American Casual
The Indigenous Food Of The U.S.--Except In South Louisiana
The dominant style of restaurants in New Orleans, from the bottom of the spectrum to the top, is Creole-Cajun flavor. In the rest of the country, it's a hard-to-define mix of specialties from the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Coast that one finds in most eateries. This American menu is comparatively rare in South Louisiana--almost enough to make it seem exotic. But the national chains and chefs who came here from elsewhere make it easy enough to find.
And then there are the steakhouses, hamburger joints, diners, delis, and other omnipresent parts of the American eating-out culture.
Riding atop the whole scene is a generation of chefs who have brought American cookery to heights equal to those reached by the word's great classic cuisines. Those are in the separate category American Gourmet and Eclectic.
Click on any of the restaurants listed below for a detailed, updated review.
