The Restaurants We Can't Live Without By Tom Fitzmorris. . . Revised July 2009 #47 La Crepe Nanou French Bistro. Uptown: 1410 Robert . 504-899-2670. Map. Dinner only, Monday-Saturday.fa Casual. MC V www.lacrepenanou.com   WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL   It's the quintessential French bistro, environmentally and culinarily. The goodness of the cooking and the underpricing of the menu has always kept the sixty or so seats full, while hopeful diners wait in the bar or out on the sidewalk for their turn. For the many regulars, the people they meet during the delay is part of the charm.   WHY IT'S GOOD   Long before French bistros were all over New Orleans, La Crepe Nanou felt and tasted like a dislocated slice of Paris. The food is classic bistro fare: fresh, French, inexpensive, and more delicious than you anticipate. The place is intensely social; at most tables, people order more food than they usually do, and pass it around among themselves. Crepes--both entree and dessert varieties--remain a specialty that few other local restaurants purvey.   BACKSTORY   La Crepe Nanou began as its name implies: a crepe shop, serving both savory and dessert crepes, but little else. Over the years it grew into adjacent buildings, and increased the breadth of its menu. Although the owner is very French, for a long time the kitchen was staffed mostly by Vietnamese.   DINING ROOM   The restaurant fills what were once three small buildings. Walk more than a few feet and the decor changes. Recent renovations have removed the worn-out Parisian feeling the place used to have, but added more charm with the new comforts. The tables on the sidewalk now serve food, too.   ESSENTIAL DISHES   Pommes frites. Pate maison. Mussels mariniere. Escargots bourguignonne. Onion soup au gratin. Cheese and pâté plates. Salad tropicale (avocado and hearts of palm). Seafood gratin. Dinner crepes, especially with crab, crawfish, florentine, and Provençal. Whole grilled fish of the day. Grilled salmon béarnaise. Roast chicken. Grilled quails with mushrooms. Filet mignon with green peppercorn or bearnaise sauce. Lamb chops with Cognac sauce. Sweetbreads with lemon, capers and butter. Dessert crepes, especially Antillaise, Belle Helene, and Calvados.   FOR BEST RESULTS   Count on waiting at least a little while for a table. You'll probably run into someone you know, and soon you're attending an ad-hoc Uptown cocktail party.   OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT   It's a little too hard to get a glass of wine or a cocktail at the bar when it's busy. The no-reservations policy is inconvenient.   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 +3 Service +1 Value +2 Attitude +1 Wine and Bar +1 Hipness +1 Local Color +1   SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES    Romantic Outdoor dining Open Monday Unusually large servings Good for children Click here for an index to current reviews of the 200 Essential Restaurants, and others. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com