Eating well in New Orleans

The day began pretty late with a walk around the French Quarter and the pursuit of coffee for Barbara. Unfortunately the Cafe du Monde was packed out, even the to-go line, so it got a little tense. We decided to do some window shopping and wait for one of our favorite places, the Gumbo Shop, to open for lunch.

The Gumbo Shop is a consistently good Creole style restaurant that we have been going to for over 15 years. It is not always perfect, but you can count on great boudin (spicy sausage), good gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, and etouffe. As long as you stick with the main stays you should be in great shape.

To help the food digest we took a walk around the French Market. There are a lot less vendors than in years past and the focus is on food more than the usual tourist crap. But there is still plenty of tourist crap, and there is no better place to get a cheap ugly hat.
The capper to the night was the family dinner at Arnaud's. We had seven of the nine Baugnon siblings plus spouses and mother-in-law Gracie. We got a private room, which was a nice change from years past when we have been in the regular dining room. I have reviewed this restaurant several times before, so I won't go through it all again. Just stick with the classics and the specialties (they are in red on the menu) and you will be fine. Also, make sure your bank balance is flush, it is not inexpensive. We had the waiter take a great picture of everyone on the balcony, which I got from David.

Gumbo Shop
630 Saint Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-1486

Arnaud's Restaurant
813 Bienville Street
New Orleans, LA 70112-3191
(504) 523-5433