Gretna

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.

Marigny

On the top edge of the Marigny Triangle lies a delicious and slightly unexpected Italian restaurant with a light heart--to judge by the pun-laden descriptions of the many fresh pastas and ingredients to toss it with. It harbors a small array of salads and appetizers, but the focus is on the sizable portions of pasta. I’m in a pasta-hungry stage lately, and I've been hooked by Arabella since the place opened. The staff is happily involved in serving your pick from the myriad possibilities that come about with seven pasta shapes (one of them gluten-free), six sauces, and seven miscellaneous toppings.