United States

Restaurant Reports

Red, White And Blue Food

As dominant as Creole and Cajun flavors are throughout the New Orleans area, and as unique a culture as our city has, we have been part of the United States for two centuries. To a large extent, we eat what other Americans do. You can't avoid hamburgers, steaks, barbecue, the All-American breakfast, diners, or delicatessens. On top of that, the American gourmet revolution that began in the 1970s continues to give us new dishes, restaurants, and styles of service and cooking. American wines are overwhelmingly the most popular, even in this city where French wines were king into the 1980s.

This section of the NOMenu restaurant guide looks at all this American cooking, new and old. Also here are the many fusions of exotic cuisines with American ingredients and flavor. (Our country is a melting pot, still.) In other words, everything American that's not Creole or Cajun.

American Gourmet
American Casual
Eclectic Menus
Steakhouses
Barbecue Joints
Brewpubs
Pizza
Vegetarian
Southern
Chicken
Neighborhood Cafes
Diners
Deli And Other U.S. Sandwiches
Hamburgers
Breakfast
Dessert And Coffee

Inside NOMenu's Restaurant Reviews

Click on any restaurant in the list at left to go to a full, detailed review. Although over 450 restaurants have current reviews here, almost 1200 restaurants are open in the New Orleans area. It's impossible to cover all of them. I've tried for 38 years, but I keep falling farther behind as the pace of new restaurant openings increases, and the rate at which the old ones change does too. My review strategy is to go into great depth about the restaurants I believe are most essential to the dining scene, and to keep my eyes open for rising stars .

The ¤ symbols in the right-hand column of the restaurant lists show the ratings. The ratings primarily depict the degree to which the food is exciting. Environment, service, and other considerations are included in the calculation, but have a smaller impact on the rating than the food does. We rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. (Not "for what it is.") Here's what the stars mean:

Among the best locally.

Excellent and ambitious.

Recommended.

Acceptable.

Marginal or less.

No Rating
Not Reviewed.

Cost Ratings. The price bar under the star ratings on the reviews gives an estimate of the cost of a typical meal for the restaurant. The range is plus or minus five dollars from the spot marked on the graphic. This is based on dinner in most places. It includes a typical beverage service, but not tax or tip. Eating habits vary so much from one diner to another that this should not be considered as having mathematical precision.

Review Method. I research and write all the reviews myself, based entirely on meals I personally took in the restaurants. I pay for all review meals from my own pocket. I don't accept free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

Recommended Dishes.The "Essential Menu" section of the review is a selection of the restaurant's menu. Dishes marked with the "»" symbol are especially recommended. I am in the process of expanding this section to include nearly the entire menu, but that's a very large, ongoing project.

I May Be Wrong. I invite you to agree, disagree, or question any of my reviews. This is just my opinion here, and although my reviews are carefully considered and informed by decades of information gathering, I don't pretend that mine is the only possible viewpoint. If you have a different point of view, write me: tom@nomenu.com. Let me know if I may publish your thoughts in the newsletter.

Tastefully yours,
Tom Fitzmorris

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