New Orleans Progressive Dinner

We're taking a much needed vacation this July to New Orleans. While doing some research on interesting activities, I came across a website where several well known NOLA chefs made their suggestions for a "progressive dinner" - drinks at one place, then on to the next for atarters, the next for entree's and the last for dessert. They couldn't include their own place!! It was very interesting. I am hoping that the forumites came come up with their ideas, so we can get the foodie perspective! Any ideas?

I don't know that you could work this into a progressive dinner, but here are some of my favorites.

A "Monsoon" at The Port of Call on Esplanade

A Pimm's Cup at The Napoleon House in the Quarter
http://www.napoleonhouse.com/index.html

Sunday Brunch at Café Atchafalaya in the Garden District.
http://www.cafeatchafalaya.com/cafe-sunday-brunch.html

Ditto on that Monsoon. My dear lord that is a drink. But if you start with Monsoons at Port of Call, you might not make it much farther!

Staying in the Quarter (because traipsing over to the 9th ward or Garden District will be more challenging without proper transportation and New Orleans is best on foot, I say...

Start with one of those overpriced Hurricanes at the Daiquiri Stand of your choice (I like Mango Mango because it is fun to say), you'll need it in the humidity.
Hit the Gumbo Shop for a cup of decent gumbo, but you MUST get the boudin appetizer.
Nearby you can grab your main meal at the Old Coffee Pot, here you can get a REAL Hurricane and pretty much anything else you want. The crawfish etouffee is pretty solid, the only thing I would pass on is the corn maque choux, it is a little bland. The steaks are great as well.
Obviously for dessert, you'll be going for biegnets and chicory at Cafe Du Monde (you just really have to go), but there are also some really nice praline shops along Decatur near the French Market. (maybe tomorrow...)
Pat O's will be rolling by this time, so head over there for some MORE Hurricanes and sing-a-long fun.
But, wait the night is not yet over, not until you've kicked back a few brews and had some late night rabbit jambalaya and shrimp creole at Coop's Place (also on Decatur).

The next day, you'll want to work all of this off with a trip to Central Grocery for the Muffaletta. (and you'll please please bring me one back?? )


Enjoy your trip. I so miss New Orleans, much like the song says...sigh....

This should inspire a Louisville progressive dinner, but I want to give NOLA its due first...

Visit this site: http://www.nomenu.com. The proprietor, Tom Fitzmorris, is the New Orleans version of Robin Garr.

[Robin Garr]

Visit this site: http://www.nomenu.com. The proprietor, Tom Fitzmorris, is the New Orleans version of Robin Garr.

Thanks for that link, Richard. I scour the Web for good, independent local dining Websites, and it's pitiful how few cities have them. I'll be delighted to add NOMenu.com to our links pages.

Based on the season, here's a suggested route:

Start at Napoleon House (Chartres/St. Louis) with a Pimm's Cup.

Frankie & Johnnys (Tchoupitoulas/Arabella) uptown for a platter of boiled crawfish to get the appetite prepped. Or, Drago's (Canal) for char-broiled oysters.

Mandina's (Canal) for anything as a main course. Anything

Angela Broccato's (Canal/Carrollton) for gelato desert.

Carousel Lounge (Hotel Monteleone at Chartres/Iberville) for a Sazerac.

Thanks everyone for all the great suggesstions! I love the creativity on this forum. Not one of you (thank goodness) included the big names (NOLA, Commander's Palace, etc) not that they're bad, just atypical! I love "off-roading" to eat! Always more fun! Last time I was in NOLA was for the World's Fair back in '84 (or was that '83?) Man! Was that a great time!!! whooo-eee!
The Carousel is a definite and we are staying at Place D'Arms, which is about a block from Cafe Du Monde and the Coffee Pot. I am soooooooo hyped, haven't had a vacation in years that didn't involve staying at a family member's house! This is going to be great! Even if there's a hurricane! LOL

[Robin Garr]

we are staying at Place D'Arms,

Carolyne, we haven't been back since Katrina, but that's our regular place to stay in NOLA. Lovely establishment, beautifully restored older buildings, and perfectly situated for everyplace in the quarter. I hope it's still as nice as it used to be.

