The Palace Cafe New Orleans French Quarter

Palace Café
605 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA
504-523-1661
Lunch: Mon-Sat – 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m.
Sunday Brunch: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Dinner nightly: 5:30 p.m. until
http://www.palacecafe.com/

By Jane Feehan

Another Brennan restaurant, the Palace Café (located between Chartres and Royal streets), applies the well-known family formula for good food and attentive service to create a pleasurable dining experience.

One of their dishes, Crabmeat Cheesecake, is a fusion of seafood with a dessert motif resulting in a delicious appetizer topped with three fat crab claws and a savory meunière sauce. A small slice is rich enough for two – or as a meal with a salad for one.

That wonderful sauce reappears in several of their dishes including Catfish Pecan, which comes with spiced pecans and popcorn rice and was delicious even to this diner who doesn’t eat catfish. Another entrée topped with the Palace Café signature meunière, Shrimp Tchefuncte, is a sophisticated, scrumptious departure from other shrimp feasts. Desserts are made in house, including praline ice cream served in a thin shell of baked pecan flour and sugar - a cool and creamy end-of-meal winner.

Steaks, chicken, pork, pasta, salads, and gumbo are also available for both lunch (entrées $13-18) and dinner (entrées $17-$32). It gets busy here especially at night so reservations are recommended. Sidewalk dining available at this multi-level restaurant. Dress: “upscale casual.” © Jane Feehan All rights reserved.

The Dock - Gulfport, Mississippi

The Dock
Bar and Grill
12347 Seaway Rd.
Gulfport, MS 39503
228-276-1500
Open Wednesday-Sunday: 11 a.m. until close
http://www.thedockgulfport.com/

By Jane Feehan

Three bars and a large deck attract the youngish crowd to The Dock in Gulfport. With its waterside location (Gulfport Lake) reggae music, and tropical motif, it’s reminiscent of places in Fort Lauderdale frequented by the bathing-suit-attired.

There’s probably a reason for that. The Dock’s proprietor, John Dane III, is president and CEO of Gulfport-based Trinity Yachts, a popular boat manufacturer among the high-end boat enthusiasts in Fort Lauderdale. No doubt he spends time there.

The menu is good, the food isn’t bad and there’s plenty of room for large groups – and an occasional concert; the Marshall Tucker Band was a recent headliner. There’s lots of room for a variety of day time activities, including volleyball and people watching.

A fried grouper basket was unexpectedly flavorsome: three pieces of fish with a light batter, several jalapeño hushpuppies - chewier than they should have been but not a turnoff - a generous portion of better- than-average fries and a side of ho-hum cole slaw made for one huge meal - lots of food for about $11. Large burgers with a variety of toppings are also worth the visit. The Dock serves soups and salads, po-boys and appetizer items that could also serve as main courses. Fried platters, including redfish, oysters or shrimp and party platters for $21 round out the offerings.

Docks, of course, available for boaters. Service: good. 2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

Leidenheimer's Bread - Toast of New Orleans

G. H. Leidenheimer Baking Company
1501 Simon Bolivar Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70113
504-525-1575
www.leidenheimer.com

By Jane Feehan

Antoine’s, Commander’s Palace, Redfish Grill each have something in common with Johnny’s Po-Boys, Gumbo Shop, Parkway Bakery and many more restaurants in New Orleans: Leidenheimer’s bread.

Whether it’s delivered to the table in a bread basket or served as the edible envelope of a po-boy or muffaletta sandwich, Leidenheimer’s delicious bread plays an important role in the New Orleans food scene. G.H. Leidenheimer came from Germany to New Orleans and opened a bakery in 1896. Today, the company is a major supplier of bread to the city’s most popular restaurants, thus helping to define Crescent City cuisine.

Leidenheimer’s doesn’t sell retail but if you have a need for a minimum of 10 French bread loaves, they’ll sell it to you from their bakery on Simon Bolivar Avenue.©2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved.

Marriott New Orleans at French Quarter

Marriott New Orleans
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-581-1000
888-364-1200
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/msyla-new-orleans-marriott/

By Jane Feehan

Marriott New Orleans, located on the edge of the French Quarter, is a hub of activity. And, many rooms in its 41 stories offer spectacular views of the Mississippi River. But if you’re looking for luxury, it’s not in standard accommodations.

