Brigtsen's in New Orleans is Frank and Marna Brigtsen's 1986 Victorian-cottage Creole Acadian room near the streetcar terminus, a Paul Prudhomme alumnus with shell-bean stews still on the menu.
Signature dishes: Shell-bean and crawfish stew, Filé gumbo
Must order: The shell-bean and crawfish stew, on the menu since 1986. Then the file gumbo.
Tip: Dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday from 17:00. The whole restaurant is one cottage; book ahead.
Address: 723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118
Boucherie in New Orleans is Nathanial Zimet's Carrollton tasting-menu room, a former food truck turned Southern-modern five-course degustation with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding still on the list.
Signature: Five-course tasting, Krispy Kreme bread pudding
Order: There is no choice; the five-course tasting changes with the produce. End with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding.
Tip: Bourree next door is the daiquiri and wings spinoff; sit there first for a cocktail before dinner.
Boucherie in New Orleans is Nathanial Zimet's Carrollton tasting-menu room, a former food truck turned Southern-modern five-course degustation with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding still on the list.
Signature: Five-course tasting, Krispy Kreme bread pudding
Order: There is no choice; the five-course tasting changes with the produce. End with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding.
Tip: Bourree next door is the daiquiri and wings spinoff; sit there first for a cocktail before dinner.
Atchafalaya in New Orleans is the Louisiana Avenue Creole room on the edge of the Garden District, known for a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar and the duck hash that draws the weekend brunch queue.
Signature: Duck hash, Shrimp and grits
Order: The duck hash with sunny eggs, then build a Bloody Mary at the bar.
Tip: Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday with live music; arrive at 09:30 or hold for the 13:00 turn.
Maypop in New Orleans is Michael Gulotta's Southern Asian room in the Paramount Building at O'Keefe and Lafayette, a 2017 spinoff of MoPho with hand-cut noodles and Vietnamese-Creole crossover.
Signature: Hand-cut noodles, Lemongrass-stuffed quail
Order: The hand-pulled noodles with crawfish; then the lemongrass quail.
Tip: Sit at the open kitchen for the noodle show; the bar pairs natural wines with the heat.
GW Fins in New Orleans is Tenney Flynn's Bienville Street fine-dining seafood room, with a daily-changing menu sourced from the Gulf and the docks of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Signature: Scalibut, Sizzling oysters
Order: Whatever runs as the daily catch. Then the warm biscuits, which arrive without prompting.
Tip: Reservations are easier on weeknights; bar dining serves the same menu with shorter waits.
Restaurant August in New Orleans is the 2001 modern Creole flagship in an 1830s Tchoupitoulas warehouse, originally John Besh's room and now in the 2025 Michelin Guide for the American South.
Signature: Gulf fish in lemon butter, Truffled potato gnocchi
Order: The truffled potato gnocchi, on the menu in different forms for two decades.
Tip: Tasting menu is the most-rewarded path; book a window-side table for the brick-arch view.
Commander's Palace in New Orleans is the 1893 Garden District grande dame on Washington Avenue, the Brennan family flag with turtle soup, jacket-required brunch and quarter martinis.
Signature: Turtle soup, Pecan-crusted Gulf fish
Order: The turtle soup with sherry tableside. It has been on the menu since the dining room opened in 1893.
Tip: Book the upstairs Garden Room for the live courtyard view; the dress code requires collared shirts at dinner.
