French Quarter

The least pretentious of the seven century-old New Orleans restaurants, the Acme acts its age in its signature activity. Their oysters have always been among the city's best, both in the raw bivalves and the grilled oysters--the latter a recent borrowing from Drago's. Most of the rest of the menu is standard New Orleans neighborhood eats, but in much of that the kitchen comes across as the small chain restaurant that it is, with less range in its offering, particularly the finfish.

Covington

Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs

Delmonico is the best restaurant directly on a Mardi Gras parade route--even though it's closed on Fat Tuesday and Monday. The rest of the year, it's my kind of restaurant. Its menu is dominated by classic French-Creole dishes updated with current ingredients and kitchen techniques. They play the same game with the dining rooms, enclosed in a century-old building that nevertheless has a decidedly contemporary feel.