From its outside appearance, you probably would not give Petunia's a second thought. In fact, we would have not have gone in at all but for the two outstanding reviews it received from other IGOUGO travelers. The fact that we ate lunch here twice over the three days that we were in New Orleans shows that we thought pretty highly of its food and atmosphere.
The interior is decorated in colors of Mardi Gras - pink and green. The service is excellent, and it appears that most of its clientele is local.
The first time, we had the shrimp creole and the crawfish etouffee. Both of these dishes are tomato based, and are served over rice. The etouffee is spicier. The shrimp were some of the best I've ever had - and they were huge. We should have shared one dish though, as the portions are tremendous. On our second trip, we shared the shrimp creole. We were tempted by the Shrimp Barataria, which is shrimp in a curry and dill sauce with tomatoes. They also claim to serve the world's largest crepes; the second time we ate there, the table next to ours ordered one, and it was huge.
Petunias is open from 8am -11pm, and breakfast is available until 3:30. They also have a website.