Lakeview

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

New Orleans has always been one of the great cities in America for the eating of seafood. But it must be admitted that for a few decades we were in a bit of a rut, with seafood menus that were interchangeable both among the casual places and the gourmet restaurants. ¶ By going down to the basics of fishing and cookery, Pêche--along with a half-dozen or so other places with the same goals--have redrawn the field. It would be a wonderful thing if these new rules went into force in many more restaurants. ¶ Except for a a bit of beef for those who can't or won't eat seafood, Pêche is a where you go strictly to satisfy an appetite for fish. The provenance of the seafood is made clear by the number of items that vary day to day. ¶ The outstanding dish is the whole fish of the day. It's almost always a local species, and is likely to proceed from the large hearth right behind the much larger oyster bar. The kitchen doesn't limit itself to local or even American styles of cooking. Latin American and Spanish ideas are particularly in evidence.