Covington

The generic, forgettable name and the corny menu language ("gumbeaux") disguise some very good neighborhood seafood restaurant. Overloaded platters of fried oysters, shrimp, catfish, and soft-shell crabs are all prepared to order, crisp and hot. And they grill as well as they fry. The three locations have aspects of a neighborhood cafe, with poor boys, beans, gumbo, and specials.

Warehouse District & Center City

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.