River Parishes

Appropriate to its history in colonial times, Middendorf's marks the farthest outpost of NOMenu's restaurant-rating purview. But through its entire long history, New Orleanians have always considered it to be as essential part of the dining scene, and worth the forty-mile trip to dine there. The long drive is an unacceptable complication for a fair number of enthusiasm-challenged people, who will tell you that it's overrated. Ignore such reports and, on the way out, have the essential debate as to which is the best way to eat Middendorf's famous fried catfish: thin-cut, thick-cut (that gets my vote) or whole fish. Then work on your appetite with images of the great raw and broiled oysters, the stuffed crabs, and the soft-shell crabs in their season (warm months).

Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon

French Quarter

In 1979, the Brennans revolutionized the the New Orleans dining scene around by opening Mr. B'sthis, the archetype of the casual, contemporary Creole bistro. Now restaurants like Mr. B's dominate the scene. Its kitchen creates innovative and excellent Creole dishes from top-rung fresh ingredients, but serves them in an easy, informal way. Hickory-grilled fish, now common, was pioneered here; so was pasta as a non-Italian main course. Although a scan of the menu suggests that red meats are the main specialty, the seafood dishes are almost without exception the best versions anywhere of numerous contemporary Creole classic dishes.