New
Orleans is a gourmand's dream. The food, commonly defined as Creole,
is a spicy, substantial blend of French, Spanish, African and
Caribbean cuisine, mixed up with a host of other influences including
Native American, Italian and German. It tends to be rich, and
fragrant, using heaps of herbs, peppers, garlic and onion.
Some of the simpler dishes, like red
beans and rice, reveal a strong West Indies influence, while others
are more French, cooked with long-simmered sauces based on a roux (fat
and flour heated together) and herby stocks. Many dishes are served étouffé
, literally "smothered" in a tasty Creole sauce (a roux with
tomato, onion and spices), on a bed of rice.
The mainstays of most menus are gumbo
-- a thick soup of seafood, chicken and vegetables (gumbo comes from
the Bantu for okra, a prime ingredient) -- and jambalaya, a paella
jumbled together from the same ingredients. Other specialties include
po-boys, French-bread sandwiches crammed with oysters, shrimp or
almost anything else, along with spicy sauces or gravy, and
muffulettas, the Italian version, stuffed full of aromatic meats and
cheese and dripping with olive and garlic dressing.
Seafood is abundant. Along with
shrimp and soft-shell crabs, you'll get famously good oysters ;
they're in season from September to April. Crawfish, or mudbugs (which
resemble langoustines and are best between March and October), are
served in everything from omelets to bisques, or simply boiled in a
spicy stock. To eat them, tug off the overlarge head, pinch the tail
and suck out the juicy, very delicious flesh.
Finally, European-influenced New
Orleans has always been the American city for coffee. Drunk in copious
amounts, fresh, strong and aromatic, and often laced with chicory,
it's been a big part of life here since long before Seattle got
trendy, and locals drink twice the national average.
Here's a sampling of New Orleans
restaurants:
Café du Monde, 800 Decatur St. Despite
the hype, the crowds and the sugar-sticky table tops, this is an
undeniably atmospheric place to drink steaming café au lait with
chicory, and snack on piping hot beignets.
CC's, 941 Royal St. Perch yourself at
the counter or linger for hours in plump leather armchairs in this
light, airy space. The brews are good and strong, especially the
mochasippi, a creamy iced espresso.
Central Grocery, 923 Decatur St.
Fragrant old Italian deli famed for the best muffulettas in town,
unfeasibly overstuffed and succulent with garlic dressing.
Acme Oyster House, 724 Iberville St.
Noisy, characterful neighborhood restaurant popular with tourists,
cops and businesspeople alike, all of them guzzling inexpensive po-boys,
salty fresh crawfish or plump, briny oysters.
Café Angeli, 1141 Decatur St. A
favorite with hipsters, night owls and bar flies, this big, dimly lit
room is an extension of the groovy Lower Decatur scene outside.
Galatoire's, 209 Bourbon St.
Splendid, top-of-the-range Creole food in landmark, mirror-lined
dining room.
Girod's Bistro, 500 Chartres St.
Wonderful, romantic restaurant, linked to the Napoleon House and
hidden away beside its pretty courtyard.
Tujague's, 823 Decatur St.
Unpretentious, atmospheric and with a quintessential New Orleans
ambience, "Two Jacks," 150 years old, is the second oldest
restaurant in the city.