We stayed on the 21st floor, concierge level. The rooms were tired looking and on the small side, which I can deal with, but the bathroom was outdated and, sorry to say – moldy in spots. It’s time for a good cleaning – and a renovation. Also only one bar of soap was left for two of us; I had to call for more soap and towels.

That said, the food in the concierge level was good and the staff, though short in number during the busy breakfast hours, was outstanding.

The best part about this hotel is its proximity to restaurants, night spots, street entertainers and the trolley line to other parts of the city. If driving to the Marriott New Orleans, plan on spending about $30 a day for parking (par with other cities) with valet service.

I didn’t try their restaurants – too many to sample in the Quarter. I did order coffee through room service and it was delivered fast. ©Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

Parkway Bakery and Tavern - New Orleans (Midtown)

Parkway Bakery and Tavern
538 Hagan Avenue
New Orleans (Midtown)
Restaurant: open 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Tavern: open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and beyond
Closed Tuesdays
504-482-3047

www.parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com

By Jane Feehan

Where do New Orleanians go for po-boys? Parkway Bakery and Tavern. It’s located in a historic section of the city that got walloped by the flooding after Hurricane Katrina. An artist's interpretation of the way the large, rambling eatery looked before, during and after the storm hangs in the dining area. And, yes, the po-boys are great.

Many visit here to dine on their award-winning roast beef sandwiches but there’s also a fan club for catfish, alligator or corned beef varieties. My choice was a regular shrimp po-boy for $7.50. Overflowing in golden fried shrimp, this po-boy stole my appetite for their popular sweet potato fries. I opted to bring home a half-pound brownie baked on the premises; rich in chocolate, it was large enough for two. Parkway also serves that New Orleans favorite: bread pudding.

Be prepared to stand in line during busy hours to order at the counter. It moves fast but just slow enough to make new friends among fellow diners. If a line turns you off, order ahead and pick up at the bar. Lot and street parking available. Located about three miles from the French Quarter, Parkway is a unique experience. ©2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

Tags: New Orleans restaurants, New Orleans restaurant reviews

Antoine's New Orleans French Quarter

Antoine’s
713 Saint Louis Street
New Orleans French Quarter
504-581-4422
Dinner:Monday-Saturday 5:30-9:30 p.m
Lunch: Monday-Saturday 11:30-2 p.m.
Jazz Brunch: Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
http://www.antoines.com

By Jane Feehan

Ahhh…dinner at Antoine’s. A walk into the main dining room is a step into a time long past. With shimmering chandeliers in a dining room decked out in white, a sophisticated wait staff anxious to please, and serving food best described as elegant, this New Orleans French Creole jewel did not disappoint.

Antoine’s, the oldest family-owned, continuously run restaurant in the United States, has created some of the dishes all of New Orleans is famous for such as Oysters Rockefeller (a dish so rich it deserved to be named for the wealthy John D. Rockefeller) and Filet de truite amandine (trout almandine).

An appetizer of Crevettes Remoulade was perhaps, the best I’ve ever eaten. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the remoulade, made with tomato sauce and horseradish, was outstanding – and not for the faint of heart. It was very hot (as in horseradish spicy), the way I like it. Grilled Pompano was topped with a generous handful of crab meat and served the way Pompano should be – without a sauce to hide its delicate flavor. The Poulet aux Champignons, chicken simmered in wine and mushrooms, was bursting in flavor as was the spinach in cream sauce. And the puffed fried potatoes … think fries with a tasty golden shell but without the heavy potato filling. The waiter will tell you how they are made, and it’s quite a process.

What they won’t share is the recipe for Oysters Rockefeller. I’ll be back soon to savor that dish. The dessert we chose was custard but I wish I had had the appetite for something else Antoine’s is famous for: Baked Alaska.

