Italian.
Metairie: 3400 16th Street. 504-455-1545. Map.
Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Open Sundays (times vary) on Saints home game weeks.
Nice Casual
AE DC DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Impastato's is the definitive restaurant for New Orleans-Sicilian cooking. A strong base of enthusiastic regular customers comes for the homemade pasta prepared tableside, the buttery seafood dishes, and the standard red-sauce range. Dining here is an exceptional value, particularly when it involves the five-course dinners available all night every night.
WHY IT'S GOOD
Certain dishes here are matched in goodness only by the same items at Sal and Judy's (see below). The paper-thin, made-in-house fettuccine is so perfect and light that, for all its simplicity, it's the dish that lingers in the memory. Variations on a sauce of lemon, butter, sherry, crabmeat, shrimp, artichokes, and mushrooms appear throughout the menu; all of these are delicious, particularly the fish and soft-shell crabs. Portions are generous. The bar makes exceptionally good drinks.
BACKSTORY
Joe Impastato is one of two Sicilian-born brothers (the other operates Sal & Judy's on the North Shore) who got a feel for the New Orleans palate from Jimmy Moran at the old La Louisiane. The brothers opened their own restaurants in 1978. Impastato's took over an existing restaurant called Joe Soab's, at a time when a major commercial boom was underway in the area. Joe let it be known that Saints players were always welcome as his guests, and they started hanging out there.
DINING ROOM
Two rooms: a busy, convivial main room with walls and ceilings covered with stained glass. And a smaller room off the bar, with a staggering collection of first-class sports memorabilia (i.e., a helmet from every NFL team, signed by its biggest stars). The bar also features the Sinatra-style singing of Roy Picou every night. The service staff has been here a long time and does its job well, especially if you're a regular.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Crabmeat-stuffed mushrooms.
Oysters Heebe (bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, herbs).
Fried calamari.
Crabmeat cannelloni.
Shrimp scampi.
Sauteed crab fingers.
Fettuccine Alfredo.
Pasta asciutta (in a light, spicy red sauce).
Penne pasta arrabbiata.
Artichoke soup.
Romaine salad with tomatoes and house Italian dressing.
Fried soft shell crabs Marcello (with crabmeat and shrimp).
Crabmeat au gratin.
Veal or trout Marianna (artichokes and mushrooms).
Pork speidini (pork wrapped around prosciutto and bread crumb stuffing).
Roast veal round.
Veal chop.
Osso buco.
Rack of lamb.
Sirloin strip steak.
Blueberry-banana pie.
Torroncino ice cream.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Ask the waiter what kind of fish is available; there's usually more than what you're initially told. If the only fish they have is tilapia, get the veal. Make a reservation even for weeknights, and show up early. Although a five-course dinner seems excessive, get it anyway. Nothing is held back in terms of quality or portion size.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The goodness of the food varies across the menu. Steaks, for example, are just okay. Desserts are also not a strong course.
Regulars get seating preference, sometimes delaying those waiting.
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 +2
- Value +2
- Attitude
- Wine and Bar +1
- Hipness
- Local Color +1
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Live music every night
- Romantic
- Good for business meetings
- Small private room
- Unusually large servings
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations accepted
This review was updated with new information on 3/10/2010.
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