Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd

One of the most important goals a restaurant must have is a good source of first-class raw materials. Even in the realm of seafood--which you'd think should be very abundant in our part of the world, but isn't--the person who buys food for a restaurant kitchen must either 1) pay top dollar; b) know somebody well-connected to the commercial fishermen; or iii) spend a lot of time on the phone tracking the every-changing seafood markets. Joe Impastato and his brother Sal do all three of those things. At Impastato's, for example, I often find soft-shell crabs when nobody else has them. Live soft-shells, at that. Can't fake that.

Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor

French Quarter

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. Part of this is because the resource is waning, but even more vexing is the inconsistency of availability. So the two owners of GW Fins--both of whom came into the business with full knowledge of the situation--must at times have wondered whether they were out of their minds to attempt a fish-specialized menu with a dozen species on the menu on a bad day. It is a testimonial to their skill that they have pulled it off. Thereby, they have created the best seafood restaurant in New Orleans.