Two Dozen Best Standard-Setting Restaurants, 2016.

[title type="h3"]Two Dozen Best Standard-Setting Restaurants.[/title] The word “standard” has two meanings that are sort of opposites. In this case, a standard restaurant is one whose work is so good that it inspires other restaurants of its kind. It sets a standard that comes to mind most often when a restaurant fails to get up to that level. Standard implies a track record--sometimes a very long one. It's the opposite of new. Although freshly-opened eateries get much attention and almost all the media coverage, the long-established restaurants get most of the business. They are consistent, unlike the new places. (Which have the ultimate inconsistency of not having been there at all a year or two ago.) Standard-setting restaurants also tend to be atmospheric and tend to the higher price categories. For that reason, we'll have another list of the casual standard-setters as we continues this survey of the New Orleans restaurant scene, and yet another for the North Shore. (What a problem: too many good restaurants.) I think new and standard restaurants should be ranked separately, and that is what I am about to do. 1. Commander's Palace. Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 1403 Washington Ave. 504-899-8221. I just made up my mind about this a couple of weeks ago, when I dined on Commander's eight-course Reveillon menu. They serve that every day, along with a more conventional menu. All the little things we've gone to Commander's are still there: the garlic toasts, the overservice, the chicory coffee, the shrimp Henican, the turtle soup, the bread pudding soufflee, the best wine collection in these parts, the underpriced lunches. After watching closely the escalation (and occasional erring) of Commander's for thirty-five years, I can't recall a time when it was better than it is now. 2. Restaurant August. CBD: 301 Tchoupitoulas. 504-299-9777. Restaurant August had such a long run at the top of the New Orleans dining tower that even a perception of decline was inevitable. That took place when owner-tastemaker John Besh started opening other restaurants. He is now up to nine venues, with three more coming when he takes over the dining rooms at the Pontchartrain Hotel in 2016. Yet Besh's policy of giving his chefs a piece of the action has made most of his restaurants lik3e chef-owned properties. Recent meals have been as fresh and original as I remember in the heyday when Besh was there every night. . 3. Galatoire's. French Quarter: 209 Bourbon. 504-525-2021. Galatoire's is a standard among standards. It has been such a favorite among white-tablecloth restaurants for so long (110 years) that it would seem tough for them to figure out where to go next. The addition of the steakhouse and bar next door finally fixed the only serious block to planning a dinner at Galatoire's: the difficulty of getting a table. Meanwhile, the cooking remains a codex of Creole-French cookery, and the society in the dining room is matchless. 4. Emeril's. Warehouse District & Center City: 800 Tchoupitoulas. 504-528-9393. Emeril Lagasse has one of the greatest disadvantages a restaurateur can have in New Orleans: he's very successful. Visitors to New Orleans, unaffected by this disease of local diners, get a disproportionate number of the tables. He's still a big culinary star. And--more important--the kitchen is one of the best, and inspired many other restaurants, particularly in Emeril's insistence on making everything carefully in house. It wasn't that way when he started out. [caption id="attachment_25983" align="alignright" width="400"] Whole flounder @ Pelican Club[/caption] 5. Pelican Club. French Quarter: 615 Bienville. 504-523-1504. Almost since the Pelican Club opened (at nearly the same time that Emeril's and Bayona did), it not only has cooked brilliantly in a wide-ranging repertoire of styles, but priced its dinners so attractively that it almost makes first-timers suspicious. Don't be. The quality of the raw materials and the deftness of the cooking fulfill all expectations. This effect shows up most alluringly during the summer and Reveillon seasons. [caption id="attachment_44006" align="alignright" width="300"] Crab cake @ GWFins[/caption] 6. GW Fins. French Quarter: 808 Bienville. 504-581-3467. For a restaurant to be accorded the title of Best Seafood Restaurant in New Orleans really says something. But the claim is genuine. Every day, Chef Tenney Flynn brings in some dozen different species of fresh finfish--to say nothing of the shellfish. He carries his quest forward in some astonishing ways--like going scuba-diving to spearfish in the Gulf. He develops individualistic recipes for all this, and it's served in a handsome but casual dining room with a great wine-by-the-glass list. 7. La Petite Grocery. Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 4238 Magazine. 504-891-3377. It's too noisy, but that's my only complaint. (Sit near the bar to minimize the issue.) Other than that, you have a kitchen performing the French bistro standards, interspersed with Louisiana ingredients and flavors. All of this is is served with sophistication in a dining room with a decidedly romantic feeling. (So my wife says, anyway.) 8. Brigtsen's. Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor: 723 Dante. 504-861-7610. The very best of the hands-on, chef operated Creole bistros, Brigtsen's gets that way by putting all its efforts into cooking delicious food. No menu posturing; no quirky ingredients or oddball cooking techniques; no heavy emphasis on decor, ceremony, or wine. It's all about cooking up the best local flavors possible, a project at which Frank Brigtsen and his tight little kitchen consistently succeed. 9. Mr. B's Bistro. French Quarter: 201 Royal. 504-523-2078. Mr. B's is the archetype of the casual, contemporary Creole bistro. Only a few such were in existence when B's came along and lit a fire--a wood fire--and created an entirely new category. 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. Here are still the best versions of barbecue shrimp, chicken-andouille gumbo, crab cakes, bread pudding, and many other contemporary Creole classic dishes. The only problem is getting a table. 10. Arnaud's. French Quarter: 813 Bienville. 504-523-5433. Arnaud's is the best of the grande-dame French-Creole dining palaces. (The others are Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Broussard's). It's large enough to be able to perform enormous feasts for special events, while at the same time putting out a memorable dinner and the best Sunday brunch in town, all in a thoroughly New Orleans environment. Great bar, better baked oysters (five ways!), the best shrimp remoulade, and only one weakness (the wine cellar). 11. Antoine's. French Quarter: 713 St Louis. 504-581-4422. The past year was the 175th for Antoine's, and a good year it was indeed. The restaurant held an unprecedented series of special events, ranging in auspiciousness from studies of Antoine's history and visits from the chefs of other old restaurants to a big bash at the James Beard House in New York. The food and staff continue to improve, although there remains many more opportunities for Antoine's to improve its eats, most of them in the polish and consistency departments.A lot of diners who would never have dreamed of becoming an Antoine's regular have done so. [caption id="attachment_38943" align="alignright" width="300"] R'Evolution dining room.[/caption]12. R'evolution. French Quarter: 777 Bienville (in the Royal Sonesta Hotel). 504-553-2277. The best dinner I've had at R'Evolution occurred last spring, at a time when I was about decided that the tremendous hype behind this restaurant was overstated. But now that the menu has been pared back a good deal, the cooking seems to be more focused and polished. In the hands of the best servers here, dinner is memorable. But not all the wait staff is so capable. The premises are very handsome. [caption id="attachment_43093" align="alignright" width="150"] The big ballroom at Tomas Bistro.[/caption]13. Tomas Bistro. Warehouse District & Center City: 755 Tchoupitoulas. 504-527-0942. Tommy Andrade's flagship restaurant Tommy's is the popular one, with a classic menu of New Orleans French and Italian standards. But I have taken to his second place a bit more. Tomas Bistro is a classy-looking dining room with a French-Creole kind of menu. Some of this hearkens to the Golden Age of Fine Dining of the 1980s, but for the most part it's reasonably up to date. And, more important--very good. Tommy is a wine guy and keeps an excellent cellar. 14. Atchafalaya. Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 901 Louisiana Ave. 504-891-9626. In a number of respects, Atchafalaya may be the ultimate New Orleans restaurant. The food is great, inspired by the traditional ingredients and flavors but without more than a handful of classic Creole restaurant dishes. Credit that to Chef Chris Lynch, exec-chef of Emeril's for a long time. Atchafalaya's premises are an old neighborhood joint much in need of thorough restoration and rewiring. But the prices reflect that. Instead of lunch, Atchafalaya offers a first-class brunch almost every day of the week. [caption id="attachment_35943" align="alignright" width="233"] Double-cut pork chop.