Commander's Palace [Garden District, New Orleans, LA]

I've tried twice before to get into this place, both times no luck. Made reservations a week in advance, and was it worth it!

I had the Chef Torys Three Course Special. Started with the Turtle Soup as an appetizer. It had cognac drizzled through it, delicious. Then I had the Praline Lacquered Texas Quail entree. Tasty! And finally, the Creole Cream Cheese Cake. It was so fresh and tasted so good! I had a lovely cabernet sauvignon to go with.

Rosendo had the Cast Iron Gulf Fish. He said it was wonderful. Udaya had the Roast Spring Vegetables, nice. I can't remember what Jay had, but he did have the Creme Brulee for dessert. It had a lovely fleur de lis on top! And it was very good.

They wrapped the leftovers up in foil in a cute swan and crab shape. One of the best restaurants ever.
4 out of 4 stars
★★★★
Commander's Palace

Quarter View Restaurant [Metairie, New Orleans, LA]

This was a big open air restaurant, sort of down homey. The boiled crawfish were on sale today, so we each got two pounds. Yum! Rosendo also ordered the charbroiled oysters. Lots of cheese, kind of hard cheese. But the oysters were good. Rosendo also got a bowl of potato soup and hush puppies. I had a hush puppy, they were tasty.

3 out of 4 stars
★★★
Quarter View Restaurant

Café Du Monde [French Quarter, New Orleans, LA]

Beignets and chicory coffee. Deliciousness! Cash only.

4 out of 4 stars
★★★★
Café Du Monde

Desi Vega's Steakhouse [Warehouse District, New Orleans, LA]

First off, who brings a vegetarian to a steakhouse? We did!

Side of Mushrooms

I split the Ribeye steak and Lobster tail addon with Rosendo. They were served on a 400 degree plate so there was slight char on it. He also ordered a side of sauteed mushrooms.

The steak was quite good, the lobster also. There was a lot of butter though.

Udaya had a pasta dish without the meat. She said the pasta had way too much butter or oil on it and didn't finish it. She also said it was overcooked and mushy. Then we went over to the Cafe DuMonde for dessert.

2 out of 4 stars
★★
Desi Vega's Steakhouse

Marcello's Restaurant and Wine Bar [Metairie, New Orleans, LA]

First, the bread was outstanding. It was served with oil and balsamic vinegar which the waitress poured onto our dish as we were sitting there. We had the fried calamari for an appetizer. Very tasty with a crispy finish, I liked the tentacles best.

I had the Shrimp Prosecco which was Royal Red shrimp, roasted red peppers, Prosecco and Cognac cream sauce, and fettuccine. It was outstanding! I asked the waitress to bring me an Italian wine that was similar to cabernet sauvignon. She brought me something that was very similar, but just a little fruitier.

Rosendo had the Linguine Tritone which was crabmeat, lobster, shrimp, mushrooms, and spinach in a sherry cream sauce. He really liked it. Udaya had the Eggplant Parmigiana which was a breaded eggplant scaloppini, premesan, mozzerella, marinara fresca, and linguine. She ate the whole thing it was so good.

For dessert we had a dulce de leche with amaretto poured over it and whipped cream. Very nice.

4 out of 4 stars ★★★★
Marcello's Restaurant and Wine Bar

Brennan's [French Quarter, New Orleans, LA]

Seared Ahi Tuna

Rosendo, me, and Udaya

Brennan's. I LOVE this restaurant! Everything is fabulous! With such a laid back approach. We sat out on the courtyard. I had the Seared Ahi Tuna with black eyed peas and spinach. Rosendo had the Lamp Chops with endive and rutabagas. And Udaya had the Vegetarian Pasta. We topped the evening off with Bananas Foster. Which was created in this very restaurant. I believe it is one of my favorites now.

4 out of 4 stars
★★★★
Brennan's

Landry's [West End, New Orleans, LA]

We went to Landry's in Metairie. It's right next to the Blue Crab, but closer to Lake Pontchartrain. It has a large deck and a beautiful view. Rosendo ordered the shrimp something for an appetizer, very good. I had the seafood stuffed Mahi with cheese grits and asparagus. It was moist and delicious! Rosendo had some kind of fish filets with lump blue crab and mushrooms on top with dirty rice and broccoli. He said it was also delicious.

4 out of 4 stars
★★★★
Landry's Seafood

New Orleans Food and Spirits Restaurant [Covington, New Orleans, LA]

Drove across Lake Pontchartrain to the New Orleans Food & Spirits Restaurant, 24 miles! Had the Catfish Looziana. Very good. Started with chargrilled oysters. The waitress said they would melt in our mouth, and they did! Yum. Also, we had the spinach and artichoke dip. Mediocre. I also had a cup of the seafood gumbo. Very good! For an entree, I had grilled catfish smothered in a crawfish gumbo. This was very tasty. Next time, I'll have a photo!

3 out of 4 stars
★★★
New Orleans Food and Spirits Restaurant

The Blue Crab [Lakeshore, New Orleans, LA]

The Blue Crab was delicious, they just didn't actually have any blue crabs. Oh well. But I did have the New Orleans Bar-B-Que Shrimp and Grits. Oh my. It's not like a regular BBQ, it's more of a tasty, seasoned, butter sauce. And the grits were very creamy. So good!
The restaurant was nearly on Lake Pontchartrain, so we were adjacent to a small canal. The view was very nice.

3 out of 4 stars.
★★★
The Blue Crab