No other place on earth can compete with the typical cuisine of New Orleans and dishes like … (+)
If you thought travel guides were outdated in the digital age, you are wrong.
In an age when all things food and culinary have become a national obsession, there is no city more revered for its local cuisine than New Orleans.
While there’s great sushi and authentic Italian specialties from New York to Las Vegas to Los Angeles, there’s no other city in the country that comes close to rivaling it when it comes to Cajun and Creole dishes. While that’s what The Big Easy is most famous for, there are many other culinary areas in which it excels, from Vietnamese cuisine to soul food, and there’s simply no other destination in the U.S. that can match the city’s sandwich superiority. In addition to homegrown standouts like muffuletta and po boys of every ethnicity and variety, New Orleans has taken the lead in modern chef-driven deli/butcher shops, and no matter what kind of sandwich you’re craving, you’ll likely find the best version here (with the exception of Jewish-style pastrami, where New York still leads the pack).
This new culinary guide, City Eats New Orelans, will make a foodie trip to the city much … (+)
I first visited New Orleans in 1986 and have been writing about the city’s cuisine for three decades, during which time we’ve seen dramatic changes, neighborhood renewal, waves of immigration and vastly expanded food options – along with shutdowns, hurricanes and the pandemic.
Yes, it’s still worth visiting one of the classic white-tablecloth restaurants that have always been there to see what classic New Orleans is all about, like Arnaud’s, Commander’s Palace, Galatoire’s, Antoine’s, Brennan’s, or Emeril’s, but there’s a lot more great food here – food you probably wouldn’t find on your own. Then again, what you’re likely to find on your own is one of the many tourist traps you’re better off avoiding.
New Orleans is famous for its signature Po Boy sandwiches, but it is perhaps the best city in the … (+)
That is why I was so excited when I received my copy of the recently published The city eats New Orleans (Cider Mill Press/Harper Collins, July 2024, $22.99) It’s an essential tool for any foodie planning a trip to the Crescent City.
The experienced author is experienced food writer and longtime New Orleans resident Beth D’Addono, also author of 100 Things to Do in New Orleans Before You Die And The Hunting Guide New OrleansFor as long as I can remember, she has had the pleasant full-time job of reporting on the city’s dining scene for media outlets such as eater, gambit And The local palateand she is co-founder and past president of the New Orleans chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International.
Jambalaya is another iconic dish that is almost always better in The Big Easy.
The last time I was in New Orleans, I had an open spot for lunch and contacted Beth. She took me to Alma Café, a creative Honduran spot in Bywater that she loved and that I would never have found, and we had a fantastic meal. Since then, Alma has garnered numerous awards and national recognition, most recently its chef being a semifinalist for Best Chef of the South at the 2024 James Beard Awards—no small feat. This is the kind of place that D’Addono knows and tourists don’t—but should know.
That’s the point of the new book. “A lot has changed since the pandemic shut down our restaurant industry,” said D’Addono. “Unfortunately, we’ve lost a lot of restaurants. But many chefs have also found their voice, opened restaurants and taken a long-overdue place at the table. With this book, I wanted to delve deeper into what we’re eating right now, what will always be important and what’s new.”
It features more than 50 chefs and restaurants, highlighting traditions and trends to illustrate why New Orleans may be America’s best foodie city. As a bonus for home cooks, each entry includes a chef’s own recipe.
Emeril Lagasse is the city’s most famous chef, but he’s still one of the best.
While D’Addono features plenty of new and lesser-known insider tips, like Ethiopian specialist Addis NOLA, Cajun/Caribbean rum bar Cane & Table and carnivore haven Toup’s Meatery, it doesn’t overlook the city’s hottest new spots (Turkey and the Wolf) or the tried-and-true classics like Arnaud’s and Emeril’s. You’ll get recipes straight from the source like Emeril’s Gulf shrimp ravioli with tasso cream, Arnaud’s speckled trout meunier and Bywater Bakery’s famous chicken pie.
In addition to the featured restaurants and their recipes, there are separate compilations of the best hotel restaurants, featured neighborhood restaurants in all parts of the city, and plenty of background information on the city’s various cuisines.
This is a book you should get before you plan a trip to New Orleans and make reservations, but it’s small enough to take with you and make last-minute decisions on the fly. Flipping through it makes me want to get on a plane. There’s hardly anything I don’t want to eat, and a visit to New Orleans — host of the next Super Bowl — is all about food. The book is available on the author’s website, in bookstores across the city, and of course on Amazon.
