Red Fish Grill

Restaurant Review

Anecdotes & Analysis

The first block of Bourbon Street off Canal Street was almost a no-man's land after the major department stores closed. The first sign of life in lively scene there now was the opening of the Red Fish Grill, whose colorful digs and impressive casual cooking set off a trend. As if it had something further to prove, it was the first major restaurant in the French Quarter to reopen after Katrina, even though they had to use paper and plastic serviceware and bottled water even for dishwashing. It all made the statement that this somewhat wacky-looking restaurant was in earnest about its food. And it still is.

Why It's Essential

It's a casual seafood restaurant, but nothing like what those words usually imply. Frying, for example, is at most a footnote here. Grilling, on the other hand, is accomplished with a wood-burning grill. An oyster bar enhances the appetizer possibilities. It winds up being a lot like a gourmet bistro, both in terms of goodness and price, but in a very easygoing way.

Backstory

Ralph Brennan, who was present at the birth of the seminal Mr. B's, opened the Red Fish Grill in 1996. It was unusual for the Brennans in that it was much more casual than its other places. And it was the first Brennan establishment owned solely by one Brennan. When the Bourbon House--operated by Dickie Brennan's side of the family--opened with a somewhat similar seafood menu across the street, there was a bit of stress. As it turned out, both restaurants have done very well.

Dining Room

What once was the men's department of the old D.H. Holmes department store looks as if it had been bombed, patched up just enough to function, then painted and furnished as if by a street artist. Walls, floors, and tabletops are fancifully decorated by artist Luis Colmenares in a way that almost suggests a slick chain restaurant, but this is the one and only.

For Best Results

The Red Fish is very busy at lunchtime, with a mix of visitors and people who work downtown. It's also a packed house during any big tourism event, with its gateway-to-Bourbon Street location. The middle of the afternoon is the best time in those crowded times.