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Among the best locally.


Excellent and ambitious.


Worth crossing town for.


Recommended.


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Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings
Each dollar sign indicates a ten-dollar range, including a normal meal for the restaurant (dinner, if they serve other meals), not including drinks, or tips. So, for example. . .

Friday-Sunday, April 17-19
Eater's Guide To The 2009
French Quarter Festival

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the French Quarter Festival, and it promises the best food in the history of the event. I've looked over the list and found that not only are all of the best restaurants back again, but that some great new food vendors will be there.

The standards the Festival sets for its vendors are high. They have to be restaurants, and chain restaurants are actively discouraged. French Quarter restaurants get special consideration, for obvious reasons.

Everything is allegedly appetizer size, although I find that three items about fills me up for the day. The prices are so low as to constitute a major bargain. The best plan is to share things, and to pace yourself.

The food starts being served at eleven in the morning all three days. It goes on until seven in the evening at the Mint and Jackson Square, but continues until nine along the riverfront (seven Sunday). Beverages of all kinds are served in all the food areas.

The food booths only accept cash and Festival tickets. However, there are booths where you can use your credit card to buy the tickets.

Here's a list, provided by the French Quarter Festival and subject to last-minute changes, of all the food being served at the three major areas where the food and music are concentrated. I have annotated it with my recommendations, based on what I've found in past years, or the vendor's track record, if they're new to the festival.

Recommended. Try it if the dish appeals to you.
Outstanding. Try it even if it doesn't appeal to you.
Essential. Not to be missed.

Maps, schedules for the music, and much more information is at the French Quarter Festival website.

See you there!

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Old U.S. Mint
Decatur at Esplanade

Amy's Vietnamese Cafe
Shrimp & Pork Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce 1 for $3 or 2 for $5
Grilled Salmon with Jasmine Rice and Salad $9
Grilled Chicken w/ Lemon Grass $7
Crawfish Egg Roll 1 for $3

Bravo! Cucina Italiana
Crawfish Ravioli $5
Chicken Griglia $5
Tiramisu $4
Combination Plate $7

Cookin’ Cajun Cafe
Cajun Roast Beef on Pistolette $6
Smoked Alligator Sausage on a Stick $5
Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya $6

Eat New Orleans
Beef Debris Po-Boy $5
Shrimp & Grits $5
Black Eyed Pea & Green Tomato Salsa with Chips $4
Coconut Buttermilk Pie $3

Jack Dempsey's Restaurant
Stuffed Crab $5
Baked Macaroni $5
Crab & Shrimp Salad $5
King Cake $4

La Divina
Sorbetto $4
Gelato $4

Rouses
Boiled Crawfish Plate

Sammy's Food Service & Deli
Seafood Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp $6
Italian Sausage & Eggplant Pasta $5
Hot Sausage Po-Boy $5

Superior Grill
Poncho's Tacos Chicken/Steak/Shrimp $5
Salsa & Queso with Chips $5

The Joint
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cole Slaw $5
Smoked Chaurice Sausage Sandwich with Cole Slaw $5

The Original New Orleans Po-Boys
Shrimp Po-Boy $7
Stuffed Artichoke $8
French Fries $3
French Fry Po-Boy with Roast Beef Gravy

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Woldenberg Park
Along the Riverfront, St. Peter to Iberville Streets

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Kohlmeyer Lawn

Byblos
Chicken Kabob $5
Hummos $5
Spankopita $5
Baklava $5

Corky’s BBQ
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich $5
Grilled Hamburger $5
Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich $5

Crescent Pie and Sausage Company
Cajun Boudin $4
Bad Bart's Black Jambalaya $5
Creole Hot Sausage on a Stick $4

Delgado Culinary Arts
Smoked Turkey Legs $8

Gelato Pazzo Cafe
Pizzatagilo-stuffed Focaccia $5
Brushchetta Leonardo $5
Gelato $5
Sorbetto $5

Henry's Bakery & Deli
King Cake $3
Baked Macaroni w/ Cheese $5
Stuffed Bell Peppers $5

Juan's Flying Burrito
Pork & Slaw Tacos $3
Blackened Redfish Tacos $4

Love at First Bite
Cochon de lait Po-Boy $5
Crawfish Pasta $5

Mélange Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans
Gourmet Cupcakes $1
BBQ Beef on Kaiser Bun with Firecracker Coleslaw $5

Ralph & Kacoo's
Bread Pudding w/ Whiskey Sauce $5
Cajun Shrimp Pasta $5

Red Fish Grill
Shrimp Remoulade Salad $5
Crawfish & Mushroom Gumbo with Potato Salad

