[title type="h3"]And Click Here For The Rest Of The Top 100.[/title]
Mother’s Day is second in popularity only to birthdays as a reason for dining out. Around forty percent of us will treat our mothers (or our wives) out to dinner on the second Sunday of May.
Every day’s a birthday. But there’s only one Mother’s Day. That makes it the busiest day of the year for restaurants. Fortunately, a large array of restaurants waits to serve the mothers and their families. Many restaurants normally closed on Sundays usually open for Mother’s Day. It may be the only Sunday they open all year.
So the answer to “Where do I take my mother on Mother’s Day” can start not with “Who’s open?” but “Where would Mom like to dine?” Here is a list of a dozen restaurants that most of the mothers I know would find very nice. And if that's not enough, we also have a list of the 100 best for you to peruse, along with some thoughts about Mother's Day dining that you might find helpful.
Commander's Palace.
Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 1403 Washington Ave. 504-899-8221. Contemporary Creole. The most beautiful, most engaging environment for dining anywhere in New Orleans, with the world's original jazz brunch, a menu full of trend-starting dishes and classics too, and a matchless wine cellar. Only problem is that reservations are hard to come by.
Arnaud's.
French Quarter: 813 Bienville. 504-523-5433. Creole French.The best Sunday brunch in town, served in the most marvelous antique dining rooms around (which is saying something), makes Arnaud's a logical choice for Mother's Day. An advantage: a lot of people think of it at touristy. That's a little bit true, but only a little. The rest of the experience is pure pleasure.
Brennan's.
French Quarter: 417 Royal. 504-525-9711. Contemporary Creole.The return of Brennan's to the New Orleans dining scene is the best (and most interesting story in the current decade. With Ralph Brennan in charge, a staggering amount of cash was spent restoring the old (1700s!) building. Meanwhile, the menu--including the famous breakfast--has been brought up to date. And here's the funnies thing: the prices have gone down from those of the previous regime.
Emeril's.
Warehouse District & Center City: 800 Tchoupitoulas. 504-528-9393. Contemporary Creole.Emeril led the most powerful current local trend in cooking: finding the best local ingredients and making everything from scratch. His flagship restaurant innovates consistently without leaving the New Orleans flavor palette or ignoring the preferences of diners. Also here: the best restaurant pastry shop in town, with fresh breads and an amazing dessert list. For younger moms, it's an exciting place to be.
La Provence.
Lacombe: 25020 US 190. 985-626-7662. French.If another of those freak cool spells hits on Mother's Day, La Provence--the best fireplace-intensive restaurant in the area--will be ready to face it. More important, the food of Chef Erik Loos not only pleases the palatee but fulfills its name, and the legacy of the late founder Chef Chris Kerageorgiou.
Pelican Club.
French Quarter: 615 Bienville. 504-523-1504. Contemporary Creole.It's rare that food good enough to make it to the top of the ratings comes in a restaurant that also offers table d'hote dinners in the bistro price category. Its location (across the street from the Monteleone Hotel's parking entrance--is offbeat enough to keep the crowds down.
GW Fins.
French Quarter: 808 Bienville. 504-581-3467. Seafood.It's not well appreciated by restaurant patrons how difficult it is for a restaurant to serve consistently top-class seafood. Even here in New Orleans, it's a challenge for a restaurant to track down the good stuff. The owners of GW Fins have pulled it off, thereby creating the best seafood restaurant in New Orleans. Your mom (or wife) like pristine, delicious, original seafood?
Restaurant August.
CBD: 301 Tchoupitoulas. 504-299-9777. Eclectic.Chef John Besh took the gourmet restaurant game to a new level in 2001, and his flagship dining room remains one of the city's best places to dine. Perfect for the mother with an adventuresome palate, perhaps a bit much for moms who like gumbo, baked chicken and bread pudding. that game to the next level. The rather formal dining rooms has friendly, efficient service.
La Petite Grocery.
Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 4238 Magazine. 504-891-3377. French.The French bistro menu has become so overdone around town, with so many excellent practitioners, that such a place has to be brilliant to stand out at all. La Petite Grocery turns that trick.
Antoine's.
French Quarter: 713 St Louis. 504-581-4422. Creole French.Antoine's remains the backbone of the New Orleans culinary body. It began offering a Sunday jazz brunch when it come back after Katrina. Antoine's many private dining rooms into a wildly successful bar was also a big hit. The restaurant's 175th anniversary has brought some very agreeable changes, without losing the essence of this unique establishment.
Pardo's.
Covington: 69305 Hwy 21. 985-893-3603. Contemporary Creole."It makes you feel like you're Uptown," was the first comment I heard about Pardo's. That captures this Covington restaurant exactly. Something else I heard at the beginning: "It's a little expensive." Not by Uptown standards, but noticeably higher than Northshorinians are accustomed to. You get paid back in the food and service. And it's Mother'sDay!
Annadele Plantation.
Covington: 71518 Chestnut St. 985-809-7669. Contemporary Creole.A real plantation in an 1830s mansion in the woods next to Covington, Annadele's is second only to La Provence in the pleasantness of its dining rooms. The menu here is so retro as to seem genteel. It's perfect for the. The only challenge is finding it. "Turn off Causeway Blvd. a block past the Popeyes" is not a seemly direction, but is the most accurate.
