Green Goddess* (#178, 9/23/2011)
A favorite place of Fletcher Mackel. Great atmosphere here, but be prepared, it’s outside seating. Fun manager/servers, very casual. The food is…interesting. I had not heard of much of anything on the menu (which is one page of food, three of drinks), so we went with a tasting menu. Best thing were the stuffed figs (terrible looking); worst were the pork bellies. Seared tuna was also good. That’s food; best item I had was the “See Rock City!” Mint Julep. Outstanding drink. Would go back just for that, and would probably sample other appetizers. Full meal might be a bit much. (Was located on Exchange Place in the Quarter).
Courtyard Grill* (#177, 9/22/2011)
I’m still not a big Mediterranean Food guy, but this was a good place. Very low key, friendly service – though we were a bit late, so they kind of rushed us (“Thank you for coming; good night!”…”Um, we just got here”…”Oh, I will take your order now, yes”…”Um, can we see a menu?”). The hummus was good (I wonder what 15-year old me would think of now-me liking hummus?) and for the main course I had the Koobideh (beef kabob, no, I don’t know how to say that word). I did not have any babaganush, but I do really like to say that word.
La Macarena (#176, 9/11/2011)
La Macarena Pupuseria and Latin Cafe on Hampson Street, hmm. I had never had a pupusa, but it was pretty good; I think you need to make an effort to try a wide variety. Had the Central American Breakfast once and a pupusa combo plate, all interesting, but the plantains were the best part. Definitely worth it when factoring in how friendly the people were there. Very good tropical tea drinks also – the mango was great and the tamarind (no clue what that might be) was unique and tasty.
Midway Pizza (#175, 9/6/2011)
If you’re looking for pizza, specifically Chicago-style deep dish pizza, then get to Midway – it’s the best, not to mention great service, a solid bar with plenty of tv’s and a funky old building. A good variety of pizzas, checked out their specialty pizzas and all of them looked good. I went for the Don Flamenco (named for the Mike Tyson’s Punchout character). Another great Freret Street stop – by the way, the lunch special is crazy, all you can eat for $8.95! Get it while you can, guessing that will have to go away.
Fat Hen Grill* (#173, 8/28/2011)
I hate to give this place a bad review; I just ordered a club sandwich and a salad to go, but it took forever and wasn’t that good. I’m thinking it needs a repeat visit to actually sit there and eat and try some specialties – like some sort of pig product.
Irish House* (#172, 8/23/2011)
It took me about three weeks after this place opened to get in and check it out. A cool place, definitely has the feel of an Irish pub (or what I imagine one to be like). Had some sort of meatloaf appetizer which was ok, then a triple filet of some sort which was quite good. And of course, a Smithwick’s. Atmosphere trumps food, but food was decent, worth checking out.
Company Burger (#171, 8/22/2011)
The latest (at the time) in a line of burger joints, I have to say, this is probably the best of the bunch. Good, juicy burger with outstanding bread (the key to any good burger). The sweet potato fries were also excellent. Single burger, fries and drink were about $12, so $3 more than Tru Burger; I’ll still be back. Maybe right now.
Jamila’s (#170, 8/20/2011)
The only Tunisian restaurant in New Orleans (supposedly, I believe most anything I read). I’m not really a big fan of Mediterranean food (or lamb), so wasn’t bowled over by this place, but my friends all liked everything a lot. Highlight was undoubtedly the professional belly dancer performing throughout dinner. The owner is very friendly and entertaining as well, but be warned, when he offers mustard, it’s actually mussels.
Zoe Bistro* (#169, 8/18/2011)
As I’ve said, always a struggle when I just have breakfast at a “real” restaurant, but I’ve decided to count them anyway. This is the restaurant at the W on Poydras Street. I had an omelet which was solid, but nothing overly spectacular. Decent place for a breakfast meeting, modern-style, some funky decoration and artwork. Not too bad.