Club
4336 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70115

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is very touristy, but very pretty.  It is also, on any given day, surrounded by street artists from which I compulsively purchase random paintings and folk art (what am I really going to do with those hand-painted slate tiles?).  Over the years I've gotten some beautiful pieces for bargain prices.

See what I mean?

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The Carousel Bar

The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone is so cliched, but so lovely.  I enjoy stopping there for a champagne cocktail or two... or three...

Source

The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal Streeet
New Orleans, LA 70130

Earthsavers

The spa at Earthsavers isn't the poshest of places, but it's certainly a bargain.  It's cheerful and relaxing and won't break the bank.  To be honest, I think the massages I've gotten at Earthsavers have been better than those I've gotten at Red Door Spas, and they're only 2/3 of the price!

See here for locations

Perlis

Because everyone needs a crawfish polo... and some Vinyard Vines Uptown Street Tile items.  It's really more of a men's store; if you're focused on women's items you may want to skip it and head to some of the boutiques further down Magazine Street instead.

Perlis Clothing Co
6070 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70118

Piano Bars

Oh how I love piano bars.  I love having a cool drink in my hand as I listen to a old man play a familiar song as my booze-soaked companions sing along.  There's also something about a live piano that infuses a bit of class into even the grottiest of settings.

Pat O's Piano Bar

I usually don't sing in public (you will never EVER find me doing karaoke), but sometimes I can't help but sing along with the crowd... peer pressure never felt so nice.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Pat O'Brien's
718 St. Peter St.
New Orleans, LA 70116

Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar
941 Bourbon St.
New Orleans, LA 70116

Brunch at Brennan's

Sunday Brunch at Brennan's is an exercise in overindulgence.  While, like a few other items on this list, it's a bit cliched, it's well worth it.  Their turtle soup is outstanding, and it's the birthplace of Bananas Foster (who doesn't love bananas foster?!).  The rest of their food is excellent as well, but my obsessions lie in the turtle soup and the bananas foster.  Every time I've left Brennan's, I've been in pain from overeating and surprisingly happy about it.

Yum

I also love that Brennan's is pretty "old school" and requires a jacket for men.  Few things annoy me more than going out for a nice meal only to see tourists in shorts, tshits, and sneakers at the table next to me.

Brennan's Restaurant
417 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

In reading this you may have gotten then impression that I spend most of my time in New Orleans eating and drinking... well, that sounds about right to me!  As a general rule, if I've left NOLA lighter than I was when I arrived, I did something wrong.

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