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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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pricebar

Ristorante Filippo

Italian. Creole Italian.
Metairie: 1917 Ridgelake. 504-835-4008. Map.
Lunch Monday-Friday. Dinner Monday-Saturday.
Casual
AE DC MC V

WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL
Those who like hidden, secret restaurants, or those who love Italian food with some local excitement in its flavors, should have this little restaurant of their lists. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but both the interior environment and the eating is terrific.

WHY IT'S GOOD
Although chef-owner Phil Gagliano claims that his recipes are classic Sicilian-New Orleans, in fact his food is quite distinctive. It relies more on herbs and olive oil and careful roasting than on red sauces and melted cheese. He leaves nothing tasty out, but balances all the elements to arrive at some beautiful flavors. Even elementary matters like the Italian salad and veal piccata come out unusually delicious.

BACKSTORY
Phil Gagliano is part of the current generation of the family that gave us Frank's, a venerable, lusty Italian cafe across from the French Market. In later 2001, he took over the former Napoli restaurant, the last of a series of cafes in a funny building athwart the West Napoleon Avenue corridor near Causeway Boulevard and the Galleria. All of the former occupants did a pretty good business, even though it's hard to figure out how to get to the restaurant the first time you try.

DINING ROOM
Nothing about the utilitarian exterior suggests the intimate, casually elegant dining rooms inside. (The owner was an interior designer before he became a chef.) All the rooms are small; the upstairs dining room is a shade less atmospheric.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Oysters al oreganate (baked with bread crumbs, garlic, and herbs).
Zuppa di Fillipa (seafood soup).
Pasta aglio olio.
House salad.
Shrimp scampi.
Trout with crabmeat and lemon butter.
Mussels marinara.
Fish specials.
Chicken speidini.
Veal Sorrentino (with eggplant and Marsala).
Veal or chicken piccata.
Filet mignon.
Pork chop with risotto (a frequent special).
Tiramisu.
Blueberries with zabaglione.

FOR BEST RESULTS
The best way to get to the place is from Galleria Boulevard. Take a right at the end of it, and it's across the street. Some corners of the dining room are better than others. Tables in the bar are more comfortable than you might imagine.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Not enough seafood entrees. The veal needs to be sliced and pounded thinner.

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 9/24/2009.