From The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Revised August 2009 Drago’s Seafood. Metairie: 3232 N. Arnoult Rd. 504-888-9254. Map. CBD: 2 Poydras 504-584-3911. Map. Both: Lunch and dinner continuously Monday-Saturday. Casual AE DC DS MC V www.dragosrestaurant.com   WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL   Drago's permanent place in the annals of New Orleans cuisine is assured. Its char-broiled oysters are so exciting that the idea has been imitated in dozens of other restaurants. That achievement is already in a league with Manale's barbecue shrimp, K-Paul's blackened fish, and Antoine's oysters Rockefeller. Beyond its oyster grill, Drago's is a classic New Orleans seafood restaurant, nudge upscale just a touch. Beyond fried seafood platters and gumbo, it's the city's leading lobster restaurant. New dishes enter the menu regularly, and both locations remain very busy.   WHY IT'S GOOD   The oysters, raw or grilled, are reason enough to come here. They come from premium Louisiana sources and are hard to beat. Those who like lobster find very fresh ones here; they sell so many that none of the crustaceans hang around long enough to lose their fat. The rest of the menu starts where most casual seafood restaurants stop. Fried seafood platters are a footnote to a menu that offers many other delicious opportunities.   BACKSTORY   Drago Cvitanovich and his wife Klara--both of whom are still active in the restaurant--are Croatian immigrants who worked in the local seafood business for years before opening their own restaurant in the 1970s. One of the first businesses in Fat City, it was always good, but never was especially busy. Their son Tommy came along with some fresh ideas, and seemingly overnight Drago's became one of the busiest restaurants in town. Their second location, in the Riverfront Hilton, is the top-grossing restaurant in the entire Hilton chain in America. The efforts Drago's family made after Katrina (and other disasters before that), and their activity in the community lend further good karma.   DINING ROOM   The Metairie restaurant is high-tech in design, but comfortable. The ambience is permeated with the everlasting presence of people waiting for tables. The oyster grill is a centerpiece, with columns of flame and steam bursting around the bivalves. The downtown restaurant sort of overlaps the gigantic Riverside Hilton hotel's lobby. It's more spacious, but the same casual feeling obtains.`   ESSENTIAL DISHES   Raw oysters. Char-broiled oysters. Seafood gumbo. Crabmeat Mediterranean salad. Barbecue stuffed drumfish. Oyster brochette. Fried seafood platters. Seafood pasta. Boiled lobster, or the saucier lobster Empire. Shuckee Duckee (grilled duck breast with oysters and pasta). Shrimp Herradura. Cajun surf-and-turf (filet mignon with shrimp and oysters). Osso buco. White chocolate bread pudding.   FOR BEST RESULTS   The restaurants are open all afternoon, and the crowds thin out then. Order fried seafood only if you must; it's not a specialty, really.   OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT   The unavoidable crowd during peak hours in Metairie can create stressful moments. There is not nearly enough parking. (The downtown Drago's has validate parking in the hotel's garage.) It would be nice to have a real oyster bar again (they only serve raw oysters at tables.) The restaurants are very noisy.   FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD   Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter. Dining Environment +1 Consistency +1 Service +1 Value +1 Attitude Wine and Bar Hipness Local Color +1   SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES    Many private rooms Open Monday lunch and dinner Open all afternoon Oyster bar Vegetarian dishes Unusually large servings Good for children Free valet parking No reservations Click here for an index to current reviews of the 200 Essential Restaurants, and others. Click here for an index to current reviews of the 200 Essential Restaurants, and others. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com.