Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd

Metairie has not often been the home of neighborhood cafes for which New Orleans proper is celebrated. But there are a few such, and they have a way of being fun and good to find. Bistro Orleans is one of these. Taking over a space in a strip mall that has been home for a number of good to superb restaurants over the years, Bistro Orleans has that blend of seafood, sandwiches and Italian food which, with a few daily specials, adds up to the neighborhood flavor.

Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor

Everything about Cowbell cries out for a battered, hand-painted wooden sign in front that says, "Last Chance For New Orleans Food!" Cross that railroad track, and you have indeed left the city, in a neighborhood that does indeed resemble the End Of The World. The place is such a wreck (an intentional design statement) that it places in the mind the idea that you could find a cleaner and more comfortable place to eat with food as good. This is largely an illusion, but something they should consider.

French Quarter

The corner of Iberville and Bourbon Streets may be the best restaurant location in New Orleans, with a surfeit of classic local eateries right there or mighty nearby. The Brennan family alone has four major restaurants within the block, creating a little tension when Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House encroached upon Ralph Brennan's Red Fish Grill's seafood-restaurant turf. As it turned out, both places thrived because of the propinquity, not despite it. The Bourbon House also offset one of Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse place at the other end of the block. All is harmony now.