With many dining rooms, there is one for different occasions and moods. A pleasant bar area, perhaps to attract a younger crowd than the dining rooms do, features a happy hour most days.
Service: Excellent (waiters will give tours of the premises). ©2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.
Tags: New Orleans restaurants, New Orleans restaurant reviews, fine dining New Orleans

Muriel's New Orleans French Quarter

Muriel’s
801 Chartres Street at St Ann
Jackson Square
New Orleans French Quarter
504-568-1885
Lunch and dinner seven days
Sunday Jazz Brunch
Reservations recommended
www.muriels.com

By Jane Feehan

Muriel’s rocks. The food, contemporary Creole, is good, the price is right and the atmosphere festive. Lots of locals dine here in the shadow of St. Louis Cathedral.

A table d’ hote menu – set or limited menu with a fixed price - features a double cut pork chop, BBQ shrimp, or fish, with an appetizer and dessert for about $30. We ordered a double cut pork chop and pecan crusted puppy drum fish as entrées. Both dishes were excellent – and more than ample. A beet salad was low on beets but high in flavor and freshness. I ordered shrimp and goat cheese crepes; the shrimp were simmered in a buttery sauce of chardonnay, onion, tomato, and bell pepper. Had that been the main course I would have walked away happy; it was a large dish for an appetizer – and delicious. Dessert for us was a vanilla bean crème brulée, which was good but not outstanding.

The regular menu lists filet mignon (about $35), Creole shrimp dishes, barbequed oysters, crabmeat imperial, blackened redfish and wood grilled fish of the day. Appetizers and dessert on this menu are à la carte.

There’s dining for most any mood or circumstance: a romantic balcony, a private party room on the second floor and, for singles or small groups, there’s the courtyard for drinks - or feasting. Other rooms are available, depending on the occasion. It’s a fun place and the food is top-notch. Service: good. ©2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved.
Tags: New Orleans restaurants, New Orleans restaurant reviews

Old Ursuline Convent New Orleans French Quarter

The Old Ursuline Convent
1100 Chartres
New Orleans French Quarter
Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
504-525-9585
www.stlouiscathedral.org
Admission - about $5

By Jane Feehan

There are a few reasons to visit the Old Ursuline Convent, which is located about two blocks from St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square.

One is that it’s the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley. The convent was designed in 1745 and built 1752-53 to house the Ursuline Nuns who, in 1727, came with the first wave of French settlers. Since then it has served as a convent, school, an archbishop’s residence and a meeting place for the Louisiana legislature. It’s steeped in Catholic heritage and local history and holds a few historic and religious items of interest.

Another other reason to visit this beautiful setting is to view a scale (1:87) model of the French Quarter as it was around 1915. Placed in what was once an orphans’ dormitory, the model was built in France beginning in 1956 as a tribute to the cradle of jazz. It provides a great bird’s eye view of the layout of the French Quarter. Not much has changed over the years; it’s a wonderful aid in learning one’s way about the Quarter.

A visit here is a bargain at $5. It’s low key, peaceful and interesting – quietly juxtaposed to the flamboyance of New Orleans. Self-guided tours. © 2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

The Gumbo Shop, New Orleans French Quarter

Gumbo Shop
630 Saint Peter St.
New Orleans French Quarter
504-525-1486
Lunch and dinner daily
www.gumboshop.com

By Jane Feehan

Gumbo is the requisite dish when visiting New Orleans; a good place to get a taste of it is at the Gumbo Shop. A Creole eatery nestled in one of the oldest French Quarter buildings to survive a fire in 1794, this place offers a sampling of a few classic dishes at reasonable prices.

I ordered Seafood Gumbo ($7.99) and a side salad. The gumbo, while tasty, was short on shrimp, which were a bit overcooked. Blue cheese dressing served with the salad was terrific. A fellow diner enjoyed a flavorful and generous portion of red beans and rice (less than $10).

Two other minuses: French bread (Leidenheimer's - a major supplier of bread to NOLA's best restaurants) served with the meal was on the stale side and one set of tableware was dirty. Gumbo Shop is popular with the tourists and can get quite busy, which may explain away a few slip ups.

They also serve the Creole classics Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole, Chicken Gumbo and Boudin. Po-boys and other sandwiches available. Full bar. Service: good. ©2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved.