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 differs from most other great restaurant cities in that its menus are dominated by seafood. Even in grand old restaurants in which beef and lamb are prime, it's the allure of the fish and shellfish that sets them apart. ¶ Part of this can be explained by the difficulty of buying good seafood. Although that's easier here than in most places, it still requires spending lots of time on the phone tracking down the good stuff. ¶ With a long history of great food and service and a chef who came from Galatoire's, Tommy's seafood side is very strong. You could eat here ten times without ever leaving the fish, oysters, shrimp, crawfish, soft-shells, and especially the crabmeat.

French Quarter