Ahhh, New Orleans! How can one small city have so much good food, excess amounts of alcohol, ghosts, voodoo, and an abundance of quirkiness? In short, how can one city be so much damn fun??
We just returned from a quick weekend in New Orleans celebrating L's birthday. In planning our trip, we decided to do one "old school" NOLA meal and one more trendy meal. But there's so much to choose from that pinning down the right location for each was torture. After literally months of scouring the internet, and repeated emails seeking advice on this monumental decision to my very patient friends (& NOLA residents), I finally decided on Galatoire's for Friday lunch and Herbsaint for Saturday dinner.
Galatoire's, a 100 year old restaurant in the French Quarter, is known for its Friday lunch. The downstairs part of the restaurant famously does not accept lunch reservations (as opposed to the newer upstairs which accepts reservations but doesn't have the same cache as the downstairs). So, apparently, the locals start lining up at 10:00 am, some send their staff to wait in line for them. And, for those who wait in line, once they're in, they don't leave. They stay and drink until dinner (this custom is known as "Two-for.")
Although I had no intention of drinking until dinner, I really wanted to sit downstairs. But I was warned that "it gets pretty rowdy downstairs." Because we were lunching w/ my 4-year old A, and my friend Jen and her son, I made reservations for upstairs.
As soon as we walked into the restaurant, L immediately loved it. It was full of old world charm. The service was phenomenal. The staff were all dressed in white jackets and bow ties. They were discreet, respectful, helpful and detailed. I started with a Sazerac. Only in New Orleans can you even order this drink. To be honest, it wasn't for me, but I've never been a brown liquor drinker. We also had gumbo, escargot, crawfish etouffe - the staples of cajun cooking. Was it good? Of course, it was. Was it the best food I've ever had? No.
But we had a blast. Those restaurants are like stepping back in time. Suddenly, we were in a New Orleans that existed in the 1920s when people maintained a certain formality and civility that no longer exists. (A time also when children are better seen and not heard. This was definitely not A's most popular moment!)
Saturday night (the babysitter night), we went to Herbsaint with my very close friends Chris & Jen. L & I chose this restaurant because of its celebrity chef, appealing menu and bistro decor.
That day had been over 100 degrees, but the night was perfect. After a cocktail at the bar (a caipirhina for me and Pimm's Cups for Chris & Jen), we decided to sit outside. What a delightful restaurant Herbsaint proved to be. Every morsel of food was fantastic. My favorite thing was the heirloom tomatoes and burrata. But the spaghetti & guanciale appetizer was a very close second. And for entrees, I would say that Jen's braised lamb neck was the clear winner, followed by my duck confit.
As great as the restaurant was, the company was even better (and the restaurant gets kudos for knowing how to stay in the background as needed.) We hadn't seen Chris & Jen in over a year and, when they lived in Atlanta (9 years ago), they were my closest friends. So having the opportunity to eat at a great restaurant was nothing compared to spending time with my far greater friends.
My final assessment of these two restaurants: Galatoire's you do once. Herbsaint you return to.
