Return to NOLA

French Market

Attraction | "The French Market- Consistently Great!"

Quote:

We always hit the French Market on a Saturday when communal merketing is at it's best-not only are the vendors and the bargains first rate but the people watching, jazz music and festive atmosphere take on the most invigorating air! Be sure to stop at either Gazebo Cafe or French Market Cafe (they are basically the same place just on opposite ends of the Market) for one of the best Hurricanes in the city or try another one of their fancy frozen drink concoctions (Mud Slide,etc...) along with a heaping bowl of great Seafood Gumbo, Catfish Po'boy or try their fried alligator appetizer! Stroll through the outside market where the deals are pretty darn good while the shops inside offer bargains as well....Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 11, 2009

French Market
1100 North Peters
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 522-2621

Cheer!
Flag

What's to Love on St. Peter Street...

Story/Tip

Outside courtyard of Old Coffee Pot Restaurant Photo - New Orleans, Louisiana

Quote:

Right around the corner from the breathtaking St. Louis Cathedral is St. Peter's St. in the French Quarter. It is home to some of my favorite places to visit in New Orleans. If you turn right on Chartres Street (pronounced "Charter" street by locals) you will happen upon the Gumbo Shop. This is a favorite local and tourist hangout as the eats are relatively cheap and you can pick up a quick dash of local flavor in a short amount of time. It is not he Ritz. The emphasis is on Gumbo and other good food such as catfish po'boys and other cajun delights. The place was a little crummy as were the tables but service was good and they had a few good wines by the glass. Directly acroos the street fr...Read More

Right around the corner from the breathtaking St. Louis Cathedral is St. Peter's St. in the French Quarter. It is home to some of my favorite places to visit in New Orleans. If you turn right on Chartres Street (pronounced "Charter" street by locals) you will happen upon the Gumbo Shop. This is a favorite local and tourist hangout as the eats are relatively cheap and you can pick up a quick dash of local flavor in a short amount of time. It is not he Ritz. The emphasis is on Gumbo and other good food such as catfish po'boys and other cajun delights. The place was a little crummy as were the tables but service was good and they had a few good wines by the glass.
Directly acroos the street from the Gumbo Shop is La Divina Gelato-my new favorite location. I stopped there several times in one day...I stopped, ate and took takeout. The selection of gelatos and sorbets is unlike anything I have seen outside Italy. Having acquired a serious gelato habit in that country I have been able to keep it at bay due to the shortage of good gelaterias in my own area. But La Divina Gelato is a real find. It changes some of its flavors daily...we were treated to 3 or 4 different levels of chocolate; dark chocolate, deep chocolate, death by chocolate, expresso, cappuccino..the list goes on.
There were also unique and wonderful fruit creations such as strawberry with balsamic vinegar (our 2 day favorite)limone,mandarin orange and a medley of other concoctions that were truly gourmet and truly delicious. You can get your scoop in a bowl, to eat there, to go or in a cone (waffle,pretzel,sugar). They also serve a limited amount of breakfast sandwiches and lunches.
Go for the gelato!

If you turn left on Chartres St. onto St. Peter you will be in close proximity of the famous Old Coffee Pot Restaurant. I love this place so much I have given it its own review ...please see my N.O.journals to read more about this place.

While I must admit that I am enamored of the French Quarter it is impossible not to be lured by its special charm,no matter how matted and tarnished it may appear at the moment. Everyone in all of the shops on St. Peters St. loved having visitors and were more than accomodating to our business in order to have us return! Read Less

Cheer!
Flag

The Shops at Canal Place

Attraction | "Canal Street-The Heart of New Orleans"

Quote:

While tourists and young and senseless may flock to the French Quarter, Canal Street is the real heart of New Orleans. All of the best shops (Saks) and grand old and new hotels have addresses here. The Ritz-Carlton,Marriot,Crowne-Plaza,Doubletree Hotel,among others, call Canal Street home. It is the hub for the St. Charles streetcar and Canal Street line that runs from Harrah's to the cemetaries at the end of Canal. During the holiday season the palm trees are beautifully festooned with lights and wreaths,ribbons and garland decorate buildings,lamposts and balconies. Spend a few dollars whiling away the afternoon in Harrah's -but don't try to eat there. The noise and craziness coupled with med...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on December 31, 2008

The Shops at Canal Place
333 Canal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 522-9200

Cheer!
Flag

Brennan's

Restaurant | "Brennan's Not Brilliant"

Quote:

How disappointing. After all the hype we had heard about this long-time popular French Quarter establishment (it is advertised on every street corner and publication as far as the eye can see ) we were unimpressed by the pretentious,condescending and frankly phony service, the over-priced and over-rated food, and the lack-luster glamour that the waitstaff keep insisting is there but we were sore-pressed to find. We must have been reminded at least 5 times that we were about to be treated to the "world famous" and "world class" food (I wrote those exact words down) that was being prepared especially for us. Our waiter,in his disheveled and poorly fitting tux,along with his very elaborate southern acce...Read More

