The off-season case for New Orleans
Five New Orleans places to eat this summer, when the city slows, hotels are less expensive and reservations are not needed.
New Orleans is a city built for visitors. Nearly 20 million people go each year, many of them arriving with one clear purpose: eating exceptionally well.
Baton Rouge gets a useful advantage here. One of the world’s great food cities is less than 90 minutes away by car, which means no airports, no flight delays, no tickets to buy.
Why now: Use the heat to your advantage. You already live in South Louisiana, so your body has been trained for this. In summer, New Orleans is slower; premium hotel rooms can cost about half as much as in peak season, and restaurants that are hard to book become places you can walk into.
Here are five places to eat this summer.
- Dolfy’s: Open less than a year, this Spanish tapas restaurant gives you the right kind of summer meal: small plates, cold drinks and enough variety to keep ordering. Start with patatas bravas, the fried cubes of potato in a rich sauce, and the oysters chargrilled with Fresno chilies, Manchego cheese and sourdough breadcrumbs. Save room for the Basque cheesecake, which has a caramelized top and a creamy, tangy custard-like interior.
- Cafe Malou: This is a neighborhood brunch and lunch spot in Uptown, near Audubon Park and just off Magazine Street. Cafe Malou is connected to Octavia Books, which already makes it civilized. The house specialty is baked eggs, though the brioche French toast has its own constituency. This is the kind of place that makes a day in New Orleans feel pleasantly unplanned.
- Emeril’s: The two-Michelin-star restaurant is slower in summer, which means a reservation is more realistic. But the better move may be the bar, where Emeril’s serves a limited menu and desserts. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies come in pairs for $8. Order a cocktail, peek into the dining room and enjoy one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world without committing to the full pricey pageant.
- Flour Moon Bagels: On the return trip to Baton Rouge, you have two proper options for food to bring home. Flour Moon is one of them; Ayu Bakehouse is the other. The bagel shop on the Lafitte Greenway has become known for the best bagels in New Orleans and beyond. Alon Shaya serves them at Saba, which is a strong endorsement. The Full Moon is the traditional order: cream cheese, lox, capers and onions. It is good. The better one is the Harvest Moon, with roasted carrot, tahini, cucumber, onion, olives and herbs on a rosemary bagel. It is crunchy, chewy and alive with flavor. Get a half-dozen bagels for the road.
- Ayu Bakehouse: The secret is out, which means there will be a line at his Marigny Street bakery. Consider this an opportunity to make new friends or at least observe people making pastry decisions under pressure. Croissants are available, but you deserve sugar after your wait. Get several pastries, a sourdough loaf and a cup of Mammoth Double Trouble coffee. Then find a tree in the park next door, sit in the shade and remember that summer travel is easier when breakfast comes with butter.