Gretna

Gretna

Gretna

French Quarter

Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd

Elmwood

Kenner

Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs

Jefferson

Mandeville

Harvey

Kenner

Lacombe

It doesn't matter much who you are. It's going to be tough getting a table at Sal and Judy's on moment's notice. That's even if you know Sal. ¶ Everybody knows Sal. Sal is one of the nicest guys in the restaurant business. He comes across as an Italian immigrant who hasn't quite figured things out, letting his customers fill him in. In reality, Sal is one of the most savvy restaurateurs around. Nobody except Paul Prudhomme or Emeril can match his success in marketing his sauces, salad dressings, seasonings, and olive oil, which are everywhere in New Orleans supermarkets. (They're successful largely because they really duplicate the flavors served in the restaurant.) ¶ Meanwhile, the food in house is worth a trip across the lake and the trouble of making a reservation well in advance.

Covington

Mandeville

Slidell

French Quarter

Belle Chasse

Jefferson

Gentilly

Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd

Warehouse District & Center City

Slidell

Metairie 3: Houma Blvd To Kenner Line

Esplanade Ridge

Grab some chips and dig into the superb and offbeat salsa (it has a slightly smoky flavor). It's good enough that you will go for a second ration, for which you will have to pay extra--but probably without complaint. Margaritas and guacamole are excellent in their turns. After that, pretend you're in a gourmet bistro. Time for mussels, calamari, steaks, racks of lamb, big flanks of fish, and no small number of other specialties that might not remind you of anything Mexican. But so what? We let Italian and French restaurants get away with that. So why not Creole-Mexican?

Uptown 3: Napoleon To Audubon

Lakefront/UNO Area

Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor

Bywater & Downtown

Mandeville