How disappointing. After all the hype we had heard about this long-time popular French Quarter establishment (it is advertised on every street corner and publication as far as the eye can see ) we were unimpressed by the pretentious,condescending and frankly phony service, the over-priced and over-rated food, and the lack-luster glamour that the waitstaff keep insisting is there but we were sore-pressed to find. We must have been reminded at least 5 times that we were about to be treated to the "world famous" and "world class" food (I wrote those exact words down) that was being prepared especially for us. Our waiter,in his disheveled and poorly fitting tux,along with his very elaborate southern accent could have easily passed for an Elvis impersonator in any other venue. He was overly solicitious but then forgot to bring the a second glass of wine that I requested. He was so busy bragging about the food and bragging about Brennan's that his main job,of serving graciously,was thrown out the window. After insisting that "right now Brennan's has the best gumbo in town"(I begged to differ on that point) the waiter took our order from a 3 course prix-fixe menu;Creole Onion soup that was served lukewarm and just so-so served with plain old ordinary French baguettes; Oysters Benedict which were good but plated over Holland Rusks which,pardon me, are crackers. The hollandaise sauce as well as the soup,were only lukewarm -not steaming. My partner was happier with his "Eggs Owen"-poached eggs served over beef hash accomapanied with Marchand de Vin sauce. They weren't bad but were also not very warm. Partner had his usual cosmo with the meal which he declared to be "okay". Our desserts (both flamed with a LOT of DRAMA -probably more than they deserved ) were Bananas Foster and Crepes Fitzgerald which were strawberries flamed in a maraschino liquor. While the meal was okay it certainly did not live up to its hype. Right now I simply consider it a "tourist trap" to be avoided unless one goes for the "kitschy" Old New Orleans style. Read Less

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on December 31, 2008

Brennan's
417 Royal St
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
+1 504 525 9711

Cheer!
Flag

GW Fins

Restaurant | "GW Fins Lives Up to Its Name!"

Quote:

Rated "The Best Seafood Restaurant in America" by highly acclaimed Forbes Traveler magazine,GW Fins is a well-kept secret that is worth discovering. If you love seafood..true seafood-then you will relish this highly focused,elegant but simply furnished dining spot. As an appetizer I could not resist the sizzling oysters served on a bed of salt -they were so fresh and sweet and were just barely seared but oh-so-tender dipped in the accompanying drawn butter. My husband craved a Caesar salad and was happy with the shaved parmesan shards that accented the fresh romaine and delicate dressing of this sometimes overdone salad. We were graciously served very light,sweet and tender biscuits that repla...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 31, 2008

GW Fins
808 Bienville Street
New Orleans 70112
(504) 581-3467

Cheer!
Flag

Coffee Pot Restaurant

Restaurant | "The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant is our Nawlins Favorite!"

Quote:

For a place that simply doesn't advertise (it doesnt need to) "The Old Coffee Pot" is the kind if place that once you have had a good experience there you will come back ..again and again. On our 4th visit to the city (our first since Katrina) we were anxious to find out if the quaint cafe had survived. It did and was every bit the same as when we left it. We have gone for breakfast,lunch and dinner and always receive outstanding,friendly genuine down home service, with a dash of local color and food that is the real deal. I have had their seafood gumbo (I declare it to be the best in the city) as well as their tasty breakfast dishes like Eggs Rockefeller.Try the rice callas...you wont find them h...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 31, 2008

Coffee Pot Restaurant
714 Saint Peter Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116
(504) 524-3500

Cheer!
Flag

Cafe Adelaide's Swizzle Stick Bar

Restaurant | "Cafe Adelaide - Commander's Palace "Light""

Quote:

What a pleasant surprise awaited us on Christmas night when we stumbled upon Cafe Adelaide (adjacent to the Swizzle Stick Bar) in the lovely Loews Hotel in the Convention District. We had just stepped out of the movie theater in Canal Place and there were not many promising choices open at 7:00pm Christmas night. Cafe Adelaide not only greeted us with open arms but provided us with possibly the best meal of our entire trip! The Swizzle Stick Bar (where we waited for our table) provided an absolutely fabulous drink titled appropriately"Oh Delicious" -filled with limoncello and other enticing liquors. Hubby opted for a Cosmopolitan and he dubbed it the best in New Orleans (even tho he usually dr...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 31, 2008

Cafe Adelaide's Swizzle Stick Bar
300 Poydras St.
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 595-3305

Cheer!
Flag

Maison Pierre Lafitte

Hotel | "A Step Below"

Quote:

Have stayed at many hotels and B&B's in New Orleans. This was our first experience with an RCI Timeshare exchange in New Orleans and we were sorely disappointed. Our other exchanges have been heads and tails above this one. I don't know what it looked like pre-Katrina but now it is small,cramped,with an "off" smell and I'm not even sure that all of the interior was up to "code". The headboard was not attached to the tiny double bed in the loft so it banged needlessly every time you moved. The bathroom was adequate (clean,roomy) but the pedestal sink was not connected to the wall so it jiggled when you leaned against it. There were plenty of towels but no place to hang them and no tissues were ...Read More

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on December 31, 2008

Maison Pierre Lafitte
108 University pl
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
(504) 527-5800

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

New Orleans Journals

Return to NOLA

French Market

What's to Love on St. Peter Street...

The Shops at Canal Place

Brennan's

GW Fins

Coffee Pot Restaurant

Cafe Adelaide's Swizzle Stick Bar

Maison Pierre Lafitte

About the Writer

More Journals by pointerbd

More New Orleans Journals

New Orleans Tips & Stories

Popular New Orleans Hotels