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Restaurant Ratings

The ratings are based mostly on the degree to which the food excites us, and a little on environment, service, and other considerations. I rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. Here's what the stars mean to me:

starstarstarstarstar
Among the best locally.

starstarstarstar
Excellent and ambitious.

starstarstar
Worth crossing town for.

starstar
Recommended.

*
Acceptable.

No star
Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings
Each dollar sign indicates a ten-dollar range, including a normal meal for the restaurant (dinner, if they serve other meals), not including drinks, or tips. So, for example. . .

1$--$5-15
2$--$15-25
3$--$25-35

. . . and so on, with no upper limit. While this scheme may suggest mathematical precision, know that perception of price varies from diner to diner as much as the star ratings do. So consider this an estimate.

All reviews are based entirely on meals I have personally taken at the restaurant and paid for from my own pocket. I don't take free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

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Liborio

Cuban. Mexican.
CBD: 321 Magazine. 504-581-9680. Map.
Lunch Monday-Saturday. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday,.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Cuban friends all say the same thing about Liborio: it's good, but not as good as the Cuban food their grandmothers make. To those of us without that resource, Liborio is pretty good. It cooks all the Cuban specialties, along with a scattering of Mexican food and straightforward grilled items, for those hesitant about trying an unfamiliar cuisine.

WHY IT'S GOOD
Liborio is frequented mainly by people who work in the CBD and who have a taste for Mexican food (hence the tacos). The Cuban steak is the best I've had. Roast pork and congri, ropa vieja, and the other Cuban specialties are as good as they are filling--usually. (There's a little consistency problem.) At lunch, the various Cuban sandwiches (like a poor boy, with a different array of ingredients, and press-toasted bread) are wonderful.

BACKSTORY
Liborio opened in the French Quarter in 1969, and although it's moved a couple of times and had ownership changes, it has been in continuous operation. Yet, except for people who work in that part of the CBD or Cubans, it's not well known. Every time I eat there I wonder why that is--other than, perhaps, the long-running curse on any kind of restaurant attempting to serve dinner downtown.

DINING ROOM
A long room with an attractive tiled floor and draped ceiling. Despite those modern touches, it feels in some ways like a venerable New Orleans restaurant. The building predates the Civil War.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Cuban tamale (big, with pork).
Shrimp croquettes.
Empanadas (fried pies) with beef, chicken, or shrimp.
Seafood paella.
Grilled tuna or salmon.
Shrimp with pasta.
Shrimp-stuffed steak.
Ropa vieja (shredded beef brisket stew with rice).
Cuban roast pork (with yuca, garlic sauce, and black beans).
Liborio steak (flank, with a tomato sauce).
Cuban steak (wide and thin, with garlic, onions, and lime).
Rack of lamb.
Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken).
Cuban fried chicken.
Cuban sandwich (ham, roast pork, cheese).
Cuban steak sandwich.
Flan.
Tres leches cake.
Guava with ice cream.

FOR BEST RESULTS
The specials are the best bets. They include a good soup (particularly the black bean, and lentil soup's delicious, too) and two or three entrees.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Liborio has always had a consistency problem, mostly involving the occasional dish which tastes as if it were the last one from a batch made yesterday.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

This review was updated with new information on 1/4/2010.

A list of all 300 full, current reviews is here.