Well Gang, we made our trip to NOLA a couple of weeks ago and I thought I would give everyone the short list of goodies we enjoyed. Thanks again for all the suggestions, we tried as hard as we could to fit them all in, we just couldn't eat that much!!! Here we go:
Arrived late Monday night and had a light dinner at The Embers on Bourbon St. Crawfish tails and Shrimp Creole
Tuesday we went straight out to the bayou for an airboat trip (fantastic fun!) and had Po Boys at The Corner when we got back. Walked around a lot and drank a lot and took a nap. Almost missed our scheduled tour time for a haunted history tour, just made it - it was great, too. Looking for a snack, our guide sent us to Yo Mama's. The list of burgers is definitely unique! One of them has peanut butter and bacon! We actually got one with salsa, fresh avacados - they were so huge we split one and were still stuffed!! There was a little roach dancing around the counter, but what with all the open doors, it's to be expected. We stopped on the way back to the holtel at our favorite little neighborhood grocery and bought all the fixin's for Bloody Marys (except the Vodka - had to go to the little liquor store next to Central Grocery for that). Wednesday, Bloody Marys in hand we went to Central Grocery and got a Muffaletta for brunch. YUM!!!!! Then on to the DDay Muesuem - (by the way, we drove to NOLA, but walked most of the time. (he DDay Museum is on ther other side of downtown about 3/4 mile, so it wasn't that bad.) On the way back we stopped at Harrah's and donated about $50 tot he cause, the roamed down to the begining of the Riverwalk and had oysters on the half shell and crab claws at The Crazy Lobster. This was the day of the oil spill, so we wandered along the river checking out the mess and clean up work. Quite sad. The poor Natchez was stuck in the middle of it - ugh!By now we've had enough to drink for one of those afternoon naps. Later, we wandered around some more, checking out various bars, including one that had an amazing set up for Absinthe. My other half had to indulge, which resulted in the comment later on that there was a really ugly dog running down the middle of the street and I said, you mean the two legged feathered one???? (It was a pigeon) LMAO!!!! Anyway, we ended up at Coop's Place and tried the lamb rib appetiser and the rabbit jambalaya - Amazing! Loved the atmosphere too. Thursday we really pigged out: breakfast at Cafe DuMonde, the usual, lunch at Acme Oyster (charbroiled oysters, YES!) Lots of Abita with all of our lunches, by the way. Then dinner at Brigtsen's at the insistence of some friend's of ours who are friends of Frank and Marna's. Frank used to cook at K Paul's years ago. I had a seafood sampler platter and Gordy had the duck. Both very good, we split the shredded pork appetiser and a bottle of very good chardonnay. It's a quaint little place out past the garden district. On the way out, we stopped at the Columns for cocktails. Huge old, lovely mansion in the garden district, very popluar with the younger crowd. It actually was the only place that gave me a weird, haunted, creepy feeling. Plus the bartender was not happy with her job. Friday was a little slower on the food scene, we spent the day at the Westhoff Scuplture Gardens and NOLA Museum of Art and had a really late lunch at Mandina's (Softshell crab, seafood gumbo and salad). Saturday was our last day and we had a lot left to try! Breakfast at the Old Coffee Pot, very good! Lunch at El Gato Negro - OMG!!! Had we eaten here first we may never have gotten into another restaurant. First time I ever ate an on the rocks margarita with a fork! they make them fresh, from scratch and the watermelon one was the perfect cooler for the weather. I had a pineapple, cilantro margarita and it was to die for! We shared a shrimp dish and guacamole that was excellent!!! One of our favorite places of the trip! There's only one more stop to tell you about, but I have to leave work now and it's a bit longer story, soooo tune in tomorrow for the next installment!

Sounds great. I've been trying to get a progressive dinner going in Louisville for awhile now and am hoping to do so still before the year is out - perhaps a good intro would include a way to bring awareness to the great Fleur de Licious that LDMD puts on. If anyone has suggestions or is interested in participating - I'd like to make this a quarterly event focusing on different neighborhoods - please feel free to contact me.

Salud!

I envy your trip! Sounds like you had a great time! I cannot wait to go back and try all the places you listed that I haven't been to!

Thanks for the report!

Ronnie:
Sorry, I got you a muffaletta from Central Grocery, per your request, but it suffered the fate of being eaten before getting back to the room! LOL Sorry!

I'm not surprised! Many a good muffuletta has suffered a similar fate in my hands!