Rotolo's
Cheese Pizza Slice $3
Pepperoni Pizza Slice $4
House Special $4

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Berger Great Lawn

Audubon Nature Institute
Crawfish Bread $5

Barreca’s Restaurant
Crawfish Etouffee $6
Chicken Andouille Jambalaya $6
Crawfish Remoulade $6
Alligator Sausage Po-Boy with Creole Sauce $6

Bennachin
Jamaican Chicken with Rice & Veggies $6
Caribbean Fish with Rice & Veggies $6
Beef Pattie $4
Sweet Potato Pie $3

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
Fried Seafood Bites $5
Lt. Dan's Shrimp Skewers $7
Combo (1/2 order of each) $7

Gumbo Shop
Red Beans & Rice $5
Chicken Andouille Gumbo $5
Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Chips $5

Hard Rock Café
Hamburger $5
BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy $5

Serranos Salsa Company
Chicken Taco $5
Fish Taco $5
Beef Taco $5

Ted's Frostop/Mrs. Wheat's Pies
Cajun Meat Pies $4 each or two for $7
Crawfish Pies $4 each or two for $7

Chateau Sonesta Hotel
Oreo Cookie Bread Pudding $4

The Praline Connection
Grilled Chicken Livers with Sweet Hot Pepper Jelly Sauce $5
Mustard Greens & Rice $5
Combo Meal (Greens w/ Livers or Wings) $6
Cheesecake with Praline Sauce $4
Pralines $2

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Harrah’s Foundation Stage

Flour Power
Bananas Foster Cake $5
Strawberry Creole Cream Cheese Bavarian $5
Praline Crème Brulee $5
Turtle $1

Frank’s Restaurant
Muffuletta $5
Italian Meatball Sandwich $6
Italian Cannoli $4.75

GW Fins
Shrimp Etouffee $6
Bananas Foster $4

Nola Restaurant/ Emeril's Delmonico
NOLA: Barbequed Ribs with Carolina Slaw $5
Delmonico: Confit Pork Cheeks with Creole Dirty Rice $5

The Red Maple
Char Grilled Oysters $5

Whole Foods Market
Sweet German Sausage $5
Andouille Sausage $5
Boudin $5

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Jackson Square

Antoine’s
Oysters Bonne Femme $5
Shrimp Regua $5

Begue’s at the Royal Sonesta Hotel
French Quarter Pasta $5
Chocolate Pecan Pie $4

Ben & Jerry's
Ice Cream $4
Vanilla $5
Chocolate $5
Chocolate Fudge Brownie $5
Cherry Garcia $5
Chunky Monkey $5
Strawberry Cheesecake $5

Bywater Bar-B-Que
Oyster & Artichoke Florentine $5
Cajun Chicken & Tasso Over Rice $6
BBQ Ribs $6
BBQ Hamburger $5

Court of Two Sisters
Turtle Soup au Sherry $3
Crawfish Louise $5

Crepes a la Cart
Strawberry Crepe $3
Hazelnut Chocolate Crepe $3
Strawberry & Hazelnut Chocolate Crepe $3

Desire Oyster Bar
Cajun Jambalaya w/ Creole Sauce $6
New Orleans Bread Pudding w/ Whiskey Sauce $4

Jacques-Imo's Cafe
Slow Roasted Duck Po-Boy $5
Smoked Boudin w/Creole Mustard Sauce $5
Shrimp Creole over Rice $5
Smoked Turkey Leg $5

Muriel's Jackson Square
Louisiana Crawfish & Goat Cheese Crepes $5
Shrimp & Eggplant Stuffing $5
Combo Plate $9

Ristorante Carmelo & Pizza
Cheese Pizza $3.50
Pepperoni Pizza $4
Crabmeat Ravioli Aurora $6
Italian Sausage & Peppers Sandwich $6
Calzone $5

Saltwater Grill & Oyster Bar
Crawfish & Spinach Boat $7
Gulf Shrimp & Cheese Grits $6

Ted's Frostop/Mrs. Wheat's Pies
Cajun Meat Pies $4 each or two for $7
Crawfish Pies $4 each or two for $7

The Alibi
Barbecue Shrimp Po-Boy $6
Barbecue Shrimp Pasta $6

The Alpine Restaurant
Blackened Catfish Sandwich $5

The Bombay Club
Creole Chicken Strudel $5
Beef Brisket Sandwich $5

Trey Yuen Cuisine of China
Crawfish with Lobster Sauce $6
Shrimp Fried Rice $5
Egg Rolls (2 per order) $4
Combo (One of each) $8

Tujague's
Shrimp & Crabmeat Stuffed Merliton with Creole Sauce $5
Brisket of Beef with Horseradish Sauce $4

Vaucresson Sausage Company
Creole Hot Sausage Po-Boy $6
Creole Crawfish Sausage Po-Boy $6

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