[/caption] 15. Muriel's. French Quarter: 801 Chartres. 504-568-1885. In location and decor, it looks like a place designed for tourists. But any out-of-towner lucky enough to wind up here will soon understand what the locals like in their restaurants. The seafood is exceptional, exceeded only by the duck and the pork chop. Many dishes come from a blazing wood grill. Great gumbo and the like. And the table d'hote menu is an exceptional bargain. [caption id="attachment_46577" align="alignright" width="300"] Duck confit.[/caption]16. Carrollton Market. Riverbend: 8132 Hampson St. 504-252-9928. The small space where many previous restaurants have been then ceased to be also has a track record of hosting better restaurants with each new opening. Carrollton Market (it's a restaurant, not a grocery store) is, therefore, the best yet. It has a decided French touch with more than a little influence from the Cajun, Creole and Southern cuisine. Watching the chefs cook (and you can, if you get a seat at the food bar) makes for an interesting evening. Perhaps because they are being supervised, the cooks have an exciting style. 17. Doris Metropolitan. French Quarter: 620 Chartres St. 504-267-3500. Now well into its fourth year, this intensive steak house was hot when it opened, faded briefly, became hip and jammed again, and repeated the process again and again. (At this moment, it's in vogue) People who eat here almost always leave wowed by the dry-aged beef, the unique starters and sides, and an unexpectedly fine wine list. 18. Impastato's. Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd: 3400 16th St. 504-455-1545. The most reliable Italian restaurant in the New Orleans area continues to turn out its familiar but carefully-crafted pastas and veal dishes, but with better seafood than we expect to find. And prices much lower than a comparable dinner elsewhere would cost. It's sometimes difficult to penetrate, what with all the regulars filling the tables. Be sure to reserve. [caption id="attachment_43397" align="alignright" width="300"] Oysters four ways.[/caption]19. MeMe's. St. Bernard Parish: 712 W. Judge Perez Dr. 504-644-4992. The best restaurant in the history of St. Bernard Parish enters its fourth year with amazing consistency, most of that the work of Chef Lincoln Owens. The foundation of the eating program is an array of great oyster appetizers and steaks, but for such a small restaurant the range is wide. 20. Meauxbar. French Quarter: 942 N Rampart. 504-569-9979. Take note: this is not the same restaurant that opened under this name a decade ago, but a relocation of the Ste. Marie, an imaginative New American bistro from the CBD. Chef Kristen Essig took the opportunity to shift up after the move, what with the French Quarter resident population just around the corner. A fun but serious place with a lot of possible dining strategies. 21. Mr. John's Steakhouse. Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 2111 St Charles Ave. 504-679-7697. The best steak house in town continues to pack them in every day for its USDA Prime (all of it) steaks and a collection of starters and sides much more interesting than what we find in the typical steak joint. Getting a table remains a challenge. During the past year the owners created a branch at Lafayette Square that isn't quite as good as the original. 22. Clancy's. Uptown 3: Napoleon To Audubon: 6100 Annunciation. 504-895-1111. One of the original generation of gourmet bistros, Clancy's has a well-defined program of putting out the familiar local dishes in an easygoing way with fine ingredients. It has often been called the Galatoire's of Uptown (there never has been a connection, though), an illustrative simile. 23. Square Root. Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs: 1800 Magazine St. 504-309-7800. The pinnacle of this restaurant is the many-course dinner served in the combination food counter and demonstration kitchen, where chef-owner Phillip Lopez leaps past the cutting edge, almost to the point of outlandishness. It's not for everybody, but those who like culinary adventure, there is no better place to have it. 24. O'Brien's Grille. Gretna: 2020 Belle Chasse Hwy. 504-391-7229. Currently the best restaurant on the West Bank, O'Brien's is a steak place above all other things. But its menu is well enough varied to make it inviting for everyone. The owner worked for a long time at the famous, extinct LeRuth's, and a few items from that many have appeared here.